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    Flower Net: A Red Princess Mystery, Book 1
    Unavailable
    Flower Net: A Red Princess Mystery, Book 1
    Unavailable
    Flower Net: A Red Princess Mystery, Book 1
    Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

    Flower Net: A Red Princess Mystery, Book 1

    Written by Lisa See

    Narrated by Elaina Erika Davis

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In Flower Net, Lisa See gives us a China not often seen: An extraordinary nation that is at once admirable and frightening.

    Here the veil is ripped away from modern China–its venerable culture, its teeming economy, its institutionalized cruelty–and the inextricable link between China’s fortunes and America’s is underscored.

    In the depths of a Beijing winter, during the waning days of Deng Xiaoping’s reign, the U.S. ambassador’s son is found dead–his body entombed in a frozen lake. Almost simultaneously, American officials find a ship adrift in the storm-churned waters off Southern California. No one is surprised to find the fetid hold crammed with hundreds of undocumented Chinese immigrants–the latest cargo in the Chinese mafia’s burgeoning smuggling trade. What does surprise Assistant U.S. Attorney David Stark is his discovery that among the hapless refugees lies the corpse of a Red Prince, a scion of China’s political elite.

    The Chinese and American governments suspect that the deaths are connected, and in an unprecedented move they join forces to solve this cross-cultural crime. Stark heads for Beijing to team up with police detective Liu Hulan, whose unorthodox methods are tolerated only because of her spectacular investigative abilities. Their investigation carries them into virtually every corner of today’s China, and leads them to Los Angeles’s thriving Asian community–where their search turns up a bloodthirsty murderer at the apex of China’s power structure. Their work together also ignites their passion for each other–a passion forbidden by their respective governments, and one that plays right into the hands of a serial killer.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 5, 2000
    ISBN9780553528459
    Unavailable
    Flower Net: A Red Princess Mystery, Book 1
    Author

    Lisa See

    Lisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of The Island of Sea Women, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, Shanghai Girls, China Dolls, and Dreams of Joy, which debuted at #1. She is also the author of On Gold Mountain, which tells the story of her Chinese American family’s settlement in Los Angeles. See was the recipient of the Golden Spike Award from the Chinese Historical Association of Southern California and the Historymaker’s Award from the Chinese American Museum. She was also named National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women.

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    Reviews for Flower Net

    3.5/5

    167 ratings13 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Lisa See’s first novel, published in 1997, is a murder mystery set in Beijing and Los Angeles. A female police detective in China, Liu Hulan, and an American attorney, David Stark, must work together to solve two related murders. The victims are the son of the American Ambassador to China and the son of a wealthy Chinese businessman. Hulan and David were previously in a relationship when she lived in the US for her legal education.

      I enjoyed the cultural and historical elements, particularly the way Americans miss some of the subtleties of Chinese social interactions. Except for Hulan, the characters are somewhat wooden. The romance seems superfluous. Much of the dialogue is created to inform the reader (many lines begin with “as you know…”). There are a few parts that are particularly gruesome. It is a decent mystery, but I much prefer the author’s later works of historical fiction.
    • 2/5
      This was Lisa See's debut novel, and not really up to the standards of her later books.

      Interesting premise: two young men die of a strange and unique poison. One man is American and is found in China. The other man is Chinese and is found in America. Both countries have an interest in solving the murders.

      The plot was good, the dialogue and character development weren't.

      There was an interesting line about tensions over Hong Kong. So similar to recent current events I had to go back to look at the original publication date: 1997. I guess some things haven't changed much in the 25 years since then.
    • 3/5
      Torn between 2.5 and 3. Liked the mystery, but found the story details a bit unnecessarily gruesome (for me). In some sense, the book was torn between being a mystery and an historical fiction about the children of now wealthy Communists who were part of the Cultural Revolution. However, it never seemed to reconcile these two strands to my satisfaction.
    • 3/5
      Back in 1997, Lisa See began a mystery trilogy set in China. The Flower Net introduces the main characters, Liu Hulan, a Chinese female investigator with a mysterious past and David Stark, an American attorney. In a rare collaboration, they are brought together by their countries to solve two murders that have political ramifications in both nations.

      The mystery element was interesting and there were quite a few twists and turns. There is also a lot of Chinese history and culture in every chapter. I did find the details of the society, politics and history of China to be most educational and interesting. The author was also very adept at relaying the customs of the legal system in China as well as deciphering the folklore and language.

      The book has some surprises at the end that make me want to read the next two books in the series, The Interior and Dragon Bones.


