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A review by pizzaghost
Black Jade - A Daiyu Wu Mystery (Daiyu Wu Mysteries, #1) by Gloria Oliver
4.0
Daiyu Wu has to fight for any scrap of respect as a blind Chinese woman in 1930s Dallas. That's at least four strikes against her, but between her constant companion Jacques (not Jackie) and her dog Prince Razor (sometimes he's a Prince, sometimes he's a Razor) she is determined to make her way through polite society and uncover a killer. Someone had the audacity to use a ballgown, of all things, to commit a murder and then dump the weapon at her family's laundry. Was it the popinjay who can't get enough of his China Doll, the jealous ex, or someone else entirely? Dai's on the case!
This Christie-esque cozy has plenty of unexpected twists as Dai explores the beautiful landscape of high society Dallas. Having Jacques narrate for both Dai's and the reader's sake was a stroke of brilliance since he's had a lifetime of experience describing a scene.
The mystery is original and the choice of having a visually impaired detective was extremely clever. It opens the door to so many unusual clues and really zooms in on body language, word choice, and tone that a non-impaired detective might brush off. Dai navigates a world that is completely set against her, but absolutely refuses to be underestimated. Who wouldn't love her?
What didn't work for me was, well, Jacques. I found him repetitive and he had a strange combination of defensiveness and subservience. I just wanted him to go away so I could experience the story from Dai's perspective, but I understand there was a Watson and Sherlock kind of thing going on. I hope he settles down in the next installment because I'm sure we'll see much more of Daiyu Wu's expert-level crime solving in the near future!
Thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This Christie-esque cozy has plenty of unexpected twists as Dai explores the beautiful landscape of high society Dallas. Having Jacques narrate for both Dai's and the reader's sake was a stroke of brilliance since he's had a lifetime of experience describing a scene.
The mystery is original and the choice of having a visually impaired detective was extremely clever. It opens the door to so many unusual clues and really zooms in on body language, word choice, and tone that a non-impaired detective might brush off. Dai navigates a world that is completely set against her, but absolutely refuses to be underestimated. Who wouldn't love her?
What didn't work for me was, well, Jacques. I found him repetitive and he had a strange combination of defensiveness and subservience. I just wanted him to go away so I could experience the story from Dai's perspective, but I understand there was a Watson and Sherlock kind of thing going on. I hope he settles down in the next installment because I'm sure we'll see much more of Daiyu Wu's expert-level crime solving in the near future!
Thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.