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Red Princess #1
Flower Net
“Lisa See begins to do for Beijing what Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did for turn-of-the-century London or Dashiell Hammett did for 1920s San She discerns the hidden city lurking beneath the public facade.�
–The Washington Post Book World
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. Around the same time, aboard a ship adrift off the coast of Southern California, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Stark makes a startling 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 see justice done. In Beijing, David teams up with the unorthodox police detective Liu Hulan. In an investigation that brings them to every corner of China and sparks an intense attraction between the two, David and Hulan discover a web linking human trafficking to the drug trade to governmental treachery–a web reaching from the Forbidden City to the heart of Los Angeles and, like the wide flower net used by Chinese fishermen, threatening to ensnare all within its reach.
“A graceful rendering of two different and complex cultures, within a highly intricate plot . . . The starkly beautiful landscapes of Beijing and its surrounding countryside are depicted with a lyrical precision.�
–Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Murder and intrigue splash across the canvas of modern Chinese life. . . . A vivid portrait of a vast Communist nation in the painful throes of a sea change.�
DZ
“Fascinating . . . that rare thriller that enlightens as well as it entertains.�
–San Diego Union-Tribune
A Finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
–The Washington Post Book World
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. Around the same time, aboard a ship adrift off the coast of Southern California, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Stark makes a startling 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 see justice done. In Beijing, David teams up with the unorthodox police detective Liu Hulan. In an investigation that brings them to every corner of China and sparks an intense attraction between the two, David and Hulan discover a web linking human trafficking to the drug trade to governmental treachery–a web reaching from the Forbidden City to the heart of Los Angeles and, like the wide flower net used by Chinese fishermen, threatening to ensnare all within its reach.
“A graceful rendering of two different and complex cultures, within a highly intricate plot . . . The starkly beautiful landscapes of Beijing and its surrounding countryside are depicted with a lyrical precision.�
–Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Murder and intrigue splash across the canvas of modern Chinese life. . . . A vivid portrait of a vast Communist nation in the painful throes of a sea change.�
DZ
“Fascinating . . . that rare thriller that enlightens as well as it entertains.�
–San Diego Union-Tribune
A Finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
333 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
1106 people are currently reading
6038 people want to read
About the author
Lisa See
29books52.8kfollowersLisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, The Island of Sea Women, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Island of Sea Women, 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. Her books have been published in 39 languages. See was the recipient of the Golden Spike Award from the Chinese Historical Association of Southern California and the History Maker’s Award from the Chinese American Museum. She was also named National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women. You can learn more about her at . You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 749 reviews
January 22, 2021
Novela negra en la que EEUU y China tienen que ponerse de acuerdo para resolver dos asesinatos, uno de un chino en EEUU y otro de un americano en China.
Fenomenal la trama y los personajes, especialmente la inspectora encargada de resolver el caso en China donde vemos a una mujer joven que tiene que enfrentarse a las costumbres tan arraigas de su país, a su familia y a sus superiores.
Tenéis una breve reseña aquí:
Muy recomendable
Fenomenal la trama y los personajes, especialmente la inspectora encargada de resolver el caso en China donde vemos a una mujer joven que tiene que enfrentarse a las costumbres tan arraigas de su país, a su familia y a sus superiores.
Tenéis una breve reseña aquí:
Muy recomendable
January 10, 2012
I have really enjoyed Lisa See's historical fiction and really, really, really wish she had stuck with that genre! This attempt at writing a mystery series is stilted at best. It started off in the usual mystery fashion - discovery of gruesome murders and setting up of the structure and characters who will solve them. But then she introduces the unlikely past (and soon to be current) romance between the two main characters, the tumbling procession of back-and-forth across the ocean events, the propensity of characters to explain (in pages of great detail) their past actions and motivations, and the convenient suicides of the bad guys, and it just starts to feel cartoonish. I swear I expected mustache-twirling and demands for rent before this thing ended!
June 4, 2016
I dithered with the rating and the review of this book. I have read and loved Lisa See's historical fiction but this was a very different genre. Set in (almost) modern day USA and China, the book is a murder mystery with international political intrigue, with some smuggling thrown in for good measure. I don't really enjoy political fiction (with some rare exceptions) or murder mysteries that are about police and gangsters.
The beginning was rather slow and I almost gave up. The book starts off with a murder of the American ambassador's son in China and quickly escalates into an international diplomacy crisis. Enter the heroine, who happens to be an Inspector. Then they find out that a Chinese student in America has died under similar circumstances. Enter the hero, assistant US Attorney. The two are thrown together and play around with each other until the climax.
The romance, authors! Ditch the silly romances! David and Hulan have been in love for TEN years, during which they have had no contact, after Hulan had disappeared one fine day from David's life. David has got married and divorced in the meanwhile, always still in love with Hulan. Urghh! Hulan meanwhile makes her life in China, also still in love with David. I don't even know what the guy I was in love with ten years ago is doing today, much less pining for him. This is extremely unrealistic and I really don't know why authors insist on foisting stupid and unrealistic love angles and sex scenes on us.
The characters are not very well developed and there is too much of "This is how we Chinese / Americans" operate, which annoyed me very much. Hulan's relationship with her family is also very strange and the entire climax at the end did not make sense to me. So overall, the character motivations were a little skewed.
The one positive is that the author did play on her strengths and brought China alive. I really enjoyed the descriptions of daily life and the various places in Beijing. She also brought a few scenes from the Cultural Revolution into the story, and I am a sucker for that. It was very well done! The research was detailed and See managed to weave all kinds of details about animal smuggling into the narrative.
I would say the overall effort was a little mediocre, but it's not a complete washout.
