Elsa Hart

London, 1703--Cecily enters the house of famous collector Barnaby Mayne. In a circle of men who store and display wonders of the natural world, Mayne has the largest collection around. Cecily simply wants to use his cabinets to put identifications to her own small collection of pressed plants. Instead, she gets embroiled in a murder mystery when Sir Barnaby is slain. Though one man admits to the crime at the discovery of the body, Cecily uncovers too many inconsistencies to believe his hasty confession. Finding the truth will prove even more difficult than finding any particular item in the cabinets of Barnaby Mayne.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover, but I wondered if it might turn out to be a slow, dusty read. While there were a few small spots that dragged when cabinet contents were focused on now and then, overall, I didn't have a problem with the pacing. The main characters were the highlight of the book, and the mystery itself was engaging.

Cecily is a strong, independent woman who has endured much in this world where women are not expected to participate in the affairs of men. There is also Meacan, who was a childhood friend of Cecily's, though the two lost touch over the years. Meacan has been employed at Sir Barnaby's house, and the two make quite the pair as the investigation picks up. For as much as I liked Cecily, Meacan was an even more interesting character. I certainly hope we get to see a lot more of her in the future, compared to the smaller role she had overall in this book.

I had a few theories about who the real murderer was and why, and even about why the confessor would admit to a crime he didn't commit. While my initial guess on the latter turned out to be true, I had no clue about the murderer, even up to the reveal. Overall, it seemed to me like no one really had much of a motive for the murder, even though just about everyone seemed to have the opportunity. Looking back, the clues were mostly there, but meager enough, and stretched far enough apart, that I wasn't exactly kicking myself for not solving it.

The writing and descriptions, as well as the dialog, gave the book just the right historical feel without bogging down the story. There is plenty of intrigue in the lives of both Cecily and Meacan to make them characters you want to follow into a series, and the ending definitely hints at more to come, though I see no specific indication that this is the first in a series. I certainly hope it is. My only real gripe is that the entire first chapter seemed completely unnecessary to me. I don't really understand why it was needed. If it was simply to give us a glimpse at a character that would come into play more later, the scene could have gone a whole different way that would play into the story in this book a lot more. Otherwise, though, I think mystery lovers, especially those who like historical fiction, will enjoy this book.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this book to review!… (mais)

Li Du was a thoughtful scholar, wandering in exile due to his apparent critique of the Qing ruling elite, the government of the day (1700's). Philosophically, the narrative theme was an interesting backstory to the Manchu invasion which defeated the established Ming dynasty.

In this novel, Li Du proceeds to establish that a Jesuit priest was actually murdered. Unfortunately for Li Du's ethical standards, Tulishen, his cousin (the magistrate for the district) wants to conceal all the facts lest the inherent politics of Jesuits and foreigners presence in China interferes with the gala spectacle planned for the Emperor’s visit.

Irritatingly, the story's pacing was stodgy and took far too long to develop the political theme and potential circumstances with respect to the reasons for the Jesuit's demise. In the end, Li Du, who was always a quiet, thoughtful protagonist, speaks out in an uncharacteristic way to confront the suspects. Such a structure felt clumsy considering the main character's careful, politically-sensitive behaviour. As for the participation of Hamza (storyteller), his inclusion seemed very much at odds with Li Du's approach and the side stories didn't add anything to moving the plot forward.

Of great interest was reading about a 17th- and 18th-century period of China's history when the transition from Ming to Qing (Manchu conquest of China) occurred. Previously I knew nothing of this 1618 — 1683 change between two major dynasties in Chinese history. The story's rating deserves three stars for being written around rather unique and intriguing events in a murder mystery.… (mais)