The Eye of Jade by Diane Wei Liang attracted me right away by the great cover. How many times have I said that?!
Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with the mystery inside, except for taking place in China. This is the first book from Diane Wei Liang, and reviews have already called her the Chinese Agatha Christie. If you've written a mystery... you are the next Christie or Stieg Larsson.
It starts out with Mei Wang leaving her police job at the Ministry of Public Security to open her own detective agency. She hires a man for her secretary named Gupin, who has moved from a farming village to make money in Beijing. A family friend tells her of a priceless treasure that might have been sold on the black market, and prompts her to investigate. She follows a few leads and ends up meeting some interesting characters in dark alleys, seedy gambling joints, and pawn shops.
It seemed to be picking up speed, until about the halfway mark when we learn more about her spoiled, shallow, pretty sister Lu. She's a thorn in Mei's side, but let's get back to the mystery.
Then her mother has an attack and ends up in the hospital unconscious. The daughters rally around, with help from family friend Auntie Zhao. I feel bad for Ling Bai and her daughters, but the majority of the book from here on in deals with the daughters trying to give her the best care, dealing with the hospital policies and their relationship as sisters. Only at the very end is the eye of jade brought up again and the mystery of what or who it is revealed.
Besides dealing with her sick mother, there are side stories about her family history during the cultural revolution, and her realtionships with college friends, but the mystery peters out far too soon and I lost interest. It was well written, but more of a domestic drama that a detective story.
2007 / Paperback / 288 pages
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