The beginning was rather slow and I almost gave up. The book starts off with a murder of the American ambassador's son in China and quickly escalates into an international diplomacy crisis. Enter the heroine, who happens to be an Inspector. Then they find out that a Chinese student in America has died under similar circumstances. Enter the hero, assistant US Attorney. The two are thrown together and play around with each other until the climax.
The romance, authors! Ditch the silly romances! David and Hulan have been in love for TEN years, during which they have had no contact, after Hulan had disappeared one fine day from David's life. David has got married and divorced in the meanwhile, always still in love with Hulan. Urghh! Hulan meanwhile makes her life in China, also still in love with David. I don't even know what the guy I was in love with ten years ago is doing today, much less pining for him. This is extremely unrealistic and I really don't know why authors insist on foisting stupid and unrealistic love angles and sex scenes on us.
The characters are not very well developed and there is too much of "This is how we Chinese / Americans" operate, which annoyed me very much. Hulan's relationship with her family is also very strange and the entire climax at the end did not make sense to me. So overall, the character motivations were a little skewed.
The one positive is that the author did play on her strengths and brought China alive. I really enjoyed the descriptions of daily life and the various places in Beijing. She also brought a few scenes from the Cultural Revolution into the story, and I am a sucker for that. It was very well done! The research was detailed and See managed to weave all kinds of details about animal smuggling into the narrative.
I would say the overall effort was a little mediocre, but it's not a complete washout.
May 9, 2022
Digital audiobook narrated by Elaina Davis (abridged)
From the book jacket: In the depths of a Beijing winter, the U.S. ambassador’s son is found dead � his body entombed in a frozen lake. Around the same time, aboard a ship adrift off the coast of Southern California, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Stark discovers 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 they join forces to see justice done. In Beijing, David teams up with the female police detective Liu Hulan, in an investigation that takes them to every corner of China and sparks an intense attraction between the two.
My reaction
Before she rocketed to fame with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan See wrote a short series of mysteries, of which this is the first. What I liked most about this book was the look at China � from karaoke bars to the neighborhoods housing the working class, from high-powered businessmen to prostitutes, See gave the reader a look under the blanket of the typical tourist-friendly experience. The plot is convoluted and full of twists and turns, as much political intrigue as murder mystery.
Liu Hulan is an interesting and conflicted character. Having been educated in the U.S. she seems a logical choice to partner with the U.S. attorney for the investigation. But their previous relationship and the personal issues between them kept distracting me from the central mystery.
Elaina Davis does a good job of narrating the audiobook, but it wasn’t until after I had listened to about half of it that I realized it was an abridged version. Fortunately, I had the text as well so could read the full book, which meant I got much more of Liu Hulan explaining Chinese culture to David than action.
From the book jacket: In the depths of a Beijing winter, the U.S. ambassador’s son is found dead � his body entombed in a frozen lake. Around the same time, aboard a ship adrift off the coast of Southern California, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Stark discovers 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 they join forces to see justice done. In Beijing, David teams up with the female police detective Liu Hulan, in an investigation that takes them to every corner of China and sparks an intense attraction between the two.
My reaction
Before she rocketed to fame with Snow Flower and the Secret Fan See wrote a short series of mysteries, of which this is the first. What I liked most about this book was the look at China � from karaoke bars to the neighborhoods housing the working class, from high-powered businessmen to prostitutes, See gave the reader a look under the blanket of the typical tourist-friendly experience. The plot is convoluted and full of twists and turns, as much political intrigue as murder mystery.
Liu Hulan is an interesting and conflicted character. Having been educated in the U.S. she seems a logical choice to partner with the U.S. attorney for the investigation. But their previous relationship and the personal issues between them kept distracting me from the central mystery.
Elaina Davis does a good job of narrating the audiobook, but it wasn’t until after I had listened to about half of it that I realized it was an abridged version. Fortunately, I had the text as well so could read the full book, which meant I got much more of Liu Hulan explaining Chinese culture to David than action.
April 16, 2022
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.
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.
January 24, 2016
Complex investigation by former lovers into Chinese Triad's smuggling of nuclear triggers, illegal immigrants, drugs and bear bile (!), taking place in LA, Beijing, Montana and the Chinese countryside is more complex than interesting, more fraught with melodrama than engaging. It's a disappointment after Dreams of Joy and Shanghai Sisters which were excellent, nuanced stories of the Chinese American experience, particularly for women, drawn from the author's own family.
I don't think I'll be tuning in for the next Red Princess.
I don't think I'll be tuning in for the next Red Princess.
December 23, 2016
I liked her other books, but this book was a big "meh". A letdown...thought her subject matter would be a winner, but the plotting and characters were very average in an already crowded field. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.
December 1, 2019
Lo primero que leo de esta autora y no será lo último. Me ha gustado mucho la intriga y como se ve perfectamente los grandes contrastes que hay entre China y EEUU en muchos aspectos. La trama está muy bien y los protagonistas me han gustado. Lo recomiendo.
December 4, 2020
My first book by See and I liked it.
December 13, 2022
Thank goodness that’s over. I could not have cared less about these characters. Their romance was not believable, nor was it interesting. The plot was all over the place. I guessed the villain from early on. It was just � messy. Ugh. The only reason it gets 2 stars instead of 1 is because I have actually read worse. And I learned some interesting things about modern China—well, the China of 1997, at any rate.
ETA: The title is meaningless to the story, by the way. I don’t know why that bothers me, but it does. 🤷🏼♀�
ETA: The title is meaningless to the story, by the way. I don’t know why that bothers me, but it does. 🤷🏼♀�
April 20, 2025
Abandonado a las 100 páginas aproximadamente
February 12, 2021
Liu Hulan is an investigator for the Chinese state with a past full of secrets and a heart burdened with guilt. When she is tasked with investigating a string of high profile murders end it is arranged that her former lover David, an American lawyer, will assist her she knows there are no coincidences in a surveillance state like China.
