The Flower Net

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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. show less

The US ambassador's son is found in a frozen lake in Beijing while the corpse of a Red Prince, one of China's political elite is found on a ship bringing illegal immigrants to America. Investigator Liu Hulan who has to prove her worth to male colleagues, works with US attorney David Stark to find out what happened. The title is from the method of fishing by throwing a net in the air to form a "flower net". The best part of See's novel is the depiction of Chinese customs and traditions and the cultural differences with the US.

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 show more 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. show less

This was an intriguing mystery that spanned two countries (the United States and China). I liked the book's sense of place and time (it was written in the 1990s). The characters were OK, I think I liked Hulan a bit better than David. The mystery was interesting and kept me guessing, but I didn't enjoy the love story aspect. I expected it to be a quicker read, but the descriptions were very detailed and the plot was a bit complicated so it took longer than average for me to finish it. Over all, I liked the setting of the mystery and would read more in the series.

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.

Good book, even better that it's the beginning of a series. Is this as good as her historical fiction? no, but I still really enjoyed it. Two murders are discovered, one in the United States, one in China. The similarities between the two are undeniable and must be connected. In rare cooperation, China invites US District attorney, David Stark to join them in unraveling this mystery. Upon arriving in China, he meets with the lead investigator, discovering that it is Liu Hulan. He and Liu knew each other, and had a relationship many years earlier, when Liu had studied and worked in the United States. She broke the relationship off suddenly, and left for China, leaving David confused and hurt. Once again together, they carefully re show more connect and work tirelessly to figure out the crime. show less