The Interior

Red Princess #2

by Lisa See

When Ling Suchee, a peasant woman living deep in the Chinese Interior, finds her daughter's body hanging by the neck in her shed, she turns to the only person she can trust - Hulan Liu. If anyone can help Ling to find her daughter's killer, she can.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, China, Historical Fiction, Asia, Asian Literature, Thriller

431 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Lisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, The Island of Sea Women, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Island of Sea Women, Peony in Love, Shanghai Girls, China Dolls, and Dreams of Joy, which debuted at #1. She is also the author of On Gold Mountain, which tells the story of her Chinese American family’s settlement in Los Angeles. Her books have been published in 39 languages. See was the recipient of the Golden Spike Award from the Chinese Historical Association of Southern California and the History Maker’s Award from the Chinese American Museum. She was also named National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women. You can learn more about her at www.LisaSee.com. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a theory that Lisa See packed all she wanted to say about modern China into her three detective novels about Inspector Liu Hulan, the "red princess" of the series title, then went back to the historical romances she prefers. And her detective writing was improving; the third one, Dragon Bones, is quite a bit better than this second one. She tells a good story, though she doesn't always tell it well. She is strongest when in the throes of a dialogue on legal niceties or political issues, weakest when she tries to pack huge amounts of character background or contextual exposition into the spaces between real narrative or interaction. I feel generous in giving this novel 3 stars but I do appreciate the detailed picture See has painted of China and the darker side of its participation in the global economy, in this case an American toy factory.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a classic "wish I could give half a star" book; 2.5 stars is what I want to give. See's work is an interesting combo -- fairly lousy dialogue and clunky exposition paired with good-enough plotting and a truly fascinating inside look at contemporary Chinese society. I loved reading the details of how people eat, travel, relate to each other so I just gritted my teeth through the awkward points (myriad).

[Graham Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lisa See is a pedestrian writer who has a lot of interesting things to say about late 20th Century China and social justice issues. For the most part I can forgive her lack of ability because 2/3 of this book is packed with well researched information - village life in the interior, factory exploitation, & surviving the Cultural Revolution. It's pretty obvious she wants to use the Crime novel genre to bring this world to a wider audience (and higher sales!). I just wish she could write fiction.

I generally look at sex scenes as a gauge to how well an author writes, and the one in this book was so silly I laughed out loud and not in a good way. The plot hung on a number of improbable co-incidences, became ludicrously knotted over trivial things, and the ending was the worse sort of melodrama - a murderer's speech, guns, punch-up, and fire that would have been at home on an episode of "Magnum PI" or "Murder she wrote".

Bad things aside - and there's a lot of bad here - it's still worth a read because of it's insights into Chinese culture, business practices and corruption.

[Lauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa See is wonderful, as always, with a well-researched and structured story. This one really gets to the heartland of China, exploring not only the culture and politics, but really seeing what life is like for the peasants & working class. It makes you explore your own Western morals and ideals at the same time. China is vast and will probably always seem mysterious and a little strange to us. The Interior gives us a glance into life there.

[quinnster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why, but I just don't enjoy Lisa See's mystery novels as much as I enjoyed her historical fiction books. Which coming from me is bizarre as I don't particularly like historical fiction, but love mysteries! Still, I love getting lost in the Chinese culture and descriptions of the country.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of The Interior was the way See introduces the reader to the cultural traditions of Chinese recent history as it is played out in a cross cultural setting. This setting is the giant manufacturing industry in an isolated part of China which is portrayed as enriching the lives of young peasant female (especially) workers while ignoring the standards of safety expected of a foreign (American) concern.
The plot is convoluted and departs reality in its structure for me. But the contrast between Chinese and American responses to death and the connection to the land has been well written. There are goodies and baddies in this story but not all is predictable
I did enjoy the way the author showed the way respect for elders and those higher up the ladder in the Chinese system is essential to success in life.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be so incredibly boring. I liked Shanghai Girls so much and I kept thinking that The Interior HAD to get better. It didn't. Even the faster paced chapters where everything was coming to a resolution were boring. This makes me hesitant to read anything else from See other than Finding Joy (the sequel to SG). Disappointing!