Content warnings: some graphic forensic descriptions murder victims, and occasional use of rough language
Content warnings: some graphic forensic descriptions murder victims, and occasional use of rough language
July 13, 2009
Definitely not one of 's best books. She should stick to the wonderful Chinese historical fiction she does so well. is also set in China, but in almost-modern China (late 90s). The characters are flat and unbelievable and the story is stilted. Seriously, who is going to believe that an experienced attorney who has worked all over the world, who had planned to marry a Chinese woman and who has spent the last several years investigating Chinese mafia activity is really going to wind up in China looking like a bumbling idiot? As an American expat living in China, I know how opaque Chinese customs can be. I also know that a modicum of basic courtesy will get you by in almost any situation, even if you don't exactly know the appropriate behavior. The love story is equally absurd (not to mention extraneous). If the person you wanted to marry lied to you about plans to return from a trip, disappeared without a word, never responded to your letters and never told you the truth about his/her background, would you really pick up without even an explanation if you crossed paths again more than a decade later? Unlikely! Don't waste your time!
August 15, 2017
Rating 4. Contains possible spoilers.
This is one of those books that I tell myself I'm not going to like but I end up doing so anyway. This is due to Liu Hulan, the main character.
She is a wonderfully complex character, drawn between loyalty to family and tradition, her own personal impulses and the duty as a law enforcer. The perfect amount of stoic and empathetic.
David didn't grow on me as much as Hulan did, but I did sort of empathize with his role as the morally torn defense lawyer still holding a flame for his ex.
The romance between them annoyed me because of how easily it was rekindled (dumb I know. I'm weird). In fact, I would have given this a full 5 stars if not for it (which I NEVER do). That is how much I enjoyed it. The female character was the least love-lorn to my surprise (not because of gender roles but the time period.....ok I'm surprised point blank. Sue me)
The mystery itself was a bit mild. Drawn out to add tension but nevertheless still surprisingly enjoyable. Some of the other characters thought were dumb and annoying as f*ck. No seriously. But so as not to spoil anything (hahahahahahahaha) I won't go further into details.
All in all, it was a steady thrill with a likeable protagonist and well built cultural background.
November 6, 2022
-> 4.1 stars
for a hot minute i forgot this was part of a series and was about to ball my eyes out because i dont want such depressing endings
aside from that, i don't know what kind of drug is in see's writing. she could literally explain her grocery list and i would cling to her words for months. even though i really enjoy her traditional writing, this one was enjoyable too. and i'm very excited to read the rest (although i kind of rushed reading the ending part of this one) :(
for a hot minute i forgot this was part of a series and was about to ball my eyes out because i dont want such depressing endings
aside from that, i don't know what kind of drug is in see's writing. she could literally explain her grocery list and i would cling to her words for months. even though i really enjoy her traditional writing, this one was enjoyable too. and i'm very excited to read the rest (although i kind of rushed reading the ending part of this one) :(
March 29, 2018
Brilliant plotting paired with truly wretched dialogue. Come for the action, tune out the talk.
keywords: rich brats eat weird, Cultural Revolution fallout, scary corpses, Beijing is not for wimps, that'll teach 'em, honor your aunties darnit, keeping the family compound, the trouble with bear bile
keywords: rich brats eat weird, Cultural Revolution fallout, scary corpses, Beijing is not for wimps, that'll teach 'em, honor your aunties darnit, keeping the family compound, the trouble with bear bile
August 10, 2018
I was very surprised at how unlike any other Lisa See book I've read this one was. It is almost Dan-Brown style, solve the mystery/ who-done-it. While she sticks to her usual theme of involving China and Chinese characters, it is modern-day and takes place half in America half in China.
October 31, 2023
I was surprised to discover recently that Lisa See's debut novel was a 1997 mystery set mostly in China during the early months of that year, and centered on several illegal schemes by Chinese gangs ("tongs") operating in both China and the US. Reading the book, which held my interest throughout, I was also surprised at the vastness of the Chinese government's surveillance over its citizens as well as over foreign visitors. From local Neighborhood Directors to officials from the Ministry of Public Security, someone is always scrutinizing and reporting on the most intimate details of everyday life, building a dossier on every individual that lists his or her infractions, whether in word or in deed.
July 17, 2024
Flower Net did not start off too promising, with airport thriller writing, but I trust See so I kept reading. I like Hulan, though David (whose perspective we get for most of the narrative) is bland. It's neat to observe, in See's first novel, the hallmarks of her writing that I love in her later books: rich detail, intricate relationships, a love for Chinese culture (without over explaining or slowing pace), and a fascination with history. I loved that it (unintentionally) captured a moment in time from the late 1990s: computers being useful without the capabilities of today's internet; pre-9/11 international politics; Beijing before the 2008 Olympics. There are only two more books in the series and I'll probably read them.
Content warnings: gruesome murders described in detail (finding of the bodies); animal cruelty (the investigators uncover/stop it)
Content warnings: gruesome murders described in detail (finding of the bodies); animal cruelty (the investigators uncover/stop it)
June 15, 2024
After reading Lisa See’s last book, I was intrigued so I chose to read “Flower Net�, her first novel. I enjoyed the story and the main characters. There is so much that happens at the end, it seems rushed, but she was still able to make it exciting. As this is the first one on this series, I look forward to reading the next one.
