The Washington Post
This is not your ordinary art-theft thriller. Beginning with a horrific mob scene that complicates and possibly threatens the life of its already somewhat troubled heroine, Dragon Bones then sprawls across a continent, exploring the subtleties of Chinese politics, the official and actual Chinese attitudes toward foreigners, and the building of the vast Three Gorges Dam and how it is affecting the countryside, the inhabitants and local and national politics. Lisa See's novel also takes up the frightening power of a rising religious cult and for good measure supplies a mordant view of the international fine-arts auction world. — Michael Kernan
Publishers Weekly
The controversial construction of a massive dam on the Yangzi River is the backdrop for the latest adventures of Liu Hulan, inspector in the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing, and her husband, American lawyer David Stark, familiar to readers of Flower Net and The Interior. Many years in construction, the Three Gorges Dam will benefit millions of people, but it will also bury untold archeological wealth. At the start of this complex, atmospheric thriller, Hulan is emotionally estranged from David after their young daughter's death from meningitis, for which she blames herself. Officially, she is scrutinizing a reactionary cult, the All-Patriotic Society, when she is sent to investigate the murder by drowning of a young American archeologist, a man who may have stolen ancient artifacts from the dam site. David accompanies her and they begin to repair their relationship, but the body count mounts and the sinister All-Patriotic Society leader, Xiao Da, rallies his followers against the dam. The tension reaches the breaking point at an auction in Hong Kong at which the most precious artifacts are offered for sale; soon after, Hulan and David are fighting for their lives in dark, slimy-walled caves alongside the Yangzi. The melodramatic conclusion has none of the elegance of the prologue, which casually but exquisitely notes the progress of the archeologist's decaying body along the river, through narrows and bays beyond the magnificent gorges. But See succeeds in widening the reader's knowledge about the politics and culture of contemporary China while racing along with an absorbing story. Agent, Sandra Dijkstra. (May 27) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
In her third mystery thriller featuring Chinese inspector Liu Hulan (after Flower Net and The Interior), See does for Chinese antiquities what Elizabeth Peters did for the Dead Sea Scrolls in The Dead Sea Cipher. Since the death of her daughter, Hulan has buried herself in her work at the Ministry of Public Security, obsessed with bringing in members of the All-Patriotic Society. Her husband, American attorney David Stark, has found solace in his own caseload. When the body of an American archaeologist is found in Yangzi River near the Three Rivers Dam, Hulan is sent to investigate. Since numerous antiquities seem to have also disappeared from the archaeological work site, David accompanies her. Soon there are more fatalities, all marked by ritualistic similarities. Hulan and David must overcome their estrangement and work together to solve the crimes. In a land where bribery and corruption are the norm, there are many suspects. The novel flows beautifully, engaging readers in the mystery while gently introducing them to China's rich cultural history. For all public libraries.-Nanci Milone Hill, Lucius Beebe Memorial Lib., Wakefield, MA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal
Adult/High School-In their third outing, which can be read independently of Flower Net (1998) and The Interior (1999, both HarperCollins), Inspector Liu Hulan of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security and her American husband, attorney David Stark, are sent from Beijing to the Three Gorges Dam construction site. The plot involves searching for a written record of 5000 years of continuous civilization in China, an ancient myth, the smuggling and sale of valuable artifacts in Hong Kong, the murder of several members of an international crew of archaeologists, and the increasing popularity of a Falun-Gong-like cult, all set against the backdrop of the largest engineering project ever. Some actions in the last 50 pages call for suspension of disbelief, but up to that point this is another good read, especially for Sinophiles. There is one caveat: all of the Chinese speak with double meanings and are smart and crafty, while almost all of the Americans are portrayed as naive, obvious, stupid, or all three until the very end of the book.-Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
A Chinese police inspector and her American lawyer husband venture up the Yangtze River to investigate murder and corruption. This is the third in See's series (Flower Net; The Interior, not reviewed) set in the Middle Kingdom, and it drags a fair amount of baggage forward. Heroine Liu Hulan is a tough cookie who makes things difficult for the criminals she goes after. But she also makes them tricky, to say the least, for her husband David Stark, American lawyer in private practice in Beijing and frequent investigative partner of Hulan's. At the outset here, Hulan is monitoring a Tiananmen Square demonstration of a Falun Gong-ish cult when one of the demonstrators pulls a knife and tries to kill her daughter in a sign of protest. Hulan shoots and kills the mother-the right thing to do, perhaps, but still not something her bosses are particularly happy about. Soon, Hulan and Stark are heading up the Yangtze, to the construction site of the massive Three Gorges Dam, to look into the death of an American archaeologist. While the two do what they can to ferret out the culprits behind the murder (soon to be murders) they've been sent to look into, and the theft of artifacts from nearby digs, the oppressive memory of their shared history (especially the tragic death of their child) keeps tripping up the forward momentum of their stalled relationship-and, unfortunately, of See's story as well, though for the first third or so, the author makes good suspense out of her nuanced integration of the Chinese and American cultures, and of the massive, Pharaonic (and real-life) Three Gorges Dam. Moderately engaging whodunit that becomes whocaresaboutit before the end. Agent: Sandra Dijkstra/SandraDijkstra Literary Agency
