"When Li Du finally went to sleep that night, he dreamed of being lost in a library whose books were spinning stars that would not remain on their shelves. They moved around him in bright circles and arcs, so that he did not know where he was or how to find the volume he sought."
Elsa Hart
Jade Dragon Mountain
I don't normally read mysteries. I often find that I'm extremely disappointed if I can guess the ending, I generally don't respect the characters on an intellectual level (after Sherlock Holmes, everyone else is so-so), and I often feel like I'm reading the script to a blues-clues episode. This was not the case with this book. It was extremely well written. Elsa Hart blends a spectacular cast of characters in this mystery set during a tumultuous China in the 1700's. Mixing several different characters from several different countries, it draws on the clashes that arise when two countries with different customs meet and have difficulty communicating.
Our hero is Li Du, an exiled librarian traveling through the outskirts of China. In the town of Dayan, just south of Tibet, a Jesuit priest is murdered in the magistrates house, days before the Emperor will visit and summon an eclipse of the Sun. Li Du must find the killer before the eclipse and salvage his honor, if he fails the disappointment of the Emperor could be fatal. Through the story he encounters a fantastic cast of characters: a storyteller from Egypt, or perhaps Arabia, a merchant from the Dutch East India Company, a nervous botanist, and a mistress that is as cunning as she is beautiful.
I really liked this book. The characters were fantastic, the use of place and historical political tensions added to the story, and the plot kept me guessing (there is a fantastic twist in the last twenty pages). I highly recommend this book. Something light and fun while still being engaging and exciting.
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