October 28, 2024
I have mixed feelings
It felt like I was reading a non-fiction book, it was so complex I had to keep reminding myself she made it up. However, I find with most murder mystery stuff, I just get bored halfway.
Still really good tho
It felt like I was reading a non-fiction book, it was so complex I had to keep reminding myself she made it up. However, I find with most murder mystery stuff, I just get bored halfway.
Still really good tho
April 6, 2025
I think I liked this! well researched and realistic but at some points that was tough because us/china relations in the late 90s werent great and there is a lot of racism from characters in the book. I was not compelled by the main man (and theres no way the girl actually picks him) so I prob won't keep reading the series
September 23, 2016
This was a disappointing read. I do love that it was book-ended by Hulan rather than the really irritating and passively arrogant David Stark. The romance of the two (if you can call it that when it has elements of abuse in it) gets in the way of what in some ways is a good story-puzzle. I predicted the twists but I have been reading crime fiction for years and I think in some ways they were well structured. What I didn't enjoy was the descriptions of various gruesome crime scenes (luckily these scenes were kept short and not dwelt on), I am not fond of too much creativity in killing methods.
Back to Stark, he is immediately introduced as a very selfish person, whose relationship has broken down because of his coldness and absence, but he seems to feel hard-done by because his ex-wife didn't choose to try to save the marriage by having children he would probably be as absent to as he was to her. Considering they both have careers and he feels like she was small minded for not honouring more his commitment to his, the idea of bringing children into the situation seems ludicrously selfish even for a 90s American white male. And the narrative of the book alludes to this again later in passing, both times completely uncritically, we are meant as readers to take it as reasonable.
Then the way capitalism in the story is presented as a good thing that improves and saves lives (see e.g. p55 "He's bringin modern technology to the countryside and rewarding people who work hard". Actually it is pretty obvious to almost anyone that the lack of labour laws in China (ironic considering the communism) mean that most Chinese poor people work hard and DON'T get anything that could be glorified by the term "reward". This glorification of capitalism is at times undermined, with for example admissions of how the US profits from the Chinese political situation. And at the same time the very descriptive and as far as I know probably accurate descriptions of life under the communist regime argue convincingly that China's answer to poverty and exploitation didn't work too well. But the constant presence of Stark as a white American male who is casual about his privilege over others (for example he keeps pushing Hulan for relationship even when she is saying "no", later he does not listen to her ideas when she knows more about it than he does, he abuses her as "corrupt...foul...revolting"p262 after grabbing her violently and then next chapter redundantly claims "I love you Hulan...nothing you could say or do would ever change that" p277 and suddenly they are closer than ever? Albeit that he STILL refuses to listen to her.
That "relationship" more than anything else ruined any enjoyment I could have drawn from the story but I felt there were a lot of contradictions around sexual (im)morality, corruption, wealth and class. Hulan seemed at first to be likely to be a feminst heroine, having refused to be just a tea pourer and worked herself through the glass ceiling into a decent sort of a job, but she still plays her femininity in a cringing way which the book accepts as natural and unproblematic, and she is also an individual in a very male-centred book (albeit by a female author).
I got this book second hand for $3, and for the price I appreciate some of the cultural and historical learning about China. It is a pity how little I liked the characters, and the extent to which the author chose to foreground Stark even against the more interesting Hulan.
Back to Stark, he is immediately introduced as a very selfish person, whose relationship has broken down because of his coldness and absence, but he seems to feel hard-done by because his ex-wife didn't choose to try to save the marriage by having children he would probably be as absent to as he was to her. Considering they both have careers and he feels like she was small minded for not honouring more his commitment to his, the idea of bringing children into the situation seems ludicrously selfish even for a 90s American white male. And the narrative of the book alludes to this again later in passing, both times completely uncritically, we are meant as readers to take it as reasonable.
Then the way capitalism in the story is presented as a good thing that improves and saves lives (see e.g. p55 "He's bringin modern technology to the countryside and rewarding people who work hard". Actually it is pretty obvious to almost anyone that the lack of labour laws in China (ironic considering the communism) mean that most Chinese poor people work hard and DON'T get anything that could be glorified by the term "reward". This glorification of capitalism is at times undermined, with for example admissions of how the US profits from the Chinese political situation. And at the same time the very descriptive and as far as I know probably accurate descriptions of life under the communist regime argue convincingly that China's answer to poverty and exploitation didn't work too well. But the constant presence of Stark as a white American male who is casual about his privilege over others (for example he keeps pushing Hulan for relationship even when she is saying "no", later he does not listen to her ideas when she knows more about it than he does, he abuses her as "corrupt...foul...revolting"p262 after grabbing her violently and then next chapter redundantly claims "I love you Hulan...nothing you could say or do would ever change that" p277 and suddenly they are closer than ever? Albeit that he STILL refuses to listen to her.
That "relationship" more than anything else ruined any enjoyment I could have drawn from the story but I felt there were a lot of contradictions around sexual (im)morality, corruption, wealth and class. Hulan seemed at first to be likely to be a feminst heroine, having refused to be just a tea pourer and worked herself through the glass ceiling into a decent sort of a job, but she still plays her femininity in a cringing way which the book accepts as natural and unproblematic, and she is also an individual in a very male-centred book (albeit by a female author).
I got this book second hand for $3, and for the price I appreciate some of the cultural and historical learning about China. It is a pity how little I liked the characters, and the extent to which the author chose to foreground Stark even against the more interesting Hulan.
