A Red Princess Mystery (The Red Princess Mysteries)

I very much enjoyed reading this mystery. Lisa See makes the story interesting with murder, greed, romance and international intrigue while mixing in doses of Chinese culture and history. This is a good book to take to the hammock on the weekend so I will recommend it to my friends.

Although a good read, the story was not as amazing as other books written by the same author, who is one of my favoites. For example, Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is one of my top five favorite books.

First, the good stuff. Lisa See in her first mystery novel has a good eye for the class struggles inside the Chinese Communist hierarchies, with traditional Chinese cultural mores at the top of the very steep pyramid. Mao-era party cadres rule and dispense wealth and privileges, mostly to their offspring, the Red Princesses and Princes. Liu Hulan, a detective in the Ministry of Public Security, is a Red Princess, her father the Minister, her uncle his deputy. There is plenty of family back-story, before, during, and after the Cultural Revolution. Out of that tumult and choas, Liu Hulan is sent to America to finish school, then she attends college, studies law, has an affair with a young lawyer. Then she flees back to China. "Flower Net" very neatly conveys the tensions and complexities of life on the pyramid of class and privilege, and the iron rules of culture.
The novel starts with two utterly bizarre deaths: the young son of the American Ambassador is frozen in a Beijing lake. The young son of a Chinese billionaire industrialist is found rotting in the water tank of a tramp freighter smuggling Chinese immigrants into America to work in Triad sweat shops.
Red Princess Chief Inspector Liu Hulan catches the case of the dead American. Her former lover, David Stark, now a deputy US attorney, catches the case of the dead Chinese Red Prince, and the immigrant smuggling. Guess what happens. They get to work the cases together, closely watched by their two governments, who are having one of their interminable diplomatic tiffs.
Now, the negative stuff. The whole plot is so full of sub-plots, you feel like See was trying to stuff three novels into "Flower Nets" on top of the mysteries. Hulan and Stark send no reports back to their home offices, so the pyramiding mysteries are all heaped on their (if I can say so, wholly inadequate) shoulders, and they are baffled, outwitted, and out-played right to the end. Others die because these two never act like law enforcement officers. They are too busy having their adventures. See wants us to believe neither government wants them to get to the bottom of these mysteries, but the real reason Hulan and Stark struggle so long is sheer lack of police work and lone ranger-ism. Somehow, the two governments just tag along with this nonsense--deep mysterious forces invisible to us at work.
With a plot this knotty, the characters are literally flying back and forth from China to California. How far up and down the pyramids of power and privilege the criminality extends goes up and down in the book like the jetliners. Lisa See has us and her protagonists at the back end of this complex plot, riding it out in third class confusion, jet-lagged, exhausted, and ready to get off this ultimately uncomfortable ride.

This novel is a combination or political intrigue, crime solving, and of course love story. It opens with a hideous pair of crimes that reunites US attorney David Stark with old love Liu Hulan. He has been sent to China to assist on this case. She's the chief investigator. It's obvious from the beginning that the two will end up back together, but the process is agonizing. Their lack of communication over both the case and their feelings for each other gets annoying. And we don't get any insight into why they are so contentious and defensive over seemingly innocuous statements or actions. In short, they're hard to like.

The case keeps getting more and more complex as it unfolds. The Chinese history, culture and politics woven in are interesting to a point, and then get in the way of the point. She often goes down paths that don't seem to apply to this story.

The novel has little of Lisa See's usually gorgeous writing. It's overpowered by bad dialog. The book could have been improved by some judicious editing.

"Flower Net" is written so beautifully that you find yourself wrapped up in the story from the start. The characters could all be shady or not. The relationships could be filled with sweet emotion or not. Lisa puts together a variety of characters who come together to solve a crime. From the shores of the U.S. to the little known world of China, how to solve a murder is put to the test. Relationships are put to the test. Families are put to the test.

You learn some history/tradition and beliefs. You learn how to read between the lines as you think about what is being written. You are on the brink of your chair as you wait to find out the "who did it" and "who's a good soul and who's not". Love, family, murder. The mystery of life.

This book is beautifully written. Easy to read! Pick up a copy today!

There are good things about this book, with the setting in China being the main one. I enjoyed the picture See paints of daily life in China and of political and police activity there--though whether it is an accurate portrayal is unknown. She provides some Chinese history, particularly relating to the Chinese Cultural Revolution under Mao, which is pretty fascinating and depressing stuff. She also provides a true surprise ending to her story--for me, if not other readers.

