When a peddler finds a partially mutilated body of a stranger, the unlikely duo of a young scholar and a local women’s doctor once more join forces to discover who killed him and why. In probing the highly gendered world of early Ming China, unanticipated questions surface, complicating their investigation.
As their case rapidly transitions into the unexpected, they find all roads leading away from the victim, forcing them to consider alternate routes. Was the death the result of inexorable bad karma and beyond their purview, or merely the result of mortal foul play? Was the murdered man the intended victim? If not, who was and why? The investigation leads to a growing list of potential suspects: a lustful herbalist, an unscrupulous neighbor, a vengeful farmer, a jealous husband, a scorned wife, and a band of thieves. Who is innocent and who is the culprit? To solve the murder and bring peace to the victim’s spirit, the duo must untangle the truth and do it before the murderer strikes again.
If you love Historical Cozy mysteries and the Judge Dee stories then this is the series for you!
Xiang-Hua has been called on because of her medical expertise, in this case though it isn't because a local woman is ill, she is called upon to decide if a man has died of natural causes or murder, it appears that the latter is the case and so she and her distant cousin, Hong Shu-Chang, need to combine forces once again to discover the truth and help a spirit rest. The problems are that no one seems to know who the corpse is, Shu-Chang is trying to investigate and study for the third level of exams, he can't talk to women and Xiang-Hua cannot talk to men! So again the two of them need to combine forces, with Xiang-Hua finding out what she can from the women of the town and Shu-Chang, with help from the itinerant workers he has befriended, is delving deep into the male environs.
Can the two of them sort this out so that the spirit can rest, and Shu-Change can get back to his studying, his teaching at the clan school and trying to find out who killed his father and uncle?
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
December 9 – Here’s How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT
December 9 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 9 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW
December 10 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
December 10 – Diane Reviews Books – GUEST POST
December 10 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT
December 11 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
December 11 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
December 11 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – GUEST POST
December 12 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
December 12 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 13 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
December 13 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 14 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, GUEST POST
December 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
December 15 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
December 15 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
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