I enjoyed a couple of Lisa See's other books, and being a fan of mystery, I was excited to dive into the Red Princess series. Unfortunately, it wasn't what I was expecting.

First of all, there isn't much action in this book. I wasn't expecting gun play and car chases every three pages, but the majority of the book focuses on conversations between the two detective characters as they postulate what the crime is, who the criminals are, and what should be done. It did not make for a riveting read.

Second, I found the heroine surprisingly flat, which really surprised me considering the other works I'd read by this author. I wanted more from her.

Third, I wasn't a fan of the writing style. It was very choppy and abrupt regarding thoughts and conversations, but long and flowing when describing landscapes and physical descriptions.

The crime was well thought out, if a little far fetched, but I would have liked to have seen some evidence of the crime built into the action of the book, instead of just reading speculations about what could be happening.

It's a so-so book, and I might try this series again at a later date, but it's not going on my 'to be read' list.