About Skeleton Women
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Kensington (May 29, 2012)
Skeleton Women is a Chinese phrase for femmes fatales. This story is about three of them — Camilla, a nightclub singer who has been forced to become a spy, Shadow a magician who jumps naked off a tall building, and a gender-ambiguous gossip columnist. All must scheme in order to survive the gang wars in lawless 1930s Shanghai.
Camilla is a young orphan when she is adopted by a master crime lord and turned into the singing sensation of Shanghai. She lives in luxury but knows none of the wealth is really hers. She is one of the skeleton women, who lure men to their ruin and death. In her case, it’s literal, since she is also trained in knife-throwing and contortion.
Her assignment: attract the attention of another crime lord and help see he is assassinated. But can she stay in his good graces with competition from Shadow, a famed magician, and Rainbow Chang, the ambiguously sexed gossip columnist? And will she be able to resist falling for either the gang lord’s son or his hunky bodyguard?
Praise for Skeleton Women:
A guilty pleasure….enjoy the exotic location and characters…. This is a large, luscious box of chocolates. Go on. You know you want to.” RTBook 4 star review
Poignant and often heartbreaking story…captivating…mix of worldly and ethereal, mystery and drama… kept me interested and kept me reading with her journal cum memoir style that few authors pull off…I loved how she incorporated in her narrative Chinese customs, legends, myths and beliefs and especially how she quoted from long ago texts on war and strategies…it was her characters that dominated the pages. –Barnes and Noble Bookclub
Entertaining…diversion is (a strength of this book) — Publisher’s Weekly:
About Mingmei Yip
Kensington author Mingmei Yip believes that one should, besides being entertained, also get something out of reading a novel. Her new novel is Skeleton Women is about survival, letting go, and finding love and compassion.
Her debut novel Peach Blossom Pavilion is the story about the last Chinese Geisha and also that of courage and the determination to succeed and attain happiness. Her second novel Petals from the Sky, a poignant Buddhist love story, is about wisdom, compassion, when to persist and when to let go. Her third novel Song of the Silk Road is an adventure love story between an older woman and a younger man with a three million award on China’s famous, dangerous route.
Visit Mingmei at www.mingmeiyip.com to learn about her books, music, paintings and calligraphy. You can also connect with Mingmei on Facebook and Twitter.
Mingmei Yip’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Tuesday, September 4th: Life in Review
Wednesday, September 5th: Raging Bibliomania
Thursday, September 6th: Unabridged Chick
Monday, September 10th: Twisting the Lens
Wednesday, September 12th: Broken Teepee
Thursday, September 13th: Bookish Whimsy
Tuesday, September 18th: Between the Covers
Wednesday, September 19th: Man of La Book
Thursday, September 20th: Chew and Digest Books
Friday, September 21st: Simply Stacie
Monday, September 24th: Sweet Southern Home
Tuesday, September 25th: Savvy Verse and Wit
Thursday, September 27th: Drey’s Library
Wednesday, October 3rd: Fiction Addict