The Last Mandarin, by Louise Penny and Melissa Fung

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The Last Mandarin is a thriller that starts with alarms going off all around the world, simultaneously. Who are the terrorists, and how have they achieved this? 

Vivien Li and her American born daughter Alice have always had an icy relationship, but are thrown together in an odyssey of discovery that harkens back to the Tiananmen Square protests, when Vivien became a well-known freedom fighter. Alice knows this about her mother, but is very surprised when the two of them are immediately escorted to The White House. It seems the US president very much wants to consult with Vivien and her daughter. 

The two of them travel to China, interpret impossible clues, reconcile with long lost family, and also save the world!   I found the main characters in this story to be mostly likeable but not very complex. Also, we never do find out much about the terrorists or how they've managed to wreck deadly havoc around the world. 

The historical part of this story, regarding the ancient history of the first Emperor's tomb and its terra cotta soldiers, was fascinating, though the way it was used seemed more in line with a fantasy novel.  However, in spite of the flaws that I perceived this novel to have, I am happy to have read it. I admire its creativity.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.




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