A review by cakt1991
Kill Her Twice by Stacey Lee

4.0

 Kill Her Twice is another intriguing historical fiction book from Stacey Lee, this time with a central noir mystery plot. Having read a bit about this era of Hollywood, I immediately recognized the inspiration in Anna May Wong for the murder victim Lulu, who in real life was the first Chinese American Hollywood film star. While she was not murdered, she faced racism and stereotyping throughout her career, and this, in tandem with the razing of Chinatown which also plays a role in the book, provide a great cultural backdrop to inform readers of the anti-Asian sentiment of the time. 

The story follows two sisters, May and Gemma, who are former classmates and friends of Lulu’s. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two, along with their younger sister, Peony and their mother, and their relationships with one another. May is the typical eldest child, being rather dutiful and quiet, while Gemma is much more free-spirited, and that makes for an interesting dynamic between the two of them in particular. 

There’s a lot of intrigue with the multiple moving threads, and while there are moments where it dragged in the middle, taking little detours that distracted from the central mystery. But it generally maintained interest, and it picked up towards the end. 

This was another solid read from Stacey Lee, and I recommend this book to readers interested in YA historical fiction with a slow-burn noir-mystery plot.