First published 2025
Celia wakes up drugged and disguised in an underground cell beneath Portland's Shanghai Tunnels in 1888. She realizes she has been shanghaied and will soon be shipped away as forced labor. Half-Chinese but passing as white in an era of fierce anti-Chinese hatred, Celia has always adapted to survive. Now she faces something worse than her own captivity. As she recalls the events leading to her abduction, she remembers working as a maid for a questionable mayor's family and getting caught up in a goldminers' massacre case. The memories reveal a child left in danger. Celia must escape and return to a place where buried family secrets may prove more lethal than Chinatown's shadowy corners. Her journey becomes a test of resilience as she navigates the complexity of identity and family legacy.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, thriller, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, resilience
Setting: Portland, Chinatown
Period: 1888
416 pages · Paperback · Sourcebooks Landmark
Content warnings: kidnapping, racism