Entertaining and very well done for a first mystery. Characters generally well delineated, plot easy to follow but complex enough to hold your interest. Especially enjoyed the Chinese art, folklore and history woven throughout and the Arabian nights storyteller ( )

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. ( )

This is an interesting story of the scholar Li Du exiled from Beijing who is detained at the mansion of his cousin, the local magistrate of a remote southern city a few days before the Emperor visits for a solar eclipse. When he finds that the death of an elderly Jesuit is a murder his cousin encourages him to leave. The story is competently told and the characters are well drawn though static and arraigned for the plot, which is in the de rigueur mode of layered indirection. The pacing lacked elegance but wasn't uncomfortable. It consciously plays against the Judge Dee mysteries and even references Dee in a story within the story. ( )

Li Du is a wandering scholar in the early 1700’s in China. He has been banished from Qing dynasty Emperor Kangxi’s Court, and must now present his credentials to the ruler of the cities he passes through. A cousin, Tulishen, is the ruler of Dayan, along the dangerous Chinese/Tibetan border. Li Du is hoping to present his papers and leave quickly.

Little does he know that the city is in the midst of preparing for the Emperor’s visit. The Emperor will ‘create’ a total solar eclipse for the inhabitants in order to help cement this border community’s loyalty to China. The secret of astronomy belongs to the Jesuits who have learned how to map the stars, including eclipses. In return the Jesuits are the sole foreign organization allowed in China.

But other westerners want a part of China: both other religious orders and trading companies vie for the riches of the country.

When a Jesuit priest is found dead, ruler Tulishen wants it quickly swept under the rug lest it spoil the gala spectacle that has been planned for the Emperor’s visit.

Although Li Du only met the dead Jesuit briefly, he feels that the setting of the murder has been staged, and although Tulishen is displeased that Li Du wants to investigate it, Tulishen allows him to do so as long as it is all accomplished in the few days before Emperor Kangxi’s arrival.

I loved the glimpse into this period of China before westerners were common; besides the westerners there are internal intrigues, such as officials from the previous Ming dynasty, plots within the palace itself, and bandits on the highly trafficked Tea Road. I also enjoyed the astronomy. I’ll be reading the next in this series for sure. ( )

In 1708, Li Du, a scholar banished from Beijing for political reasons, enters Dayan (modern-day Lijiang), a major town in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, along the Tea Horse Road, the caravan path by which that all-important beverage travels. It’s a dangerous frontier, where, outside the city, bandits freely ply their trade, and a region only recently brought within Qing imperial power, whose Ming predecessors still inspire loyalty. But Li Du has no intentions of staying there a minute longer than he has to, especially since a cousin of his, Tulishen, serves as magistrate, witness to his family shame of exile.

However, according to the law, the wandering scholar must present his travel papers to Tulishen, and once he does, he’s drawn into an insidious plot. A Jesuit priest, Father Pieter, is found dead, and Tulishen rather quickly decides that the elderly cleric died of natural causes.

Li Du, who met the Jesuit only briefly yet came away impressed, believes the man deserves justice, and when the circumstances point to murder, the exile reasons that his cousin has ample reason to pretend otherwise. The emperor will arrive in Dayan in a week, and Tulishen is responsible for managing the lavish festival of welcome. The magistrate hopes to make such a strong impression that he receives an appointment in Beijing and can leave Dayan, which he detests.

Moreover, the emperor’s visit will coincide with a solar eclipse, which must appear to occur at imperial command (though insiders know that Jesuit astronomers provide him with the calculations and predictions that permit him to act out the charade). Through that, he hopes to consolidate his power in the region. But a suspicious death — especially of a Jesuit astronomer, as Pieter was — would cast an unlucky pall on the festival and the imperial political designs. Nevertheless, you know Li Du will be called upon to investigate, and when he proves foul play to his cousin’s grudging satisfaction, he will be tasked with solving the murder before the emperor arrives.

I admire how Hart fits all the social, cultural, and political pieces together in a cohesive, authoritative whole. As in any good mystery, she has a collection of plausible suspects, each of whom appears in depth through Li Du’s eyes; you know their desires, weaknesses, and strengths. Aside from the protagonist, the many fine characters include the magistrate, his aide, a professional storyteller, the magistrate’s consort, a British envoy, a Jesuit botanist.

The mystery unfolds under a tense, short time frame, and you wonder, as Li Du does, how he can possibly make his deadline. Many complications and difficult characters provide stumbling blocks, and just because he has official sanction to investigate doesn’t mean he hears the truth. On the contrary; everyone has a secret to hide, but whether that vulnerability would motivate murder is another question.

So the novel is a classic mystery in that sense. But the narrative offers much more, because Hart knows the time and place inside out in all its sensations and cultural cues.

My only complaint about Jade Dragon Mountain is the climactic tell-all scene when Li Du faces a roomful of suspects. By now, I think that convention has tired itself out, and the way in which Li Du lays out his thinking strikes me as overly theatrical, a trait he decidedly does not possess — not to mention the way the suspects, all more powerful than he, somehow sit still for his presentation.

But the novel is a pleasure, from many angles, ( )