Thorn City
a novel
BY PAMELA STATZ
AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK, EBOOK & AUDIOBOOK
Suspected murder, eclectic food trucks, and artisanal cocaine: just another day in Thorn City
It’s the night of the Rose City Ripe for Disruption gala—a gathering of Portland’s elite. Dressed to kill in sparkling minidresses, best friends Lisa and Jamie attend as “paid to party” girls. They plan an evening of fake flirtations, karaoke playlists, and of course, grazing the catering.
Past and present collide when Lisa stumbles across Ellen, a ruthless politician who also happens to be Lisa’s estranged mother. Awkward... When Lisa was sixteen, Ellen had her kidnapped and taken to the Lost Lake Academy—a notorious boarding school for troubled youth.
To make matters worse, Lisa’s boyfriend Patrick crashes the party to meet his new boss—Portland's food cart drug kingpin.
These unfortunate encounters spur Lisa into making a fateful choice that traps her, Jamie, and Patrick in Ellen’s web. As earth-shattering secrets are revealed, will they survive Ellen’s schemes or be sacrificed to her blind ambition?
ABOUT PAMELA STATZ
Pamela Statz grew up in Wisconsin and attended UW Madison earning degrees in Journalism and History. With four duffel bags and her goldfish Lucrezia swimming in a mason jar, Pamela flew to the West Coast at the cusp of the dot-com boom and never left. She’s worked in media and advertising in San Francisco and Portland for Lucasfilm, WIRED, Nike, and Wieden+Kennedy. She currently splits her time between Portland and Manzanita, Oregon with her husband Justin Graham and their giant dog Hooper. Thorn City is her first novel.
Memberships
International Thriller Writers - Debut Class
Sisters in Crime
REVIEWS
Recommended by Jody Gerbig
Once a writer in media and advertising, Pamela Statz uses her experiences in Portland, Oregon, to pen her debut, THORN CITY. It is a fast-paced and comedic thriller that also addresses the social ills and class strife of the city she calls home.
When Lisa, a troubled young escort, finds herself working at the same high-end party that her mayoral mother Ellen is attending, she thinks her night can’t get any worse. But when she leaves with a sought-after executive with an organic cocaine habit and a penchant for upsetting his volatile wife, it does.
Ending up in the hospital, Lisa collides with her mother yet again; only this time, she can’t escape. Cornered by their bad decisions, she and her friends must join forces with Ellen to investigate and bring down a city-wide crime ring before it rocks Portland from its foundation. But, as the unlikely group reach the truth’s epicenter, they discover that those they trusted might also be the ones trying to bring them down.
Told from the point of a diverse cast of characters, THORN CITY is both endearing and gripping, providing an intimate portrait of Portland to new and nostalgic fans alike. If you are looking for a cityscape for your beach read this summer, this book is for you.
McKenzie @books.abound.with.a.hound
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Such a fun and entertaining read that will keep you on your toes!
Super intriguing plot- I was very invested throughout the whole story. It wrapped up with a satisfying ending too. Well developed characters and lots of drama and humor as well.
It was very fast paced and just around 300 pages, so can you can easily fly through it!
Such a great debut! Recommend checking this one out- it releases this Tuesday 5/14!🩷
Kelly Elizabeth @kelizakreads
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I was so excited to read this one as I moved to Portland, OR almost two years ago from Ohio. This book was so fun to read, as it talks about so many places in downtown Portland. Before moving here, I had no idea how big the food carts were! We love visiting the food pods near us! The vibe of the book felt very cozy mystery and then turned action packed! There a quite a few characters to keep up with, but we get a good amount of backstory for each one. I was very surprised by some of the twists and it makes me excited to see if we will get another book 😁
Thorn City is a solid and fun debut novel about messy family, friend, and lover dynamics that will certainly prove to be relatable to audiences, particularly if the reader is a Millennial or younger. The cast of characters is full of interesting personas who clash and interact with each other in tense and engaging ways, and they can never quite escape each other, no matter how hard they try over the course of the story. It is those character interactions that will keep readers turning the pages. It will be very exciting to see how Statz follows up Thorn City in the future.
JAMIE WENGER ON AMAZON
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Clear your calendar before starting
For some books, you slowly savor and study each line of meticulously crafted prose, vs others where you try to mainline them into your veins as quickly as possible like eating an entire medium fries over the sink before your family can walk in and catch you. This is the latter. It's almost insulting to the author how quickly you will want to consume this book- who obviously spent a long time and a lot of care successfully crafting it. Delightful characters, driving narrative, and truly advanced pacing, with an added bonus of layer of deep cut, Portland-specific references- it's a shockingly strong first novel (of hopefully many more). High probability that I'll be rereading in soon at a more reasonable pace.
Leah on GOODREADS
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read Thorn City in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down! I love a good mystery book and this one truly kept me on my toes. It was also very cool to see Portland brought to life in this story. Thank you thank you for the advanced copy! I cannot wait for the next book! - LEAH
I love this book! It’s got seriously dark humor and the events that take place are outrageous. It’s a fun read that keeps you entertained and on pins and needles. Every Portland Oregon native is going to love the local call outs! A fun read that I cannot recommend enough!