March 13, 2012
Ini merupakan buku kedua Lisa See yg aku baca. Sudah labih dari 3 tahun mencari buku ini.Diawali dengan membeli malah buku keduanya, gara-gara diskon di toko buku Eureka Kalibata saat mengikuti diklat di Pusdiklat Kalibata cukup dengan 10 rebu saja, ada lebih 10 buku yg digasak saat itu, karena nafsu godaan diskon sampai-sampai tidak memperhatikan buku ini jilid ke 2..hehe..Tentu ada pertanyaan (enggaak..),ngapain lagi diklat kok malah belanja buku, dan jawabannya memanfaatkaan waktu istirohat sholat jumat dengan sebaik-baiknya dengan belanja. Saat mau membaca...terpaksa ngerem tiba-tiba karena..lho kok jilid 2. Terpaksa harus hunting jilid 1 dulu..dicari-cari ngga dapet2, akhirnya saat diklat di Yogya, maen ke gramedia jalan pemuda jogja (eh pas diklat juga ternyata) ketemu distand buku diskon yang anehnya masih agak mahal dengan ukuran harga diskon..menurut saia tentu saja. Dan, yah selesai dibaca hari ini.Kiranya cukup untuk kisah penemuan buku ini. Buku ini karya Lisa See yang kedua aku baca, cukup bagus,cukup mampu membuat kita membaca sampai akhir. Perpaduan timur dan barat diwakili tokoh utama dalam buku ini. Hulan dan David ditugasi menyelidiki pembunuhan putra orang ternama di Cina. Kisah penyelidikan dan kisah cinta keduanya adalah sajian utama buku ini, ditambah sisi lain kehidupan di cina jadi daya tarik buku ini. seperti biasa, kebudayaan dan sejarah adalah subyek yang menarik buat saya, termasuk dalam buku ini.
February 13, 2019
This book had been sitting on my to-be-read shelf for a while. I finally decided to read it because my reading group, Novel Conversations, decided to read a geographical book, one set in an Asian country. I have read several of Lisa See's historical Chinese stories and enjoyed them and her writing style, So this modern story, which bounced between China and California, got its chance. I am now planning to pick up and read the other books in this series.
Hulan, an inspector for the MPS, and David, an Assistant US Attorney, had met in college, where both became lawyers. They started a relationship, which ended when Hulan returned to China. Now they came together to solve the murders of two sons of important people. The path winds through other crimes like smuggling of drugs and people. Nothing is what it seems and politics keeps interfering. Even their own lives are threatened.
Although written in 1997, this book could, with a few technological modernization, could be written today. The politics are still the same. I liked it very much.
Hulan, an inspector for the MPS, and David, an Assistant US Attorney, had met in college, where both became lawyers. They started a relationship, which ended when Hulan returned to China. Now they came together to solve the murders of two sons of important people. The path winds through other crimes like smuggling of drugs and people. Nothing is what it seems and politics keeps interfering. Even their own lives are threatened.
Although written in 1997, this book could, with a few technological modernization, could be written today. The politics are still the same. I liked it very much.
September 21, 2017
This book is very, very good. Tight plot, well established characters and thrilling moments make this one of my favorite mysteries. Lisa See is a master story teller and should write more like this as there are only 2 more in the series. The story combines the underworlds of both China and California, giving insights into a level of society few get to see. Ms See does her homework!
December 21, 2020
3.5 stars. Not bad, but not amazing. I liked the premise and was really into it for the first 1/3 of the book or so, then the middle started to lag, and then the ending picked up a bit. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because Lisa See is more well-known for her historical fiction and she didn't stick to the thriller genre for very long.
March 3, 2021
Lacking in the depth of other Lisa See novels, a spy/FBI story with the female investigator from China and the male investigator from the United States.
October 29, 2010
Lisa See, bagi pembaca cerita-cerita action-thriller nama Lisa See mungkin masih terasa asing. Padahal Lisa See, penulis wanita Amerika berdarah Cina ini termasuk novelis yang produktif. 5 buah buku telah ditulisnya, Liu Hulan : Jaring- Jaring Bunga adalah buku pertama dari tiga buku serial detektif Liu Hulan. (The Flower Net, The Interior, Dragon Bones) Novel terbarunya Snow Flower and The Secret Fan,2005 (akan diterbitkan oleh Qanita) yang mengisahkan persahabatan dua wanita Cina dan tradisi pengikatan kaki-kaki wanita Cina, banyak mendapat pujian dari para kritikus dan bertengger di daftar Best Selller sepanjang tahun 2005 di New York Times dan Los Angeles Times. Saat ini novelis yang mantan jurnalis untuk beberapa media terkenal seperti The New rok Times, Publisher’s Weekly, The Washington Post, dan lain-lain ini tinggal di Los Angeles bersama suami dan dua anak lelakinya.
Jaring-Jaring Bunga yang ditulis Lisa See pada tahun 1997 ini merupakan novel action-thriller yang dikemas dengan menarik yang menghadirkan sisi-sisi menarik kehidupan masyarakat Cina lengkap dengan sejarah masa kelam Cina pada saat-saat revolusi kebudyaan . Novel yang bersetting di dua negara besar Amerika dan Cina ini diawali dengan terbunuhnya putera seorang duta besar Amerika Bill Watson di sebuah danau beku di taman Bei Hai di dekat Kota Terlarang -Beijing. Kasus ini langsung ditangani oleh detektif wanita Liu Hulan dari kantor Kementrian Pertahanan Publik Cina. Sepuluh hari kemudian David Stark, seorang Jaksa Penuntut A.S menemukan sebuah mayat yang telah membusuk yang ditemukan dalam sebuah kapal pengangkut imigran gelap yang terapung-apung karena badai di perairan California. Mayat tersebut ternyata Guang Heng Lai � seorang Pangeran Merah anggota komunitas elit politik Cina. Setelah diselidiki ternyata dua mayat tersebut memiliki kesamaan, organ dalam kedua mayat tersebut hancur seperti bubur, dan mulut dan gigi yang menghitam.
