About this title: A story of murder, suspense, and lost love, set in China. When first the son of the American ambassador to China, and then the son of a powerful Chinese entrepreneur are found murdered, an international investigation is set up, which reunites American attorney David Stark and his former mistress, the Chinese investigator Liu Hulan. A "New York ...
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Description: Fair. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780061095436ISBN:0061095435
Description: Acceptable. MAY HAVE COVER WEAR, SPINE CREASES, HIGHLIGHTING, UNDERLINING & PAGES YELLOWED FROM AGE. FASTER SERVICE FROM US! ! ! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very good. HARDBACK. Excellent Condition Ex-Library Copy in a plastic Mylar cover. Rear cover cut by library staff. First Edition/First Printing. Normal library markings. All possible library stickers removed. NO writing, underlining, highlighting, bookplates, notations, remainder marks, price stickers, creases, etc. Not priced clipped. Not Remaindered. read more
Binding: MASS MARKET PAPERBACK
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN-13:9780061095436ISBN:0061095435
Description: Very Good. 0061095435 Very Good-An excellent copy. Softcover. 1st Paperback Edition, First Printing. Number line reads: "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1". Pages sharp and clean. No marks or highlighting in text. Light creasing on the spine. Cover lays flat. This book has NOT been marked as a remainder by the publisher. Accurate Descriptions with Fast Shipping and Robust Packaging. WHT104M. read more
Description: Used; Good. Size: 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall; Slight water damage on bottom; some dirt smears on first couple of pages. Daughter of author Carolyn See sets this mystery mostly in Beijing. The body of a U.S. ambassador's son is found frozen in a lake outside the Slight water damage on bottom; some dirt smears on first couple of pages. Forbidden City, and the body of one of China's political elite is found on a smuggling ship docked in the United States. Suspecting a conspiracy the Chinese and ... read more
"Yeah, I finally unpacked my library books so I could finish this one. I thought this was an okay read. It was believable until about 1/2-way through and then it seemed too unrealistic. It definitely had a Scooby-Doo ending if you know what I mean."
"It's easy to see how much Lisa See has evolved from the early days to her absolutely fabulous Snow Flower and Peony in Love books. This book was interesting, but not nearly as enjoyable as her more recent works. Still, I will read the next 2 in the series, b/c Lisa See does wonderful research, is a beautiful writer and I love reading about China."
"This thriller, set in Beijing and Los Angeles in 1997, has some real strengths. Its insight into Chinese culture and the emergence of a Chinese nouveau riche class is both interesting and authoritative. The author speaks knowledgeably about the mysteries of gaining or losing face. Her evocation of Beijing at this point in its emergence from Maoism (the book takes place in 1997 just before the death of Deng Xiaping) is also fascinating. China has changed a great deal since then so this book is already a kind of time capsule.
The book also has some weaknesses. The plotting is clunky and relies too much on coincidence and the characters are wooden. The author occasionally slips into "professor" mode, even at moments of high tension, and delivers a five paragraph tutorial on various aspects of Chinese history or culture. The dialogue is often stiff and unnatural. For example, after the heroine Hulan delivers a heartfelt confession about her role in the Cultural Revolution as a little girl, culminating in a powerful scene where she is forced to denounce her own father, she is whisked away to a swanky boarding school in Connecticut. "That must have been quite a culture shock," her lover David says. Hmmm.
The plot concerns a Chinese underworld conspiracy to smuggle bear bile into the United States using the son of the U.S. ambassador to Beijing. When a deputy U.S. attorney uncovers a murder in the United States, he's put in touch with a Chinese police investigator who has been probing a similar murder in Beijing. By coincidence, the two happened to have been former lovers years ago who still hanker for one another. Their love story, to me, was unconvincing, lacking in passion. But the plot hums along and there is enough interesting stuff going on all the time to keep the reader hooked.
File this one under "good, but could have been better.""
"#1 Liu Hulan mystery set in China. Hulan is an inspector with the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing. American-educated, she seems to be the natural choice to work with an American delegation who arrives to sort out the murders of two men--one Chinese, one American. The American happens to be the ambassador's son, and the Chinese man was a friend of his, and was found stuffed into a closet on a ship carrying illegals to California. These deaths are destined to trigger a diplomatic explosion if they aren't solved quickly.
David Stark, the attorney chosen to go to China--and coincidentally, Hulan's former lover--believes that the deaths have something to do with the Chinese mafia, the triads, particularly one called Rising Phoenix, but is short on proof. Working together with Hulan in China and in America, their delegation works to sift the clues.
I must admit I was quite disappointed in this book, having read some of Lisa See's other "literary" fiction and which I enjoyed a lot. There are three books in this mystery series, all written earlier than her other works, and it shows. This was rather amateurishly written, the plot was full of holes and the characters were two-dimensional. It was also just....boring, for lack of a better word. I didn't care about either of the main characters and wasn't really sure "who" they were, actually. I did finish it, but I skimmed the last 50 pages and in retrospect, rather wish I hadn't bothered. I really have no desire to read on in the series at all. C-"
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