Jade Dragon Mountain

Starred review from July 20, 2015
Political and religious intrigue drives Hart’s compelling debut set in 18th-century China. Disgraced Beijing librarian Li Du arrives in Dayan near the border with Burma to find his ambitious magistrate cousin preparing for the visit of the emperor and a major festival that will feature an eclipse, according to the emperor’s prediction. The sudden death of Pieter van Dalen, an elderly Jesuit astronomer, is attributed to natural causes until Li Du discovers the man’s tea was poisoned. Distrusting the conclusion that local bandits were responsible, the modest but tenacious librarian looks for potential perpetrators in his cousin’s household, including a Jesuit botanist with secrets, an English representative of the East India Company eager for trade deals, an exotic storyteller, an embittered old servant, and an enigmatic beauty serving as the magistrate’s first consort. An attempt on Li Du’s life indicates that he’s closing in on the answer. Hart’s sure command of historical complexities, conflicts between cultures, and plot twists leads to a satisfying conclusion. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, Gernert Company.

November 30, 2015
Actor Shih adds little excitement and emotional resonance in his reading of Hart’s debut mystery set on the border of China and Tibet in 1708. The voices of the main characters—the librarian cum detective, the ambitious magistrate, the imaginative storyteller, the scholarly Jesuit, the evil British merchant—are often indistinguishable, and the several gravelly-voiced elderly village men, who provide comic relief and historic details, sound alike and sometimes over-the-top. Chinese history is sometimes stuck into the narrative in too-big chunks, but Hart’s clever plot contains enough twists and turns to hook listeners, and Detective Li Du is an engaging character likely to return in sequels—even though the audio edition adds little enjoyment to the book. A Minotaur hardcover.

November 1, 2015

Hart's debut is a historical mystery set in the early 18th-century borderlands between China and Tibet. Once an imperial librarian, Li Du is now an exile, banished from his country. As he is about to leave China, he passes through a small town filled with secrets that is anxiously awaiting the emperor's visit to view an eclipse. Then a Jesuit priest and astronomer is found murdered, and Li Du is hired by his cousin, the local magistrate, to find the killer. A striking portrayal of the politics, people, and society of 18th-century China, the story has engaging characters, sleuthing, and surprises. Narrator David Shih's powerful reading helps maintain the setting and the careful plotting and drama. VERDICT Fans of detective fiction and historical mysteries will enjoy. ["The mix of history, thriller, and layers of storytelling make for a complex and rewarding novel that deserves a wide readership": LJ 8/15 review of the Minotaur: St. Martin's hc.]--Denise A. Garofalo, Mount Saint Mary Coll. Lib., Newburgh, NY

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.