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading for the Chinese cultural aspects, but for me the many twists and turns were convoluted, difficult to follow, and in some cases ridiculous. And I got real tired of Hulan’s personal self-doubts thrown in way too often.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two very different people are in love, torn between two different cultures and yet very much alike they struggle to make sense of what is going on around them.

[Sandi Dickenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure why I wanted to torture myself with this second book in the red princess series. Perhaps it was to better understand China in today's world? Perhaps I was hoping to be drawn more into Hulan's character and find myself connecting with her?

I felt the author worked too hard presenting American law firms and manufacturing companies and the confusing politics between our two countries. I skimmed past much of the boringly laid out details in the first 25% and the last 10%. The first being each person's spouse, kids, interests, likes and so forth which were totally irrelevant to the mystery of what was going on in the factory. The last being the backstories and explanations of why these conditions exist.

The character of David Stark seemed pretty meaningless at times. In fact, another character could have easily replaced his role. Hulan and David seemed so disconnected, either not believing or not disclosing the truth to each other. Near the 50% point the unbelievable happened. David saw his injured, exhausted, starving, dehydrated, pregnant fiance and instead of believing her the story about factory conditions, he faulted her for over dramatization. It's bizarre that David falls hook and sinker for suicide being the obvious answer despite the facts that Hulan had uncovered pointing to homicides.

I found myself struggling with timelines. Hulan gets off an exhausting 12 hour work shift (on her feet all day) at 7pm. Lets say she reaches the hotel just before 8, then showers and heads out to dinner around 9. At some point after eating she takes a taxi ride to the village likely arriving after 10 pm. More talks and then David pulls up. Must be close to 11:30 pm by now. More talks, taxi back to hotel, meeting with Times reporter in bar, back to talking in the room, say about 1:30 am now. And they are both alert and discussing tactics so it has to be after 2 am before she gets to sleep. Later, a paragraph states everything from dinner to the room talking happened in just 3 hours. OK, so even if it was possible to do all that she sleeps at most between 1 and 4 am and then is up to make her way back on foot to work through a second 12 hour factory shift. It's inconceivable to me that an injured, first trimester woman approaching her forties could remain alert and highly functional in a sweltering environment for 38+ hours with 2-3 hours sleep.

It was at this halfway point that the Chinese-American connection was finally made. It was framed from the human rights prospective. Finally, there was meaning given to all the bits and pieces dropped here and there. Ironically Hulan and David are now on opposite sides and keeping more things from each other.

The pregnancy twist was pretty ridiculous. It played no role. I say this because if Hulan had valued the pregnancy, she would have sought medical attention for her injury instead of letting it progress without any antibiotic treatment. She would not have put her fetus at risk in that factory environment. Her pregnancy added nothing to the story. It didn't create any struggle or provide a reason for any action taken. It was just a fact tossed out at the beginning. It didn't affect Hulan's and David's relationship in any way. It didn't draw them closer together or lead to any contention. Hulan would have had the same physical reactions throughout the plot whether or not she was pregnant.

If the story had developed solely from the village viewpoint of Suchee's life with Hulan as the undercover Investigator for human rights I think it would have held my attention during the first half more. David could have entered the story from there at Hulan's request or not have been a part at all. His character was irrelevant. To make this book work for me, I wanted to feel more connected to Hulan or even Suchee. It was no one's story and it was everyone's story.

This series is trying too hard to explain the "whys" of what's happening in China today by going overboard with details in the historical and current lives of too many of the plot's characters. This is the second book and I still don't "feel a connection" with Hulan or understand why David is still in the series.

