Deadly Slipper

May 30, 2005
Set in the Dordogne region in southwestern France, Wan's debut, a French-flavored mystery with botanical window dressing, tracks the perilous search for a rare orchid and its long-missing hunter. Nineteen years after her identical twin sister, Bedie, disappeared on an orchid hunt in the Dordogne, interior decorator Mara Dunn (who relocated to the region) still can't let go. So when she discovers Bedie's camera—its roll of film intact—she approaches British orchidologist Julian Wood to help retrace her sister's last steps using the photographs of flowers. A picture of the exceedingly uncommon Lady's Slipper piques Julian's interest, and the pair are off, quarreling their way across the increasingly hazardous French countryside. The menacing locals aren't much help, including as they do the de Sauvignacs, an impoverished pair of elderly aristocrats and their sexy son, Alain, plus the Rochers, an incestuous mother-and-son pair who rob and abandon hitchhikers. Wan's careful botanical depictions and broad evocation of local flavor don't always balance the mechanical plotting and lack of suspense. Fans of Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief
will find this novel a little less literary.

July 15, 2005
Nineteen years ago, Mara Dunn's twin sister, Bedie, disappeared in France's Dordogne region. When Mara finds Bedie's camera in a junkshop, she can't believe the film is still inside. Perhaps the photos of orchids and a pigeon coop will reveal where Bedie was last seen. Determined to find out whether Bedie is still alive, Mara enlists the help of landscape gardener and amateur orchidologist Julian Wood, who is captivated by a blurry photo of the elusive lady's slipper orchid. As the two track down the flower patches shown in Bedie's film, Mara realizes that her own life could be in danger. Wan's debut novel reads like a leisurely stroll through the French countryside, sprinkled with a few suspenseful moments. Too bad the author pays more attention to the orchids than to her one-dimensional characters. Still, inevitable comparisons with Susan Orleans's "The Orchid Thief" aside, this is a good choice for large public libraries. Wan, who travels regularly to the Dordogne with her botanist husband to chart wild orchids, lives in Guelph, Ontario. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ" 3/1/05] -Laurel Bliss, Princeton Univ. Lib., NJ

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2005
Orchid fever rules this impressive debut novel. The desire to discover a new variety of orchid draws a young woman, Bedie Dunn, into the Dordogne region of southwestern France. She never returns from her expedition, however, and the case grows cold until her twin sister, nearly 20 years later, discovers the camera Bedie took with her, along with a number of photographs of wild orchids. The surviving twin seeks out an expert on orchids, who lives in the Dordogne. Smart move, both for atmosphere, character, and plot. Readers will gain a wealth of insiders' insights into orchids as the twin sister and reluctant -botanist-sleuth explore the rugged landscape of the Dordogne. The fact that the botanist is also a fevered orchid enthusiast heightens suspense throughout: Is he helping to find the missing sister, or setting up the surviving sister for his own gain? Not since Nero Wolfe has such a fragrant combination of orchid lore and suspense found its way into a mystery novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)