Flower Net is an expansive novel that covers a lot of territory and a lot of subjects. In the tradition of good modern mysteries, it tells us a lot about various aspects of life (Chinese, mostly) as it unravels the yarn. There are "lectures" on illegal immigration, Chinese medicine, how Customs works, relations between the US and China (before Tian'anmen, but I doubt that there's been much change). and all sorts of other lesser observations as the story progresses.
It is set mostly in Beijing, but travels to the author's Los Angeles for a part of the story. It introduces us to Liu Hulan, a young Chinese who—for interesting reasons—spent several years in the US before returning to China to become an investigator with the Chinese equivalent of the FBI. We also meet her love interest, an American lawyer who spends most of his time investigating and getting into trouble. The relationship is convincing and provides, I think, a nice bridge for many of us into a culture rather foreign to us.
There is a lot of action, and much of it is gruesome (making me wonder whether anyone bought the film rights), and it is easy for me to describe the novel as nicely balancing a whole lot of elements that perhaps other authors might choose from.
The description of how China operates—mostly, in its personal relations—seems especially convincing to me. It's not a culture of laws, but of understanding and obligations honored to the varying degrees that we humans are capable of.
A subtle plot point is that the illegal substance around which the plot revolves is virtually uknown to non-Chinese readers. In other words, while we all know (through news and media exposure, if not to actual experience) the ubiquitous presence of illegal drugs within our society, we seldom stop to think that the demand for these forbidden substances is what creates the criminal aspect to the situation. If other folks have different demands but their object is still illegal, the same criminal aspect is present.You can make a great deal of money selling Popsicles, if Popsicles are illegal.
This book was clearly intended to be followed by another, and it was. In fact, three Liu Hulan novels have appeared, although the last one no more recently than 2003. Will we see her again? In our dreams, maybe...
-Michael Broschat, Sep 2008