The White Mirror
A Mystery
Reeks: Li Du Novels
Elsa Hart
- In
- The
- White
- Mirror,
- the
- follow-up
- to
- Elsa
- Hart’s
- critically
- acclaimed
- debut,
- Jade
- Dragon
- Mountain,
- Li
- Du,
- an
- imperial
- librarian
- and
- former
- exile
- in
- 18th
- century
- China,
- is
- now
- an
- independent
- traveler.
- He
- is
- journeying
- with
- a
- trade
- caravan
- bound
- for
- Lhasa
- when
- a
- detour
- brings
- them
- to
- a
- valley
- hidden
- between
- mountain
- passes.
- On
- the
- icy
- planks
- of
- a
- wooden
- bridge,
- a
- monk
- sits
- in
- contemplation.
- Closer
- inspection
- reveals
- that
- the
- monk
- is
- dead,
- apparently
- of
- a
- self-inflicted
- wound.
- His
- robes
- are
- rent,
- revealing
- a
- strange
- symbol
- painted
- on
- his
- chest.When
- the
- rain
- turns
- to
- snow,
- the
- caravan
- is
- forced
- to
- seek
- hospitality
- from
- the
- local
- lord
- while
- they
- wait
- for
- the
- storm
- to
- pass.
- The
- dead
- monk,
- Li
- Du
- soon
- learns,
- was
- a
- reclusive
- painter.
- According
- to
- the
- family,
- his
- bizarre
- suicide
- is
- not
- surprising,
- given
- his
- obsession
- with
- the
- demon
- world.
- But
- Li
- Du
- is
- convinced
- that
- all
- is
- not
- as
- it
- seems.
- Why
- did
- the
- caravan
- leader
- detour
- to
- this
- particular
- valley?
- Why
- does
- the
- lord’s
- heir
- sleep
- in
- the
- barn
- like
- a
- servant?
- And
- who
- is
- the
- mysterious
- woman
- traveling
- through
- the
- mountain
- wilds?Trapped
- in
- the
- snow,
- surrounded
- by
- secrets
- and
- an
- unexplained
- grief
- that
- haunts
- the
- manor,
- Li
- Du
- cannot
- distract
- himself
- from
- memories
- he’s
- tried
- to
- leave
- behind.
- As
- he
- discovers
- irrefutable
- evidence
- of
- the
- painter’s
- murder
- and
- pieces
- together
- the
- dark
- circumstances
- of
- his
- death,
- Li
- Du
- must
- face
- the
- reason
- he
- will
- not
- go
- home
- and,
- ultimately,
- the
- reason
- why
- he must.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