Dua kasus ini mengidindikasikan adanya keterpautan dan menarik perhatian dua negara besar (AS dan Cina) untuk berkerjasama membongkar misteri dibalik dua pembunuhan tersebut. . Detektif Liu Hulan dari Cina dan Asisten Jaksa Penuntut Umum AS, David Stark ditugasi oleh masing-masing negaranya untuk mengusut kasus tersebut. David dan Hulan sendiri sebenarnya pernah bertemu dan menjalin asmara ketika Hulan menempuh pendidikannya di AS. Entah karena kebetulan atau disengaja David dan Hulan bertemu kembali dan cinta yang telah terkubur sekian lama seakan terungkit kembali ketika secara tidak terduga mereka harus bertugas untuk mengungkap kasus ini secara bersama-sama
David dan Hulan pun terseret dalam penyelidikan yang mulanya seperti tak berhubungan menjadi kasus yang kait mengkait dan menyeret mereka dalam konspirasi dan jalinan rumit Rising Phoenix, sebuah triad yang saat itu tak tersentuh dan berkuasa baik di Cina maupun Amerika Serikat. Untuk mengungkap kasus ini detektif Liu Hulan menerapkan metode Jaring Bunga, sebuah metode yg digunakan berabad-abad lalu. Jaring Bunga adalah jaring bulat hasil pintalan tangan yang dipasangi beban di ujung-ujungnya. Ketika jaring ini dilempar, jaring ini akan berkembang seperti bunga, mendarat di permukaan air, tenggelam ke kedalaman yang gelap dan menangkap semua yang berada dalam lingkupannya. Berkat metode ini lambat laun latar belakang terbunuhnya kedua orang terkenal tersebut terkungkap, bukan perdagangan narkoba dan penyeludupan imigran gelap ke AS yang selama ini sering menjadi dugaan kuat menjadi bisnis ilegal Triad Rising Phoenix, kasus ini mengungkap adanya bisnis ilegal yang lebih menguntungkan dibanding narkoba dan imigran gelap, yaitu perdagangan empedu beruang liar yang dipercaya berkhasiat menyembuhkan berbagai penyakit.
Setelah mengetahui latar belakang pembunuhan itu, dan menangkap salah seorang kurir yang kedapatan membawa empedu beruang, Hulan dan David mengutus seorang kurir rahasia untuk masuk ke jantung Rising Phoenix, seorang petinggi Rising Phoenix terjebak dan tertangkap basah, namun bukan berarti kasus ini selesai terungkap, beberapa pembunuhan kembali terjadi bahkan sampai mengorbankan seorang agen FBI dan seorang petugas kepolisian dari Cina. Cerita semakin menarik karena ternyata berbagai kepentingan masuk dalam kasus ini hingga akhirnya David dan Hulan sendirilah yang harus masuk ke jantung penangkaran beruang liar untuk mengungkap semua misteri ini.
Lisa See dalam novel ini menyajikan cerita gabungan antara romansa, thirller dan sepenggal sejarah Cina secara memikat. Terungkitnya kembali kisah asmara antara David dan Hulan disajikan secara proporsional bahkan melengkapi latar belakang cerita. Setting cerita antara Amerika Serikat dan Cina membuat pembacanya tidak bosan. Ditambah lagi dengan penggalan-penggalan sejarah kelam Cina dimasa Revolusi Kebudayaan membuat novel ini dapat memberikan pemahaman yang cukup tentang sejarah dan budaya Cina, terutama yang berkaitan dengan Revolusi Kebudayaan. Selain itu situasi dan perilaku masyarakat Cina pun terkesplorasi dengan baik di novel ini, sehingga melalui novel ini pembaca akan mengetahui kondisi sosial dan politik masyarakat Cina sebelum wafatnya pemimpin besar Cina Deng Xiaoping.
Novel ini tersaji dengan plot yang enak diikuti dan ketegangan yang dibangun dengan menawan, walau terdapat sisipan-sisipan budaya, sejarah, roman, dan lain-lain namun semua itu tak mengganggu kenikmatan membaca karena disajikan secara proporsional dan menjadi bagian penting dari cerita. Bisa dikatakan novel ini mencerdaskan pembacanya khususnya dalam hal sejarah dan budaya Cina. Kepiawaian Lisa See dalam menyajikan konflik-konflik yang sulit ditebak dan akhir yang mencengangkan yang dirangkai dalam kekacauan jaring-jaring politik, kejahatan terorganisasi, kesetiaan keluarga, dan lain-lain membuat novel ini masuk dalam nominasi Edgar Award untuk cerita misteri terbaik, dan masuk dalam daftar New York Times Notable Book of 1997 dan Los Angeles Best Books List for 1997.
Novel Jaring-Jaring Bunga yang memikat ini telah diterjemahkan dengan baik dan lancar kedalam bahasa Indonesia oleh penerbit qanita, sehingga bagi pembaca indonesia novel ini memiliki tingkat keterbacaan yang tinggi yang dapat dapat dibaca oleh siapa saja baik oleh para penggemar novel action-thriller maupun oleh pembaca yang ingin mengetahui sisi lain kehidupan rakyat Cina, bangsa besar yang gigih mempertahankan nilai-nilainya di tengah maraknya perubahan dunia.
