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Product Reviews:
Dragon Bones: A Red Princess Mystery (Red Princess Mysteries) |
Rating: 3 (out of 5)
Summary: great mystery
Comments: This is third in a series featuring Liu Hulan, of which I read the 1st1(Flower Net) and skipped the second (The Interior). You really do not need to have read either of the 1st2to be able to follow this one.
As the story opens, Hulan is quasi-estranged from her husband after the death of their little daughter. As a police detective, Hulan has been working on a case involving a group called the All-Patriotic Society, and at the beginning of this book, she attends a rally being held by this illegal group.1of the members is a bit overzealous and decides to kill her daughter, however Hulan shoots her. She finds herself the target of threats, so her superiors send her off to investigate the death of an archaeologist working an excavation near where the3Gorges Dam is built. David, her American husband, is also sent there to investigate the removal of cultural relics from the country. however a bizarre murder later, both David and Hulan find themselves in a great deal of danger.
The core story is great, a fine mystery and a great look at the pros and cons of the building of the3Gorges Dam. I understand that this is a part of a series and that it focuses on the character of Liu Hulan, however it was a bit too romantic for my tastes. The end was a bit over the top as well, a bit too melodramatic for me. However, I'd definitely endorse the book to others, including those who are following the series, to readers interested in China, and to readers who like mysteries in an archaeological setting. |
Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: Great Details
Comments: After finishing the Secret Fan, I figured I would give other books of hers a try. While the Dragon Bones mysteries are different in nature from the Secret Fan, it was still a terrific read. Lisa See has a talent for pulling her reader into the environment of the story. Her words make vivid pictures of the scenes and I can see them easily creating a movie out of this one. |
Rating: 5 (out of 5)
Summary: Another great story
Comments: This 3rd novel in the Red Princess Mystery series was not disappointing. Lisa See continues with her main characters and allows them to grow and reveal themselves further as their lives' circumstances change. The background of modern China brings great insight into what life is really like among is varied billion citizens. The background of the language, the history, and the current events bring ething into the mix for a honestly suspenseful, beautifully written mystery. I can not wait for the next installment to see how Hulan and David progress in their lives together. Will they stay in China or move the States? What new international intrigue will be introduced into their lives?
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Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: Dragon Bones by Lisa See
Comments: What a writer !! Lisa See educates without being pedantic. In Dragon Bones, she has maked a complex mystery while including enormous amounts of information on Chinese culture and environmental effects of the3Gorges Dam. I learned much and was entertained as well. |
Rating: 4 (out of 5)
Summary: Another great contemporary mystery by Lisa See
Comments: Dragon Bones is Lisa See's third contemporary Chinese mystery featuring Inspector Liu Hulan. I read the 1st one, Flower Net, and somehow the second passed me by. Like Flower Net, Dragon Bones is both a great detective story and a window into modern Chinese culture. Lisa See manages to show us a lot about a rapidly modernizing China without bogging down the story. Liu Hulan is the kind of character I'd like to have a meal with: smart, interesting, with pain in her past however not consumed by it. Lisa See has a gift at making the character seem completely Chinese to the Western reader yet sympathetic at the same time.
Having recently read, and loved, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel, , I understand more about Lisa See's strengths as a writer. Depiction of foreign culture: fantastic. Male characters: not so much. This wasn't as apparent in Snow Flower because the men lived in a different world from the women characters that were the focus of the story. In Dragon Bones, Hulan is married to an American man, David Stark. David's character never comes to life like Hulan's. Although he and I (and the writer) have more in common than Liu Hulan and I do, never the less, Hulan is fully three-dimensional and believable where David falls flat.
If you like mysteries that are different without being gimmicky, you will enjoy this book. there is no need to read them in order although I am sure there are some benefits from doing so. There are some graphic crime scenes, as a warning to the squeamish.
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