The problems are rampant, however. See's book comes off as amateurish, with wooden main characters, an expository tone in her writing, and too much plot activity, which leads to too much telling and not enough showing by the author.

I read this entire book, but only because I didn't have another book to read at the time. I will not pursue this short series.

For more mystery series that may entertain you, check out my website describing and reviewing many series (see my the store profile for the URL).

It is interesting how people can read the same book and see something different. Do not expect this to be an Agatha Christie style murder mystery. I more or less enjoyed the "Flower Net" by Lisa See. I might have liked it better had I not read it right after "Mount Dragon" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. "Mount Dragon" is one of the best written books I've read in a long time. Much better than any Michael Chrichton. Well, back to Lisa's book. The plot is great, her execution could have been better. It could have had better plot development. Also I would have liked to have gotten to know Hulan and David better, not just Hulan's past. Her past is important to the plot, but I would really like to know what she is feeling today and hopes to do in the future. And as a murder mystery thriller it really suffered from lack of action - except at the climax. The "travelogue" aspect of the book is overdone. It is interesting to learn more about "modern" China and its culture, people and politics. I would have preferred if Lisa limited herself more to a few specific insights about China, and Los Angeles' China Town and saved the rest to be revealed in later books. There were a few places where I got a bit confused, but that is probably my fault. On the positive side, I was often surprised by the plot twists and rarely anticipated anything. Lisa has really done her research. In a way that may be a draw back to this book. She seems overly enthusiastic about telling the reader all she knows. I read Lisa See's first book - her nonfiction history of her family - "On Gold Mountain." This is a great book. At this point she is a better nonfiction writer, but I am sure that she will improve as a fiction author. I, for one would like to see Hulan and Dave back in a sequel solving a new case. Next time Lisa can write her best about Hulan's present as I think that all her past demons have been exorcized. The double meanings were interesting. As a biologist myself, I found the exploitation of wildlife contraband and insect toxins interesting. I do wonder how Lisa learned about these topics that are far removed from her career in publishing (book reviews). Oh, Chinese herbalists?

Living in Beijing and reading this book, I would recommend it to anyone who likes the "who done it" stuff.
The author writes a mystery that could be believed. Obviously she knows Beijing (except Silk Road should be Silk Alley [Xiu Shui Lu]). Her place names and descriptions are for the most part very accurate and the descriptions of the "old road" from Beijing Capital Airport is very accurate. The descriptions of the Airport itself are good, but one has to have been there to understand it. The smells tell it all!!!!-- Just go to the "W.C." at Beijing Airport... You will be a believer!
A lot of history in the text makes it interesting. I am sure there will be a sequel...
It is a good "quick" read. Interesting, accurate, enjoyable, and fun, with some twists and turns as a good murder mystery should be. I would recommend -- it's good "who done it stuff." Take this book for what it is. Not a "Hemingway," but recommended "airplane" read. As good as Clancy or Brown on "techo-stuff" and as good as Ludlum or Le Carre' on the "spy stuff". This is fun and gives a good background on China. No Human Rights abuses, etc. Just some "eye for an eye" justice.
[Stuff is a "catch all phrase"]

Lisa See never fails to enthrall readers within the first few pages. "The Flower Net" is no different. I did read this book (the second in a series) out of order. The first book in the series is "The Outsider". Although I would recommend reading "The Outsider" first, I had no trouble 'catching up', thanks to Lisa See's excellent summaries. Her narration brings readers up to speed with the characters' lives in a way that doesn't seem rushed or insulting.

This novel takes place between Los Angeles and China, and is a fast paced, action packed crime drama. I had read "Peony in Love" and "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" before picking up this earlier novel, and was surprised on two counts: I hadn't expected a crime thriller from a writer of See's powerful capture of the feminine character, but also because I generally don't enjoy crime dramas. "Flower Net", however, had me hooked. It was an excellent and entertaining read.

Even if you do not enjoy crime novels, but do enjoy books set in Asia, this is a great novel to read.