@h_tanzil
Jaring-Jaring Bunga yang ditulis Lisa See pada tahun 1997 ini merupakan novel action-thriller yang dikemas dengan menarik yang menghadirkan sisi-sisi menarik kehidupan masyarakat Cina lengkap dengan sejarah masa kelam Cina pada saat-saat revolusi kebudyaan . Novel yang bersetting di dua negara besar Amerika dan Cina ini diawali dengan terbunuhnya putera seorang duta besar Amerika Bill Watson di sebuah danau beku di taman Bei Hai di dekat Kota Terlarang -Beijing. Kasus ini langsung ditangani oleh detektif wanita Liu Hulan dari kantor Kementrian Pertahanan Publik Cina. Sepuluh hari kemudian David Stark, seorang Jaksa Penuntut A.S menemukan sebuah mayat yang telah membusuk yang ditemukan dalam sebuah kapal pengangkut imigran gelap yang terapung-apung karena badai di perairan California. Mayat tersebut ternyata Guang Heng Lai � seorang Pangeran Merah anggota komunitas elit politik Cina. Setelah diselidiki ternyata dua mayat tersebut memiliki kesamaan, organ dalam kedua mayat tersebut hancur seperti bubur, dan mulut dan gigi yang menghitam.
Dua kasus ini mengidindikasikan adanya keterpautan dan menarik perhatian dua negara besar (AS dan Cina) untuk berkerjasama membongkar misteri dibalik dua pembunuhan tersebut. . Detektif Liu Hulan dari Cina dan Asisten Jaksa Penuntut Umum AS, David Stark ditugasi oleh masing-masing negaranya untuk mengusut kasus tersebut. David dan Hulan sendiri sebenarnya pernah bertemu dan menjalin asmara ketika Hulan menempuh pendidikannya di AS. Entah karena kebetulan atau disengaja David dan Hulan bertemu kembali dan cinta yang telah terkubur sekian lama seakan terungkit kembali ketika secara tidak terduga mereka harus bertugas untuk mengungkap kasus ini secara bersama-sama
David dan Hulan pun terseret dalam penyelidikan yang mulanya seperti tak berhubungan menjadi kasus yang kait mengkait dan menyeret mereka dalam konspirasi dan jalinan rumit Rising Phoenix, sebuah triad yang saat itu tak tersentuh dan berkuasa baik di Cina maupun Amerika Serikat. Untuk mengungkap kasus ini detektif Liu Hulan menerapkan metode Jaring Bunga, sebuah metode yg digunakan berabad-abad lalu. Jaring Bunga adalah jaring bulat hasil pintalan tangan yang dipasangi beban di ujung-ujungnya. Ketika jaring ini dilempar, jaring ini akan berkembang seperti bunga, mendarat di permukaan air, tenggelam ke kedalaman yang gelap dan menangkap semua yang berada dalam lingkupannya. Berkat metode ini lambat laun latar belakang terbunuhnya kedua orang terkenal tersebut terkungkap, bukan perdagangan narkoba dan penyeludupan imigran gelap ke AS yang selama ini sering menjadi dugaan kuat menjadi bisnis ilegal Triad Rising Phoenix, kasus ini mengungkap adanya bisnis ilegal yang lebih menguntungkan dibanding narkoba dan imigran gelap, yaitu perdagangan empedu beruang liar yang dipercaya berkhasiat menyembuhkan berbagai penyakit.
Setelah mengetahui latar belakang pembunuhan itu, dan menangkap salah seorang kurir yang kedapatan membawa empedu beruang, Hulan dan David mengutus seorang kurir rahasia untuk masuk ke jantung Rising Phoenix, seorang petinggi Rising Phoenix terjebak dan tertangkap basah, namun bukan berarti kasus ini selesai terungkap, beberapa pembunuhan kembali terjadi bahkan sampai mengorbankan seorang agen FBI dan seorang petugas kepolisian dari Cina. Cerita semakin menarik karena ternyata berbagai kepentingan masuk dalam kasus ini hingga akhirnya David dan Hulan sendirilah yang harus masuk ke jantung penangkaran beruang liar untuk mengungkap semua misteri ini.
Lisa See dalam novel ini menyajikan cerita gabungan antara romansa, thirller dan sepenggal sejarah Cina secara memikat. Terungkitnya kembali kisah asmara antara David dan Hulan disajikan secara proporsional bahkan melengkapi latar belakang cerita. Setting cerita antara Amerika Serikat dan Cina membuat pembacanya tidak bosan. Ditambah lagi dengan penggalan-penggalan sejarah kelam Cina dimasa Revolusi Kebudayaan membuat novel ini dapat memberikan pemahaman yang cukup tentang sejarah dan budaya Cina, terutama yang berkaitan dengan Revolusi Kebudayaan. Selain itu situasi dan perilaku masyarakat Cina pun terkesplorasi dengan baik di novel ini, sehingga melalui novel ini pembaca akan mengetahui kondisi sosial dan politik masyarakat Cina sebelum wafatnya pemimpin besar Cina Deng Xiaoping.
Novel ini tersaji dengan plot yang enak diikuti dan ketegangan yang dibangun dengan menawan, walau terdapat sisipan-sisipan budaya, sejarah, roman, dan lain-lain namun semua itu tak mengganggu kenikmatan membaca karena disajikan secara proporsional dan menjadi bagian penting dari cerita. Bisa dikatakan novel ini mencerdaskan pembacanya khususnya dalam hal sejarah dan budaya Cina. Kepiawaian Lisa See dalam menyajikan konflik-konflik yang sulit ditebak dan akhir yang mencengangkan yang dirangkai dalam kekacauan jaring-jaring politik, kejahatan terorganisasi, kesetiaan keluarga, dan lain-lain membuat novel ini masuk dalam nominasi Edgar Award untuk cerita misteri terbaik, dan masuk dalam daftar New York Times Notable Book of 1997 dan Los Angeles Best Books List for 1997.
