Peking, 1867When one of the Empress’s ladies-in-waiting is killed in the Forbidden City, she orders Inspector Gong to find the killer. Unfortunately, as a man, he is forbidden from entering the Inner Court. How is he supposed to solve a murder when he cannot visit the scene of the crime or talk to the women in the victim’s life? He won’t be able to solve this crime alone.The widowed Lady Li is … widowed Lady Li is devastated when she finds out about the murder of her sister-in-law, who was serving as the Empress’s lady-in-waiting. She is determined to discover who killed her, even if it means assisting the rude and obnoxious Inspector Gong and going undercover in the Forbidden City.
Together, will Lady Li and Inspector Gong be able to find the murderer before he – or she – strikes again?
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This is a murder mystery set in 19th century China. The interplay of whodunit and Chinese culture was well-done. Roberts obviously loves and knows China well. Lady Li and Inspector Gong seemed well developed as characters. Only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars is that the explicitly sexual relationship which develops between the two seemed too accelerated and gratuitous. Otherwise an entertaining fictional diversion. I would be happy to read another of Roberts’ works on China.
A crime that a inspection is assign to, but can not enter the crime seen, or question anyone Anything else would be giving the plot away.
Enjoyable, easy to read and hard to put down.
This was a very quick read, much of the twists and turns of bestsellers were missing. Nevertheless, it was interesting, particularly with regard to the Chinese culture it portrayed. That was quite different from American ways, and in many aspects was not to be understood not condoned. Not really my cup of tea.
I enjoy this series!
Lady Li’s sister-in-law , Lady Yun, is murdered in the Forbidden City while serving the empress. Because Han (an ethnicity) are not allowed into the Forbidden City, Inspector Gong recruits Lady Li to help with the investigation from inside the palace. I know very little about China and have never read a book with this setting and within this time period. It was intriguing, especially given the amount of bribery, lying, manipulation, and power seeking going on behind the scenes. Overall the book was well written though I did think the murder’s solution was rather abrupt.
Not a particularly unique mystery with lots of twists, but seeing inside the Forbidden City and its many rules and regulations of behavior was informative and easy to digest within the genre of a mystery.
Charming, light-hearted story of murder, political plots and betrayals of Chinese ruling families before the outside world makes its mark. A wonderful way to learn about old Chinese culture with its myriad rules, customs, and social classes.
I thiriughly enjoy a goid murder mysery with twists and tyrns and even better one displaying the intricacies abd beauty of the chinese cukture as this book resoectfully did.
great book! Can’t wait for the next one.
Interesting, original and not at all what you would assume a romantic sub-plot would be. I could not put this down.
I thought the author did a great job building this story delving into a culture so different from our own. Well developed characters were woven into the story so well.
This series is a great opportunity to experience historical China.
Murder in the Forbidden City
by Amanda Roberts is an interesting mystery with palace intrigue and cultural conflict.
It’s a nice introduction to China’s history in the mid-1800s with complex characters and some forbidden romance.
This is a wonderful series, set in the last year’s of Chinese imperial times. There is great detail about the lives of Imperial Women and the many limitations they contend with.
When one of them is murdered, the male detective is not allowed into the scene of the crime and forms an alliance with a nobleman to do the interior detecting for him.
There is also fascinating detail about the conflicts between the Han Chinese and the ruling Manchu.
I began this book with a certain amount of trepidation because my ignorance of this time period in this culture was borderline nonexistent. However, the quality of the writing and the plot with its flawless incorporation of all kinds of unfamiliar historical and cultural influences kept me engaged from beginning to end. Rather than feeling frustrated or inadequate by my ignorance, the plot fueled a genuine learning experience and I look forward to reading other books by this author.
I enjoyed this book it took me back to china. It was a great book that I listened to while gardening. Enjoy!
Enjoyed the setting in the Forbidden City and the characters.
I loved the cultural aspects woven into the murder mystery story line, especially about the place of women in 1800 China in general and within the Empirical Court.
Not my usual genre, but still a fun read. The characters are interesting and I will probably read more of the series.
Going to Beijing in Sept so the historical aspect was great