      TBR 998
    • 4/5
      I have read, and enjoyed, a few books by Lisa See but this is the first Red Princess book I've read. There was lots of background about China and it's people. The plot was exciting and well written. I will definitely read the next in the series.
    • 3/5
      'Kay. I almost gave up on this one halfway through. There just wasn't enough going on to draw me to the characters--fair amount of plot, but no personality. But just as I was going to toss it in the pile, there was a little glimmer of something, and I hung on. It got interesting from there, and stayed that way. So it gets 3 stars for being not bad.

      I hated, though, that there was absolutely no swearing, except for passages where it seemed the author decided, "Oh. This isn't gritty enough. Maybe I'll insert some F-bombs in this 10-page area." And then it'd be clean again for another 150 pages. Eyeroll.
    • 4/5
      It didn't quite grip/engage me as much as the other books I've read by Lisa See (Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy). Still, it is a well-written mystery with an intricately woven plot.
    • 3/5
      This mystery is flawed but it seemed so well-researched and the history so interesting that I did not mind the plot being somewhat far-fetched and the characters not very fleshed out. I do not know a lot about modern China so it was fascinating to me and makes me want to learn more. Occasionally the mystery is too obviously only a vehicle for the history but I didn't really care. This is the first of a trilogy and I'm looking forward to reading the next two.
    • 2/5
      I love everything else I've read by Lisa See but I guess murder mysteries aren't really my cup of tea.
    • 3/5
      This book had its interesting moments,mainly around Chinese history. The writing was fine, but does not stand out in any way. The romantic moments were rather trite. The characters not terribly well developed/convincing. The story as a whole had a "canned" feel to it -- the requisite amount of intrigue, violence, romance between main characters, etc.
    • 3/5
      1st in a series of books featuring US Attorney David Stark and Ministry of Public Security inspector Liu Hulan; this would have been a pretty decent book if she could have not made it a semi-romance. Like, I'm not sure exactly how the two characters getting romantically involved again and reminiscing over their past helps to solve the crime, but whatever. I skimmed/skipped the romance angle because I just didn't care. Other than that, Flower Net is pretty good; I did see the end coming from a ways out because it was too obvious.Basically in a nutshell the story is this:Set in both the PRC and in the US at the end of the reign of Deng Xiaoping, a little girl is ice skating and discovers a body in the ice. It turns out to be Billy Watson, the son of the American ambassador to China. The case is assigned to Liu Hulian. Back in the US about the same time, a ship adrift off the coast of California is pushed into American waters by a storm, and when officials go to investigate (including US Attorney David Stark), they discover that the ship is filled with hundreds of illegal Chinese immigrants. As David goes down into the hold, he realizes that there are people trying to hide something; he goes back later to investigate and discovers a body floating in a tank of drinking water. It turns out to be the son of one of the most wealthy men in China, (the son being known as a "red prince" -- meaning that he's standing in line for major wealth & power in the government). David, who is investigating the activities of a triad operating out of Los Angeles, becomes involved with the case, and after the body is positively identified, he finds himself sent to China because the two murders seemed to be linked. There he is paired with Liu Hulan, and as they investigate the murders, it becomes quickly obvious that someone doesn't want them to solve the crimes.As I said, it was pretty good but could have been better; I enjoyed it for a couple of hours.
    • 4/5
      I had no idea that Lisa See wrote mysteries before she wrote Snow Flower and Secret Fan! This was an engaging story, mainly because the characters of the troubled relationship between the Chinese detective and the American ADA. Their complicated past kept me turning the pages. Also, the detective's assistant provided some nice comic relief. A great look into Chinese society in the 1990s and the difficulties for smart, capable women in a patriarchal, heavily controlled society. To be honest, I can't remember the crime but I would go back and read this book again.
    • 4/5
      This is my second book by Lisa See, the first being Peony In Love which I very much enjoyed.In this story the main characters, a Chinese female investigator with a mysterious past and an American male attorney, are brought together by their countries to solve two murders that have political ramifications in both nations. The most interesting thing about the mystery is the setting. See is very adept at relaying the customs of the legal system in China as well as deciphering the folklore and language. The pacing of the story picks up about two-thirds of the way through as the main characters connect the dots more rapidly. The romantic relationship between the investigator and the attorney is secondary to the plot but functions to give insight into the mind of the attorney who otherwise might seem less interesting and is ultimately the device that forces the investigator to reveal her past.I liked the characters, especially the Chinese investigator, and enjoyed the mystery. I will try the next novel in the series to see where the author takes the characters. I rated this book 3.5 stars because I did not find it to be a thriller. The suspense is just not really there. The crime scenes are gruesome but not presented in a very exciting manner. See's descriptions are very factual. The only real excitement comes at the end when the characters are on the run. Even then, you are told there is danger everywhere but they don't seem to experience any of it until the very last scene. Still a good read.