Kill Her Twice

Stacey Lee

Apr 2024 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Jennie Kwan and Eunice Wong

About this audiobook

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl comes a YA murder mystery noir set in 1930s Los Angeles’s Chinatown.

“A captivating and crackling noir full of suspenseful twists. Readers will fall in love with the Chow sisters and their quest for the truth.” —Kathleen Glasgow, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and The Agathas

LOS ANGELES, 1932: Lulu Wong, star of the silver screen and the pride of Chinatown, has a face known to practically everyone, especially the Chow sisters—May, Gemma, and Peony—Lulu’s former classmates and neighbors. So the girls instantly know it’s Lulu when they discover a body one morning in an out-of-the-way stable, far from the Beverly Hills home where she lived after her fame skyrocketed.

The sisters suspect Lulu’s death is the result of foul play, but the police don’t seem motivated to investigate. Even worse, there are signs that point to a cover-up, and powerful forces in the city want to frame the killing as evidence that Chinatown is a den of iniquity and crime, even more reason it should be demolished to make room for the construction of a new railway depot, Union Station.

Worried that neither the police nor the papers will treat Lulu fairly—no matter her fame and wealth—the sisters set out to solve their friend’s murder themselves, and maybe save their neighborhood in the bargain. But with Lulu’s killer still on the loose, the girls’ investigation just might put them square in the crosshairs of a cold-blooded murderer.

Ratings and reviews

⚠️ Warning: There is mention racism, suggestions of possible s***** assault, fetus death, and death during childbirth ⚠️ Lulu Wong was on her way to breaking the stigma that Chinese people were villains through her acting career. She had previously only played the villain in works and decided she wanted to break the mold and play the heroine. To show a softer, kinder, and more real side to Chinese people in 1932 when Los Angeles was on the move to wipe out Chinatown to put in a new train station. Someone wasn't going to let Lulu change the narrative and stand in their way. Lulu's childhood friend, May Chow, and sister Gemma take it upon themselves to find Lulu's killer after they stumble upon her body in a horse stable. There are so many twists and suspects that you won't figure it out until the very end! My overall ratings for enjoyment and romance are ⭐⭐⭐⭐/💖 It is a murder mystery, but there are also topics of family dynamics, breaking the stigma around Chinese people, equality, traditional gender roles, and interracial relationships. It's so controversial and wonderful!

About the author

Stacey Lee is the New York Times bestselling author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction, including The Downstairs Girl, a Reese’s Book Club YA Pick, Luck of the Titanic, Under a Painted Sky, and Outrun the Moon, the winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. A native of southern California and a fourth-generation Chinese American, she is a co-founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement and writes stories for all kids (even the ones who look like adults). You can visit Stacey at StaceyHLee.com or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @staceyleeauthor