- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Harper; First Edition edition (Sep 11 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0060175273
- ISBN-13: 978-0060175276
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 16.5 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 567 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,461,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
"Inspector Liu, do I need to remind you that China has customs and rituals for dealing with guests?" says a top Chinese official to one his police investigators early in Lisa See's tremendously powerful debut thriller. "Remember that all foreigners are potentially dangerous. Don't be tempted to say what you think. Don't show anger or irritation. Be humble and careful and gracious. Draw them in. Let them think they have a connection to you, that they owe you, that they should never cause you any embarrassment. This is how we have treated outsiders for centuries. This is how you will treat this foreigner as long as he is our guest." The fact that the official is her father and the foreigner in question is her former lover, an assistant U.S. attorney named David Stark, makes things much more complicated for Liu Hulan. Hulan is a former Red Princess, one of the privileged children of Chairman Mao's most trusted aides. When two young men (the son of the American ambassador to China and the son of an immensely powerful Chinese businessman with possible criminal connections) are murdered under similar circumstances, Hulan and Stark are cynically manipulated by their respective governments into a joint investigation that exposes the worst of both countries. The situation also gives See a chance to meld her impressive talent for writing fiction with the solid journalism skills that invigorated her family saga On Gold Mountain.
From School Library Journal
YA?The tranquil setting of a Chinese ice-skating pond is shattered when Wing Yun and his granddaughter discover the body of a young white man frozen in the ice. An ocean away, off the coast of Southern California, the body of a young Chinese man is found decomposing in the drinking water for a shipload of illegal immigrants. When it is found that both of the deceased have connections to a Chinese gang, the Rising Phoenix, Chinese Inspector Liu Hulan and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Stark are teamed to locate the killer. Liu and David, who had been linked romantically years before, realize their case is being run like the flower net used by Chinese fishermen who throw the mesh wide to trap everything within its reach. American and Chinese cultures are naturally juxtaposed as Liu and David move from one side of the Pacific to the other, offering a richness in background beyond the usual espionage tale. The writing is crisp and the story moves at a fast clip with flashbacks adding background fibers to the webbing. This top-quality novel will be enjoyed by teens who like romance, adventure, or just a great story.?Pam Spencer, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 Star Mystery "Who done it" with good background,
By A Customer
This review is from: Flower Net (Mass Market Paperback)
Living in Beijing and reading this book, I would recommend it to anyone who likes the "who done it" stuff.The author writes a mystery that could be believed. Obviously she knows Beijing (except Silk Road should be Silk Alley [Xiu Shui Lu]). Her place names and descriptions are for the most part very accurate and the descriptions of the "old road" from Beijing Capital Airport is very accurate. The descriptions of the Airport itself are good, but one has to have been there to understand it. The smells tell it all!!!!-- Just go to the "W.C." at Beijing Airport... You will be a believer! A lot of history in the text makes it interesting. I am sure there will be a sequel... It is a good "quick" read. Interesting, accurate, enjoyable, and fun, with some twists and turns as a good murder mystery should be. I would recommend -- it's good "who done it stuff." Take this book for what it is. Not a "Hemingway," but recommended "airplane" read. As good as Clancy or Brown on "techo-stuff" and as good as Ludlum or Le Carre' on the "spy stuff". This is fun and gives a good background on China. No Human Rights abuses, etc. Just some "eye for an eye" justice. [Stuff is a "catch all phrase"]
4.0 out of 5 stars
A truly intelligent and fast moving plot,
By A Customer
This review is from: Flower Net (Mass Market Paperback)
I found this book hard to put down, with very ingenious plot twists, compelling characters, and an unusual and seductive international setting in Red China/CA. This book gets you thinking, and its clear and focused style is a joy to read in a genre that I often find overwhelmed by overblown style and simplistic plots. Although I found the romance element to be unrealistic, the characters were well rendered, and the story unique enough to have me hoping that Flower Net will be the first in a series.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great fun read that tweaks the mystery genre,
By A Customer
This review is from: Flower Net (Mass Market Paperback)
I have read very few mystery novels (mostly Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot tales as a child) and I was delighted and surprised to discover Flower Net. To have a woman take the typical "male role"--stoic and yet vulnerable at times is refreshing. To then have that woman be a Chinese woman is even more revolutionary in the context of detective novels (at least from what I know about that genre). Not ever having traveled to China, I'm not sure about the accuracy about See's details in that regard. (see other Amazon customers' reviews) However, as an Angeleno, I found her research and details to be incredibly accurate: small things like the US attorney's office being on the 13th floor, etc.I hope that Lisa See writes many more books, including a sequel to Flower Net.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
