Review by Booklist Review
Prudence MacKenzie and Geoffrey Hunter, of Hunter and MacKenzie, Investigative Law, attend the reception for Lord Peng, the new cultural attaché to the Chinese embassy, to view the Metropolitan Museum of Art's new collection of Chinese artifacts. The guests are shocked when Lord Peng is stabbed. When MacKenzie and Hunter are asked to find Lord Peng's killer, they soon learn there are bigger problems. The entire Peng family is being recalled to China, where Peng's son faces almost certain execution. Due to anti-Chinese legislation, the Pengs can't legally remain in the United States, so MacKenzie and Hunter spirit the family from their hotel to New York's Chinatown and the home of the influential Wei Fu Jian. When other members of the Peng family are attacked, Prudence begins to believe there may be a more personal motive. Firmly set in 1891 New York City, including Chinatown, with the social and political issues of the times expertly framing the story, this satisfying historical mystery contains well-drawn characters, especially Prudence, a smart, independent woman.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
New York City's Chinatown in the late 19th century provides a fascinating backdrop for Simpson's outstanding eighth Gilded Age Mystery (after 2022's Death at the Falls). Attorney Prudence McKenzie and former Pinkerton detective Geoffrey Hunter join Manhattan's elite at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the February 1891 unveiling of an exhibition of Chinese artifacts to accompany the arrival in America of Chinese cultural attaché Lord Peng Tha Mah and his family. While the museum guests watch in shock, a man steps out of the crowd, stabs Lord Peng to death, and flees. McKenzie and Hunter are swiftly hired to investigate. Meanwhile, the Chinese government tries to force the Peng family to return home by revoking their diplomatic standing, though official communications make it clear that violence would await them back in China. McKenzie and Hunter help the Pengs escape into the anonymity of Chinatown--but the family is soon wrapped up in the neighborhood's criminal affairs while Tha Mah's killer remains at large. Simpson's historical research pays off in spades, resulting in a captivating depiction of the ethnic enclave that never distracts from the plot's high tension. By eschewing the expected focus on the Gilded Age's Robber Barons, this mystery takes readers on a fresh and exciting ride. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary. (Nov.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Chinatown, a seemingly impenetrable world of clashing cultures, is the setting for a difficult murder case. The headline attendants at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 1891 exhibit of Chinese artifacts include Lord Peng Tha Mah, the Chinese cultural attaché, and his family. Former Pinkerton detective Geoffrey Hunter and his partner, socialite lawyer Prudence MacKenzie, watch in horror as Peng is stabbed to death by an unknown assailant, who flees the scene. The family had recently moved from London, where their son studied engineering and their younger daughter went to boarding school. Both children speak perfect English, overshadowing their older sister and mother. The Chinese government has Peng quietly buried in New York and bids his family return home; rumors that Peng had fallen out of favor while serving in London make it likely that their fortune will be confiscated and the son executed in his place. Despite their status, the Pengs are subject to the restrictive Chinese Exclusion Act, which forbids the immigration of any Chinese women or laborers and denies citizenship to those who have already settled. To stay in the U.S., the Pengs hide in Chinatown under the auspices of Lord Peng's powerful, estranged younger brother. Engaged by the family to uncover the killer, Geoffrey and Prudence find it tough going until they hire Matthew Lamb, a Yale graduate with a Chinese father who speaks several dialects. Suspecting a revenge honor killing, the detectives send Lamb to Chinatown, where he gets a job as a waiter to help crack a dangerous case. A fascinating look at Chinese customs and restrictive immigration laws enhances a complex mystery. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
