Jade Dragon Mountain: A Novel
By: Elsa Hart
Rating: 5 of 5
This is a thinking person’s mystery. It is set in the outlying provinces of eighteenth century China. The Emperor (who is not Chinese) has not been fully accepted in this area and is coming to show his power over the heavens. He will order an eclipse of the sun to happen at his command. The well kept secret is that he gets his information from the Jesuit astronomers that are present at his court. The city to host the event is bustling and packing full with individuals (including foreigners) who have been invited to see the Emperor’s power.
Into this environment, Li Du, a former librarian, who is disgraced and has been exiled by the Emperor himself, arrives and registers his presence with the local magistrate who also turns out to be his relation.
A Jesuit priest’s death occurs and all but Li Du accept it as natural. Li Du starts to question it immediately and, through his discoveries, is put in charge of finding out who killed the priest. Li Du is an interesting man who has excellent powers of observation and the ability to ask telling questions. He is expected to solve this crime to the Emperor’s satisfaction or face even worse punishment than he has already received.
I enjoyed how the story unfolded and clues were provided. There were definitely real clues and misdirection. There were additional intrigues that were on-going, too. I was able to figure out the whodunnit slightly ahead of Li Du but not so far ahead as to make the book less enjoyable. The book was a good read and because of a slightly open ending, I am hoping to see more books with Li Du as the sleuth in the future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