Those who read mysteries by the dozen can get pretty bored with the same old settings, stereotypical investigators and cookie-cutter crooks. The main virtue of "The Flower Net" is a nice change of pace on all three counts. Despite the opening of China, it's still a pretty rare setting for fiction, mystery fiction in particular. Likewise, the featuring of a female Chinese investigator was refreshing in concept. Even better is that she's a nicely complicated yet empathetic protagonist. Her American counterpart, David, isn't nearly as interesting. While the villians aren't surprising in the long haul, they aren't just the usual Triad types either.
If the book has a weakness, it's the revived romance between Liu and David. It seemed irrelevant to be crime solving and not very interesting.
This review is based on the six-hour abridged tape version. I found that the plot followed pretty well. The narrator, an American-Chinese woman was a mixed blessing. Certainly there were aspects of the story where her underlying speach patterns were perfect but sometimes her tone was a bit awkward.
Bottom-line: A nice change of pace from mysteries set in the US or England. Not great literature but I learned some new things and like Liu enough to want to read a sequel.

This thriller, set in Beijing and Los Angeles in 1997, has some real strengths. Its insight into Chinese culture and the emergence of a Chinese nouveau riche class is both interesting and authoritative. The author speaks knowledgeably about the mysteries of gaining or losing face. Her evocation of Beijing at this point in its emergence from Maoism (the book takes place in 1997 just before the death of Deng Xiaping) is also fascinating. China has changed a great deal since then so this book is already a kind of time capsule.

The book also has some weaknesses. The plotting is clunky and relies too much on coincidence and the characters are wooden. The author occasionally slips into "professor" mode, even at moments of high tension, and delivers a five paragraph tutorial on various aspects of Chinese history or culture. The dialogue is often stiff and unnatural. For example, after the heroine Hulan delivers a heartfelt confession about her role in the Cultural Revolution as a little girl, culminating in a powerful scene where she is forced to denounce her own father, she is whisked away to a swanky boarding school in Connecticut. "That must have been quite a culture shock," her lover David says. Hmmm.

The plot concerns a Chinese underworld conspiracy to smuggle bear bile into the United States using the son of the U.S. ambassador to Beijing. When a deputy U.S. attorney uncovers a murder in the United States, he's put in touch with a Chinese police investigator who has been probing a similar murder in Beijing. By coincidence, the two happened to have been former lovers years ago who still hanker for one another. Their love story, to me, was unconvincing, lacking in passion. But the plot hums along and there is enough interesting stuff going on all the time to keep the reader hooked.

File this one under "good, but could have been better."

Inspector Liu Hulan of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security investigates the murder of the son of the U. S. Ambassador. At the same time, Assistant U. S. Attorney David Stark is searching for the murderer of the son of an influental and powerful Chinese businessman. Shortly thereafter, the two former business associates and lovers are reuinited by their respective governments in a joint effort designed to fail. Lisa See has done a marvelous job of depicting the heavily instilled traditions and repressions in a China that is struggling to incorporate the benefits of the modern world. Her writing tone changes to match the mood of life in China and then the frenzied pace of freedom in Los Angeles. Even the contrast of life in ethnic Chinese areas within Los Angeles is eye-opening. The reader is easily swallowed into the places and activities of each chapter. Thoroughly enjoyable.

When students ask me "what's your favorite book?" It's always hard to pick just one, but invariably "Flower Net" comes to mind. This was my introduction to the world of Lisa See and her heroine Liu Hulan. The story line is a lot like that in "Gorky Park" by Martin Cruz Smith. Think...a dead body in a frozen-over lake. Hulan would return in two other mysteries ("The Interior" and "Dragon Bones") that I also enjoyed reading. I can't help thinking that she waiting to investigate at least one more murder. This book is a keeper!

I really enjoyed this book, as I have always been interested in Chinese culture, of which, a lot is explained. Americans and Chinese go back and forth to each country to solve a crime and have to get used to each of their customs. Being an American, I enjoyed having some of these Chinese customs explained. The story was good, but I did get a little confused a couple of times (but that could have been because I was trying to read with toddlers pulling at me and talking to me). I will definitely be reading the next book in the series.

Not very gripping....a horrible death described in detail every so often, a love story fulfilled once in a while by the two detectives, against a backdrop of internecine Chinese Communist Party revenges from a generation before. Too formulaic. I liked See's other novels much better.