Novel Jaring-Jaring Bunga yang memikat ini telah diterjemahkan dengan baik dan lancar kedalam bahasa Indonesia oleh penerbit qanita, sehingga bagi pembaca indonesia novel ini memiliki tingkat keterbacaan yang tinggi yang dapat dapat dibaca oleh siapa saja baik oleh para penggemar novel action-thriller maupun oleh pembaca yang ingin mengetahui sisi lain kehidupan rakyat Cina, bangsa besar yang gigih mempertahankan nilai-nilainya di tengah maraknya perubahan dunia.
@h_tanzil
January 11, 2021
Lisa See to jedna z ulubionych autorek mojej mamy, w związku z czym już od dawna chciałam zapoznać się z jej twórczością. Wiem na pewno jedno - to nie jest dobra książka na początek, bo bardzo łatwo się wówczas zrazić.
Nie umiem powiedzieć, czym ta książka jest, bo trzy razy zmieniała swoją tematykę i główną linię - przynajmniej ja to tak odczuwam. Zaczęło się naprawdę spoko jako typowy kryminał - na statku znajdujemy martwego syna ambasadora (nie pytajcie czego, bo się pogubiłam w tym) i przez jakiś czas faktycznie idziemy tym tropem i byłam przekonana od samego początku, że będzie to trylogia kryminalna. Myliłam się, bo gdzieś w okolicy połowy zamienia się to raczej thriller i śledzimy chińską triadę zajmującą się przemytem nielegalnych leków, a samo morderstwo jakby spada na dalszy plan. Nawet lepiej, bo momentami ja kompletnie zapomniałam, że to wszystko zaczęło się od mordu! No i potem przypada część trzecia, bo z tego wszystkiego lądujemy w... romansie, a wówczas poziom mojego zdziwienia sięgnął zenitu. Poziom zdezorientowania wypadł poza skalę.
Nie przypadła mi do gustu także relacja pomiędzy głównymi bohatera - chińską detektyw, której imienia nie pamiętam i amerykańskim detektywem Davidem. To wszystko zadziało się za szybko, zbyt gwałtownie, a ja miałam wrażenie, że wpadam w sam środek historii, której początek powinnam znać. Problem tylko w tym, że po fakcie dowiadujemy się, że bohaterów łączy jakaś historia, ale szczerze? Nie pasuje mi to, relacja wyszła bardzo nienaturalnie i trochę spadło moje mniemanie o postaciach.
Za to niewątpliwym plusem jest relacja amerykańsko-chińska! Dla mnie, jako osoby totalnie niewtajemniczonej jest to wręcz magia, bo Chiny są jak inny świat, a do tego wplątanie w to chińskiej medycyny tradycyjnej - to było właśnie to, od czego nie mogłam się oderwać i stanowiło najciekawszą część historii. To i historia głównej bohaterki, jej dzieciństwo - to drugi ulubiony moment w książce. I w sumie tyle, bo sama historia nie potrafiła mnie wciągnąć, nic mnie nie motywowało do czytania i co chwilę odkładałam książkę, kończyłam słuchając, bo inaczej nigdy nie dobrnęłabym do końca.
Zakończenie na plus, bo jednak rozbudziło moją ciekawość i jestem ciekawa drugiej części!
Nie umiem powiedzieć, czym ta książka jest, bo trzy razy zmieniała swoją tematykę i główną linię - przynajmniej ja to tak odczuwam. Zaczęło się naprawdę spoko jako typowy kryminał - na statku znajdujemy martwego syna ambasadora (nie pytajcie czego, bo się pogubiłam w tym) i przez jakiś czas faktycznie idziemy tym tropem i byłam przekonana od samego początku, że będzie to trylogia kryminalna. Myliłam się, bo gdzieś w okolicy połowy zamienia się to raczej thriller i śledzimy chińską triadę zajmującą się przemytem nielegalnych leków, a samo morderstwo jakby spada na dalszy plan. Nawet lepiej, bo momentami ja kompletnie zapomniałam, że to wszystko zaczęło się od mordu! No i potem przypada część trzecia, bo z tego wszystkiego lądujemy w... romansie, a wówczas poziom mojego zdziwienia sięgnął zenitu. Poziom zdezorientowania wypadł poza skalę.
Nie przypadła mi do gustu także relacja pomiędzy głównymi bohatera - chińską detektyw, której imienia nie pamiętam i amerykańskim detektywem Davidem. To wszystko zadziało się za szybko, zbyt gwałtownie, a ja miałam wrażenie, że wpadam w sam środek historii, której początek powinnam znać. Problem tylko w tym, że po fakcie dowiadujemy się, że bohaterów łączy jakaś historia, ale szczerze? Nie pasuje mi to, relacja wyszła bardzo nienaturalnie i trochę spadło moje mniemanie o postaciach.
Za to niewątpliwym plusem jest relacja amerykańsko-chińska! Dla mnie, jako osoby totalnie niewtajemniczonej jest to wręcz magia, bo Chiny są jak inny świat, a do tego wplątanie w to chińskiej medycyny tradycyjnej - to było właśnie to, od czego nie mogłam się oderwać i stanowiło najciekawszą część historii. To i historia głównej bohaterki, jej dzieciństwo - to drugi ulubiony moment w książce. I w sumie tyle, bo sama historia nie potrafiła mnie wciągnąć, nic mnie nie motywowało do czytania i co chwilę odkładałam książkę, kończyłam słuchając, bo inaczej nigdy nie dobrnęłabym do końca.
Zakończenie na plus, bo jednak rozbudziło moją ciekawość i jestem ciekawa drugiej części!
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