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I read this book in one day—I was really invested in the story and wanted to know what was going to happen! There are a lot of characters and that was a little hard to follow and made for some super fast pacing. I think I would have really loved it more if the book focused just on Lisa and Patrick instead of all the major players so much. This is a compelling first novel and was a good read!
ADVANCE PRAISE
"Delightful and heartfelt, "Thorn City" whisked me through the streets of Portland and twist after twist of a perfectly plotted thriller! This debut delivers a satisfying meal better than any Michelin-starred food truck."
— Elle Marr, Amazon Charts bestselling author of "The Family Bones" and "The Alone Time"
"The rich backstories of these wealthy characters make them come alive. Come to the party for the secrets and gossip. Stay to see if they survive the mayhem."
— Cate Holahan, USA Today Bestselling Author of "The Widower’s Wife"
"Pamela Statz simultaneously celebrates and gleefully skewers her hometown of Portland, Oregon, in a delightful, madcap thriller with enough punchlines and plot twists for half a dozen novels. "Thorn City's" larger-than-life cast—from ambitious, amoral city executives to sweet but wayward twenty-somethings, from a struggling ad man to a chameleon-like tattoo artist—keeps the comedy and tension unwaveringly high, against a backdrop of hipster food cart pods, boutique ad agencies and the hallowed corridors of City Hall itself. Portland truly is weird, and every page of this fast-paced, hilarious debut sparkles."
— Emily Raymond, bestselling co-author, with James Patterson, of "Expelled," "The Girl in the Castle" and "Tell Me Your Best Story"
"Statz delivers a sneaky and addictive gem by captivating readers in this cleverly written thriller. In "Thorn City," appearances are not what they seem. Those holding corrupt power will kill to keep their secrets safe and maintain status in Portland’s high society."
— Erica Blaque, Author of "Among Wolves"
"Pamela Statz has weaved an intriguing novel with a cast of characters to love and root for, and those to love to hate! A complete immersion into the Portland culture, "Thorn City," is a complex, and twisty ride that unveils its multiple layers of lies and secrets at a perfect pace, not letting go until the very last page. Bravo!"
— Mary Keliikoa, Author of award-winning "Hidden Pieces" and "Deadly Tides"
"A page-turning romp with Portland at its center, "Thorn City" is part who-dunnit/part coming-of-age saga with city politics, tech bro culture, economic disparities and drug dealing thrown in to round out the experience. A fast-moving, thoroughly enjoyable read."
— Margaret Juhae Lee, Author of "Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History
"With an insider’s eye, Statz takes the reader through the nuanced underbelly of the City of Roses. This debut page-turner is a terrific addition to your crime fiction shelf."
— Suzy Vitello, Author of "Faultland" and "Bitterroot"
""Thorn City" captures exactly what's special about Portland, from the ubiquity of our food carts to the ever-present undercurrents of social and geological upheaval. Still, the characters and their struggles are universally relatable—and so realistically written that I wouldn't be surprised to run into them one day at a mayoral event, kebab stand or local emergency room!"
— Jennifer Hanlon Wilde, Author of "Finding the Vein"
EVENTS
Available in late December
Oregon Historical Society
Sunday, Dec 8 at 12pm-4pm
1200 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97205
Dark and Stormy Night SPEAKER Series
Thursday, Oct 17 at 4:30pm
Driftwood Public Library, Lincoln City, Oregon
UNIVERSITY CLUB
Author Cocktail Hour
October 9, 2024
University Club, Portland, Oregon
Portland Night Market
Friday, Oct 4 from 4:00-11:00pm
Saturday, Oct 5 from 4:00-11:00pm
100 SE Alder Street Portland, Oregon
WILLAMETTE WRITERS CONFERENCE
Author/Publisher Marketing Conversation with Ooligan Press
Sunday, August 4, 2024, 9-10am
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Portland, Oregon
THRILLERFEST
Debut Authors Breakfast
Saturday, June 1, 2024, 9-10:30am
Metropolitan East Ballroom, Sheraton Times Sq, NYC
READING & Q&A
Reading and Q&A with Feast Meats West writer Nick Woo
Tuesday, May 21, 2024, 6-7:30pm
Up Up Books
1211 SE Stark St., Portland, Oregon
BOOK LAUNCH
THORN CITY Book Launch Party
Tuesday, May 14, 2024, 6-8pm
The Writer's Block, Portland, Oregon
HELLO, ROSE CITY!
Appearing on Hello, Rose City! on KGW8 NBC
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
OREGON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 2024 CONFERENCE
Author Fair
Wednesday, April 24, 2024, 1:30-4:30 pm
Salem Convention Center, Salem, Oregon
PNBA SPRING POP-UP
Browsers Bookshop
Tuesday, April 10, 2024, 5:45-7:00 pm
Doubletree Olympia, Olympia, Washington State
