The Shanghai Murders : A Mystery of Love and Ivory

Rating:
Summary: the shanghai murders
Review: I doubt that my review will do much to raise the rating of this well written book or give pause to those who seemingly enjoy the murder of a novel. The mystery is then why then these people went to the bother of rating it. The negative reviews show an overall "help" quotient of near zero. So do yourselves a favour and read it if you enjoy Police Proceedurals in exotic locations. I read the book because I had finished with Eliot Pattison's P P's which were centred in Tibet. If you want slow pacing then try those and I still enjoyed them. One final note,Canadian authors unconsciously make prose feel like poetry and poetry feel like prose. And as Olivia says at the end of "Twelfth Night"
"He hath been most notoriously abus'd"

Rating:
Summary: Not a convincing or exciting mystery
Review: This book had so much promise and potential. The idea of a Chinese-oriented murder mystery in modern Shanghai was so tantalizing. But I was greatly disappointed with the weak writing and style that left me wanting so much more. Why couldn't the author have spent more time and energy writing a better mystery. In the end, I felt he opted for the easy way to describe things and bring them to a conclusion. I also felt the inter-racial love angle was unworthy of a first rate mystery and out of place for the characters.

Rating:
Summary: BAD BAD
Review: What a terribly predictable and dull book. Not much excitement on any level, and the preposterous conclusion was very very disappointing.