Book Review

Dragon Bones by Lisa See

A Murder Mystery Reminds Me of My Taste in Books

“Meta” Benefit: Learning about Reading Tastes

I am a fan of Lisa See. I found Dragon Bones, (2003) in a used books store. I hate to give a bad review, but I did not enjoy this one as much as I have her other novels. I did get a lot out of it, though — reading it made me “meta” about my reading tastes, which provided me with mental exercise. Why did I not like this as well as I liked her other novels? As with her other novels, there is a strong female main character. And as with her other novels, it is somewhat rooted in a historical era. And as with her other novels, it explores an aspect of Asia, this time China in the nascent modern era.

A Murder Mystery Set in China in the 90s

Dragon Bones seems to be a modern story, but I had to look up the markers to validate my assumptions. The narrative reveals that, Hulan, the main character, was sent to the countryside when she was 12, at the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution, which was in 1966. She is an adult in the novel, so perhaps this is set in the 90s. I guess not quite modern, but it still comes across as that. Hulan, an Inspector (detective) with the Department of Security, is assigned to investigate the murder of an…