The Interior, Lisa See

The Interior, Lisa See

This is the second book in the Red Princess Mystery series, about Liu Hulan, a Chinese investigator in 1990s China. This book deals with murders, coverups, American corporations outsourcing to China and sweatshop conditions, using sex as a means to get what one wants, land grabs, and betrayal. 

Liu Hulan receives a call from an old friend who lives out in the country on a farm, she knew her in their young Communist days. But this friend's daughter was murdered and called a suicide. She was pregnant, and she also had some interesting information that could incriminate the American company she worked for. 

Meanwhile, Liu's American boyfriend, David, a lawyer in the States, receives a new job and upon digging into his first case, calls upon an old friend, also a lawyer, for some information. His friend is killed in front of him, and he narrowly escapes death. David is sent to China, and it is discovered that there are ties between the two murders. Hulan and David both look into it, while also trying to protect client privacy, which makes things even more difficult. Both of them are put in danger as they get closer to revealing the truth about each case and the way they intertwine.

Lisa See is one of my favorite authors right now. I am really fascinated with Asian cultures and learning about them in story form. I appreciate the lengths she has gone to in order to make a great story and let us peek into the culture of another way of life.

 

Assistant to the Villain, Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Assistant to the Villain, by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

This was loaned and recommended to me by my oldest daughter, Elizabeth. She really enjoyed it, and she thought I would, too. She was right. 

This is the story of a young woman who is seeking employment so she can take care of her ill father and her young sister, and as she is out walking in the woods, she meets a mysterious man, who has the king's guards chasing him. He ends up hiring her as his assistant, and we discover he is known as The Villain. 

We learn what it's like  being morally gray and working for a villain who hangs the heads of his enemies from the ceiling, and tortures people in his dungeon. We read the story from Evie's perspective, and also from the Villain's perspective, and  eventually learn what made him the way he is, as their lives become intertwined and they discover some twists and turns in their reality while trying to uncover a traitor in their midst. 

This book gives me kind of an Ella Enchanted (the movie) vibe. It's a fun fantasy read and one can really come to love the characters in it. It's easy to read, easy to understand what's going on, but not so simple that it becomes boring. My daughter and I found a lot to discuss about this book and some of the complexities that we discovered in it. 

There's supposed to be a sequel out later this year. I look forward to reading it. This is an enjoyable read and although it's the first book I have read by this author, I like her style and would gladly read more from her.

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Flower Net, Lisa See

Flower Net, by Lisa See

I am so glad I stumbled upon Lisa See's books. She writes about Chinese and Chinese American culture, and she comes from Chinese stock herself.

Flower Net is the first book in the Red Princess Mysteries, about a Chinese detective, Liu Hulan, seeking to solve the mysterious deaths of two young men, one found in China, one found off the coast of California, both with similar deaths. 

This book, being a mystery rather than just historical fiction, is a little different than her other writing, but can still be appreciated for its authenticity of writing about the culture. I have two other books in this series, looking forward to reading them.

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