Reviewed By: Ali Karim - RAM
The Jasmine Trade
Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Denise Hamilton
Class/Genre: Mystery Amateur Sleuth Thriller Ethnic
Series: Eve Diamond
This Orion ‘New Blood' debut novel has been out in the US for a few years now and was nominated for the Edgar, Anthony and Macavity for best first novel in 2002. Written by the LA Times Journalist Denis Hamilton, it tells the story of the discovery of the body of 17-year old Marina Lu in her top-of-the-range Lexus in an LA car park. What at first appears as a simple case of a car-jacking gone dreadfully wrong - becomes far more sinister. The Jasmine Trade is the first in the highly acclaimed ‘Eve Diamond' thrillers, featuring Denis Hamilton's intrepid investigative journalist. As Eve investigates the case, she finds little co-operation from the Asian-American community which hides the phenomena of ‘Parachute Kids'; rich South-East Asian teenagers transplanted to Los Angeles for furthering their education, while their parents return to China/Hong Kong to pursue their business interests. Like the ‘yin-yang' symbol, there is an opposite side to this phenomenon - the sexual slavery and exploitation of the poor US-Asian underclass. These are the people of no privilege, shipped to the US West Coast from Asia, and held in a network of tightly controlled brothels. Eve treads the dangerous tightrope that links these two communities and learns that some people will do anything to keep these worlds secret, but she fights to find why a rich and happy 17-year old Asian ‘parachute-kid' was murdered in a LA Parking lot.
A wonderful start to a major crime series and introduces a major crime-fiction talent to our shores. The second and third of the series ‘Sugar Skull' and ‘Last Lullaby' are available in the US, and due to be released by Orion in due course.
Ali Karim - RAM
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Ali Karim - RAM
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