Stardust Critical Reviews
“It's "literary," all right. But it's the "thriller" part that'll keep you awake all night reading.” - The Dallas Morning News “Kanon's prose shines in Tinseltown, and "Stardust" reads like an insider's account of mid-20th century Los Angeles.” - The Oregonian
“Eminently noir, B+” - Entertainment Weekly
"The first thing to say about Stardust is that it's the best of Joseph Kanon's five great novels, and that makes it one of the best books of the year.” - The Globe and Mail (Canada)
"Joseph Kanon specializes in smart, atmospheric historical thrillers. 'Stardust' is one of his best...a delicious synthesis of menace and glamour, historical fact and rich imagination."
-- The Seattle Times
"Spectacular in every way...wonderfully imagined, wonderfully written, an urgent personal mystery set against the sweep of glamorous and sinister history. Joseph Kanon owns this corner of the literary landscape and it's a joy to see him reassert his title with such emphatic authority."
-- Lee Child
"The new Joe Kanon is one of the best, Stardust is the perfect combination of intrigue and accurate history brought to life." -- Alan Furst
"Stardust is sensational! No one writes period fiction with the same style and suspense - not to mention substance - as Joseph Kanon. A terrific read." -- Scott Turow
A-List Accolades
In the Night-Table Reading section of the March Vanity Fair, Academy-Award Winning actor Michael Caine is asked what he is currently reading: "Stardust, can't put it down!"
In the Night-Table Reading section of the March Vanity Fair, Academy-Award Winning actor Michael Caine is asked what he is currently reading: "Stardust, can't put it down!"
Stardust Summary
In STARDUST Kanon deftly mixes a haunting personal story, political intrigue, and 1945 period detail to stunning effect.
As the story opens, Army translator and filmmaker Ben Collier has returned from war-torn Europe and is on a Hollywood-bound train surrounded by industry players. He’s on his way to the hospital where his only sibling, his brother Daniel, is in a coma and not expected to live. The details, delivered by Danny’s wife Liesl over a bad phone connection, were numbing. Danny was alone at a hotel…a fall from a balcony…a tragic accident, or so the papers said.
Later Liesl would suggest that Danny’s employer, or more specifically, his studio’s publicity department, had intervened, turning what was most likely a suicide attempt into a less sensational accident. But Ben can’t quite wrap his brain around the idea that Danny would actually try take his own life. True, the brothers hadn’t been particularly close since their parents’ divorce, but still, the details of what happened are just off. Why would a man with the world by the tail—a beautiful wife, a successful producing career, and a heroic past—try to kill himself? read more
In STARDUST Kanon deftly mixes a haunting personal story, political intrigue, and 1945 period detail to stunning effect.
As the story opens, Army translator and filmmaker Ben Collier has returned from war-torn Europe and is on a Hollywood-bound train surrounded by industry players. He’s on his way to the hospital where his only sibling, his brother Daniel, is in a coma and not expected to live. The details, delivered by Danny’s wife Liesl over a bad phone connection, were numbing. Danny was alone at a hotel…a fall from a balcony…a tragic accident, or so the papers said.
Later Liesl would suggest that Danny’s employer, or more specifically, his studio’s publicity department, had intervened, turning what was most likely a suicide attempt into a less sensational accident. But Ben can’t quite wrap his brain around the idea that Danny would actually try take his own life. True, the brothers hadn’t been particularly close since their parents’ divorce, but still, the details of what happened are just off. Why would a man with the world by the tail—a beautiful wife, a successful producing career, and a heroic past—try to kill himself? read more
