Reddit reviews The Kept Girl

The Kept Girl is now available from Amazon or direct from Esotouric Ink (signed or in deluxe art deco wraps).

Synopsis: Los Angeles, 1929: a glittering metropolis on the crest of an epic crash. A mysterious prophetess and her alluring daughter have relieved an oil tycoon's nephew of his fortune. But the kid won't talk. To find the money, the old man calls on a trusted executive, Raymond Chandler, who in turn enlists the aid of his devoted secretary/mistress, Muriel Fischer, and their idealistic patrolman friend Tom James.

Soon the nephew is revealed as a high-ranking member of a murderous cult of angel worshippers, and the trio plunges into an investigation that sends them careening across Southern California, from sinister sanitariums to roadside burger stands, decaying Bunker Hill mansions to sparkling cocktail parties, taxi dance halls to the morgue, all in search of the secretive Great Eleven. But when Muriel goes undercover to infiltrate the group's rural lair, she comes face to face with disturbing truths that threaten to spoil everything, not just for the cult's members, but for herself as well.

A work of fiction inspired by actual events and featuring the real-life cop who is a likely model for the mature Chandler's greatest creation, private eye Philip Marlowe, Kim Cooper's The Kept Girl exposes a mystery so horrifying, it could only be true.

What the Critics are Saying:

"Commendable." - Kirkus Reviews... "Holy cats, this woman can write! Kim Cooper's The Kept Girl evokes 1920s Los Angeles in general and especially Raymond Chandler magnificently, without ever stooping to mere ventriloquism. It abounds in grace notes, snappy character sketches and, yes, similes that keep their dignity even in the presence of the master." - David Kipen, editor of The WPA Guide to Los Angeles... "Kim Cooper is the perfect Virgil to 1929 Los Angeles, a city that was both a paradise and an inferno. Her knowledge of the city that was is unparalleled, her imagination unnerving. The real-life characters and crimes that would give birth to the pulp fiction of the 1930s and the film noir of the 1940s can all be found here. Aficionados of noir Los Angeles will read The Kept Girl with fascination and with growing horror as the terrible crime at its core is revealed." - John Buntin, author of L.A. Noir... "Nervy, bold, and shot through with a deep sense of Los Angeles history--the kind that feels practically tactile, as all the best noir narratives do Kim Cooper's The Kept Girl is a delightful addition to this city's literature. The effortlessness with which it borrows against the Chandler tradition while at the same time retaining its unique intelligence and slyly contemporary flavor is just plain stunning. I can't commend it highly enough." - Matthew Specktor, author of American Dream Machine

What Readers are Saying:

4.5 stars with 10 Amazon reviews, including:

"Plot, character, pacing and period detail are all impeccably rendered here, bolstered by the author's deep knowledge of Los Angeles history." (Mike Stax)... "I couldn't put this book down; RIVETING. Well-written, brilliantly researched, totally compelling and fascinating." (Thessaly Lerner)... "The story she weaves is complex and richly detailed. The mix of fact and fiction could have been daunting for a first-time novelist, but Kim Cooper understands this turf like a beat cop." (A. Schaeffer)... "Cooper's writing style is wonderful, warm and inviting, and rich with ambiance... a deeply delicious read." (Unabridged Chick)... "Kim Cooper has always been a terrific historian, but very few terrific historians can write a story this well. Just wonderful work." (sirmarktwang)

Learn more about The Kept Girl and the real-life crimes that inspired the novel here.