Jeannie Lin’s Lotus Palace Mysteries hit a trifecta of unusual setting, richly drawn characters, and engaging plots. The Hidden Moon, book four in this series, continues this record, and I’m happy to be able to recommend it. Who would dare assassinate a chancellor on the very steps of the Chinese capital? Bai Wei-ling (Wei-wei to her…
I don’t think The Liar’s Dice enhances Gambled Away. The slow pace, the setting, and ambiguous ending struck a discordant note with me and for me, it is the least successful novella in the anthology. A murder and the ensuing search for the killer drives the plot and unfortunately, Ms. Lin sacrifices the romance in…
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Jeannie Lin’s historical novels set during the Tang Dynasty in China. This is often considered a golden era of Chinese culture and that is beautifully captured in these novels, from the intricacies of the scholar system to the delicacies of the tea ritual. In this latest offering we return to The Lotus…
I’ve enjoyed Jeannie Lin’s China-set historicals so far and I was thrilled when I heard she would be writing single title as well. I went into The Lotus Palace expecting some element of suspense in the plot, but otherwise I had no idea what I would be getting into. As it turns out, it was…