Oscar Nominated Screenwriter Iris Yamashita

Please join Chaucer’s Books for a virtual author discussion with Academy Award nominated screenwriter (LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) Iris Yamashita as she talks about her debut novel CITY UNDER ONE ROOF on Monday, January 16 at 7 p.m.

To watch this discussion on Zoom, please click here at the time of the event: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84006664299

To watch on YouTube (or to watch a recording of this event), please click here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRVxV4ZOqkmnBj8TvT25NFQ

Description

A stranded detective tries to solve a murder in a tiny Alaskan town where everyone lives in a single high-rise building, in this gripping debut by an Academy Award–nominated screenwriter.

When a local teenager discovers a severed hand and foot washed up on the shore of the small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, Cara Kennedy is on the case. A detective from Anchorage, she has her own motives for investigating the possible murder in this isolated place, which can be accessed only by a tunnel.

After a blizzard causes the tunnel to close indefinitely, Cara is stuck among the odd and suspicious residents of the town—all 205 of whom live in the same high-rise building and are as icy as the weather. Cara teams up with Point Mettier police officer Joe Barkowski, but before long the investigation is upended by fearsome gang members from a nearby native village.

Haunted by her past, Cara soon discovers that everyone in this town has something to hide. Will she be able to unravel their secrets before she unravels?”

Photo by Anthony Mongiello

About the Author

Iris Yamashita is an Academy Award–nominated screenwriter for the movie Letters from Iwo Jima. She has been working in Hollywood for fifteen years developing material for both film and streaming, has taught screenwriting at UCLA, and is an advocate of women and diversity in the entertainment industry. She has also been a judge and mentor for various film and writing programs, and lives in California.

Praise For…

“City Under One Roof is a gripping, unsettling and oppressive thriller that welcomes a wonderful new talent to the genre. Prepare to be quickly immersed in this dark and moody murder mystery.”—Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing

“Northern Exposure meets Dexter in this clever thriller in which an isolated community is rocked by a twisted murder, increasingly dark secrets and the terrifying knowledge that the people they always thought they knew are now the ones they should fear the most.”—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One Step Too Far

“Electric and fast-paced, this debut thriller is a testament to Yamashita’s skills as a storyteller. There’s no escape from the isolated Alaska setting for either the murder investigator or the reader. I fell down the rabbit hole and couldn’t come out until I read the final page.”—Naomi Hirahara, Edgar-winning author of Clark and Division

“Iris Yamashita delivers! Compelling characters, clever plot twists, and a story that will chill you to your bones. City Under One Roof is a must-read thriller.”–Laura Griffin, New York Times bestselling author of The Texas Murder Files

“Iris Yamashita blasts into the world of crime fiction by doing something spectacular: introducing us to a totally unique location and sub-culture.  A compulsive page-turner that’s both atmospheric and claustrophobic at the same time.”—C.J. Box, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Shadows Reel

“A well-crafted novel, told through the eyes of three very different women, with a wonderfully claustrophobic and atmospheric background.”—Ann Cleeves, New York Times bestselling author of The Long Call and Vera Stanhope novels

“Unusual topography plays a major role in screenwriter Yamashita’s atmospherically charged debut…that leads to a spellbinding, unforgettable climax and an unpredictable resolution….This distinctively original perspective on a ‘community of stragglers, oddballs, and recluses’ heralds the arrival of a major new talent.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The claustrophobic atmosphere in this unique one-building town, isolated by tunnels, weather, and secrets, builds a memorable debut crime novel.”—Library Journal (starred review)