Hulan is a Chinese inspector and a Red Princess, born to a favored family. This history follows her as she investigates a high-profile murder. When the son of the American ambassador shows up dead, Hulan is tasked with finding the killer. When a related murder shows up in L.A., Hulan is paired with her former lover, David, to solve the international crime. Along the way they rediscover each other and the secrets they kept hidden as they deal with Chinese gangs, rich businessmen, corrupt government officials and the illegal trade of endangered animal parts.
Lisa Ard
Author of 'Fright Flight, Dream Seekers Book One'

Flower Net: A Red Princess Mystery (Red Princess Mysteries)

"Flower Net" (1997) is the first of the Red Princess mysteries. The other two novels in the series are "The Interior" (1999) and "Dragon Bones" (2003).

"Flower Net" introduces the reader to Liu Hulan, inspector in the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and a Red Princess, and to David Stark, Assistant U.S. Attorney, who loves Hulan. The novel moves quickly and involves the reader in the fascinating, complex world of Deng Xiaoping's China - its history, culture, and role expectations as they change violently over a relatively short period of time. It is a world filled with paranoia, because knowing who you can trust is often the key to staying alive.

The novel begins with the murders of two young men, one the son of the U.S. ambassador and the other the son of a prominent Chinese power player. For reasons not clear to Hulan and David, the Chinese and American governments come to the unusual decision that both nations want the two to investigate the murders. See also describes Vice Minister Liu and his frosty relationship with Hulan, his daughter. It is only at the end of the book that the wide flower net brings up from the depths his painful past and the tragic toll it has taken on his life and that of his family.

The novel's complex Dickensian plot gradually becomes clearer the further one reads. Underneath the dangerous world of national politics and high stakes scheming and plotting is See's concern with family - especially the relations between father and son, father and daughter. Almost everything that happens in "Flower Net" can ultimately be traced back to these concerns.

Despite the beauty of the plot, it is Hulan who ties the whole novel together. Even when she is silent, which she frequently is, she dominates almost every scene she is in. See slowly reveals the complexity and painful internal conflicts which Hulan must deal with. In a vast dark world of violence, betrayal, and suspicion, she is a radiant star.

This was a complete literary roller coaster read! I loved the characters....loved the book...couldn't wait to be able to read it each night.....whatever book the previous reviewer was reading, i have no idea as "Flower Net" was incredible....her research was amazing...she totally captured the "flavor" of today's Beijing.. I'd love it if she would carry her characters over to another book...cannot wait for her next book....trying to compare her family's story with this novel is comparing apples to oranges...totally unfair comparison....if you see it at the airport...grab it, you'll truly be glad that you did!

OMG! What happened Ms. See? Before this book, Lisa See was one of my favorite authors. I won't say she's no longer a favorite, because I LOVE her previous books, all of them, but I was so terribly bored with this book that I ditched it finally at 75% read. I was not even interested enough to find out what happened. Who cares. Very disappointed.

This is a fantastic murder/intrigue/investigative mystery. I'm still in awe of how Lisa See takes us inside some very uniquely Chinese situations. It's nice to feel like an insider and yet have a guide to what we're seeing and why it matters. I learned a lot from this book and look forward to the series. Loved it!

While waiting for her new book China Dolls to come out, I discovered her mystery series about the Red Princesses. Very readable and interesting as always. She combines mystery with insights into Chinese history as well. Now reading the second in the series and enjoying it as well.

An intellectual thriller with an serious plot. Intricately detailed, with historical, cultural, social and political nuances only an insider would know. I learned a lot - and happily, there's more to come as the series continues.

"Flower Net" was intriguing enough both as a mystery and development of the characters to begin the follow-up to it. Lisa See fills in so much of the history and politics of China, past and present that one who has not made an investment in knowing about China comes away grasping and understanding much more.

Having spent some time in the PRC (People's Republic of China) I felt very much like I was there once again. However, as a murder-mystery novel, it fell down. There were too many places where the characters jumped to rash judgements, acted too confidently, or over-reacted. Each time I said to myself, "No, don't do that! I hope the outcome isn't what I expect..." but the outcomes were always as I expected. I guessed the truly guilty people within a few chapters, although I confess that I was thrown off track a few times. Also, I think Ms. See should learn more about how detectives do their work, specifically in terms of how much information they typically need to get before they arrest someone. Having said all this, however, I should say that it is a good book, and it does redeem itself in the end.