Review by Booklist Review
Disgraced librarian Li Du arrives in the remote southern city of Dayan at an inauspicious time: the emperor's visit is scheduled in a few days the emperor who exiled him. When the magistrate's Jesuit guest is poisoned, the culprit, any culprit, must be quickly found and executed, to prevent embarrassment. Hart's well-researched mystery debut is set in early eighteenth-century China, amid the bustle of urgent preparations for the emperor's arrival and sly machinations of people jostling for position and a chance to see their divine ruler. Li Du considers leaving but cannot resist the urge to investigate the murder and possibly restore his good name. Decorated with a careful attention to detail, this old-fashioned mystery suits its setting in atmosphere and pacing, drawing the reader into an exotic territory. Arriving at the very last moment, the puzzle's solution, while not surprising, provides a fitting closure to the first in a series sure to please fans of Laura Joh Rowland's Sano Ichiro mysteries, set in Japan, and those who enjoyed the magical Malaysian setting of Tan Twan Eng's Garden of Evening Mists.--Baker, Jen Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Political and religious intrigue drives Hart's compelling debut set in 18th-century China. Disgraced Beijing librarian Li Du arrives in Dayan near the border with Burma to find his ambitious magistrate cousin preparing for the visit of the emperor and a major festival that will feature an eclipse, according to the emperor's prediction. The sudden death of Pieter van Dalen, an elderly Jesuit astronomer, is attributed to natural causes until Li Du discovers the man's tea was poisoned. Distrusting the conclusion that local bandits were responsible, the modest but tenacious librarian looks for potential perpetrators in his cousin's household, including a Jesuit botanist with secrets, an English representative of the East India Company eager for trade deals, an exotic storyteller, an embittered old servant, and an enigmatic beauty serving as the magistrate's first consort. An attempt on Li Du's life indicates that he's closing in on the answer. Hart's sure command of historical complexities, conflicts between cultures, and plot twists leads to a satisfying conclusion. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, Gernert Company. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
This riveting story of 18th-century Imperial China marks a promising start for first novelist Hart. Disgraced librarian Li Du lives as a wandering scholar after being exiled for associating with enemies of the emperor. On one of his many travels he passes through the town of Dayan and is required to report to his cousin Tulishen, the local magistrate. His visit coincides with a major festival honoring the emperor and his divine ability to predict eclipses. As Dayan prepares to receive the royal entourage, a visiting Jesuit astronomer is found murdered, and Li Du becomes involved in uncovering the killer. Matters are complicated by a fraught political and cultural environment that makes it difficult to investigate. There are plenty of false clues and gratifying twists before things are wrapped up satisfyingly. Excellent writing and the charming stories of traveling storyteller Hamza further elevate this novel above the typical historical suspense. VERDICT The mix of history, thriller, and layers of storytelling make for a complex and rewarding novel that deserves a wide readership. A fine debut for an author with more books, one hopes, to come. [See Prepub Alert, 3/23/15.]-Liz Kirchhoff, -Barrington Area Lib., IL © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Part mystery, part exploration of a culture fading into history's shadows, Hart's novel is a fascinating, intelligent debut. In 1708 China, imperial librarian Li Du is banished from Beijing for innocently consorting with traitors. Now an itinerant scholar"It is not my habit to remain long in any city"Li has come upon Dayan in China's far southwest, where his cousin Tulishen is imperial magistrate. Li appears before Tulishen, as he's required to do, "to register my presence upon arrival in a new prefecture." Coincidentally, Emperor Kangxi is about to arrive in Dayan on a royal tour; with knowledge gleaned from Jesuit astronomers, he's planning to command an eclipse to appear in Dayan, a bit of theater meant to persuade restless citizens of his divinity. There will be a great festival, and foreigners such as Brother Pieter, a Jesuit scholar, and Sir Nicholas Gray, the English East India Company representative, will attend. Dayan becomes a pit of rivalries. Pieter's murdered. Tulishen, ambitious for office in the Forbidden City and fearing embarrassment, demands Li find the killer. Hart has written an intriguing mystery but it's the deft interweaving of Chinese culturepoetry, art, and even teainto the tale that adds depth. Hart's language regularly delightsa servant girl's "makeup gave her face a hard, kiln-fired delicacy"; the East India Company "whined at the door like a hungry dog, a frustrated brute who smelled meat but could not reach it." Hart tosses in tidbits about Ming and Qing rivalries and worries over Tibet's Kham people while lacing the mystery with sleight-of-hand misdirections. Li finds the murderer and wanders off once more with another outlier, Hamza, a "storyteller who spins dark tales, who associates with bandit caravans," characters worthy of a sequel. Think Agatha Christie writing ShogunHart's captivating debut has solid cross-genre appeal. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