I almost gave it a 3 star for the message she was trying to send to her readers but felt that it deserved a 2 star for lack of character connection and overly detailed boredom.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!!! See other reviews on the Liu Hulan series. Excellent story line!

[♥︎quinn *editing reviews & shelves* · Rating 4 out of 5]

-> 4 stars
in all of these red princess mysteries, lisa see somehow ends up pinpointing a criminal you wouldn't have suspected from the start. even when the characters start digging behind what one person did, it always comes back to someone completely new, and unexpected. even though i didn't enjoy this one as much as the first one, it was still an intriguing read.

[Renee Jardine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this second book on the Red Princess trilogy by Lisa See. She creates an intricate story, filled with intrigue and excitement. This story is a great “law and order” plot. I mainly liked learning about Chinese culture, it’s fascinating. .

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this, even though I hadn't read the first book in the series. Of course, I had visited Taiyuan before. I like her description and the chance to talk about cultures, as well as a good story.

[Cindy B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely plotted and well narrated. Like the 1st novel better but this held up.

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery with interesting descriptions of life in China. A little too much description in parts. I have liked other books by this author much more than this one. Not sure I will read the other books in the series.

[Aiza Idris (biblio_mom) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fiction-thriller that made me sleepless at night questioning Mioshan and Keith death. Does Mioshan death is a suicide? Keith is ran by a car, but is it accidentaly? Theres a few suspects and Keith death links to The Knight, a toy company owned by Henry that is being sell to The Tartan based in L.A.

The most interesting part is discovering the real story behind Mioshan's death that taught readers of how immoral people can become and how they could go beyond the extent of greediness.

Hulan, the main character, she always cherish her own happiness and stand as an equal to the opposite gender when it came to carrier. David, her fiance, had to beg her to stay and build a family but she has to fulfill her promise to Mioshan's mother, Ling Suchee that believed her only child death was made up. Thats when she decided to disguise and work in the Knight Complex where Mioshan's was working to investigate. It is surely not a pleasant place to work. So does it has anything to do with Mioshan's death which is then leads to another series of "suicide" which is Xiao Yang & Tsai Bing's?

Back to Keith's case. It is sure a scandalous one, followed by both Pearl the reporter and Guy's death in the hotel room.

Many people dies, its an overwhelming reads but thats not the reason Im rating this 3.5⭐ but in between chapters, theres too many story telling of the other characters backgrounds, politic stands, some about reminscing the war, etc that bored me out. But the story line is good and It plays with my imagination very well. I would deffinately read her other books.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
In our world, two years have passed since the publication of Flower Net, Lisa See's debut in thriller fiction, but as The Interior begins, only a few months have passed since Liu Hulan, a detective in Communist China's Ministry of Public Security, and U.S. Attorney David Stark first teamed up to catch a murderer--and rekindled their old love affair. Now, as David struggles to find a way to get back to China--or convince Hulan to move to America--Hulan goes to the village of Da Shui at the request of an old friend whose daughter has been murdered. Initial evidence suggests that it may have something to do with the nearby factory owned by an American toy manufacturer, where hundreds of Chinese women are working in sweatshop conditions. Meanwhile, David's old law firm has suddenly offered him an opportunity to head its new Beijing office, where one of his first duties will be to help one of the firm's corporate clients complete his purchase of the toy company. See's descriptions of daily Chinese life, both in Beijing and the far outposts of the country, are richly detailed. But the novel's even greater strength lies in the contests of will between David and Hulan and their various adversaries--as well as between each other, as Hulan struggles against what she perceives as a threat to her independence, and David must withhold critical information from his partner because it comes from one of his clients. While it certainly helps to have read Flower Net, The Interior is a surefooted exotic thriller in its own right, which will undoubtedly earn Lisa See as many new fans as the old ones it pleases. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
As in her debut novel, Flower Net, the strength of See's work here is in her detailed and intimate knowledge of contemporary China, its mores, its peculiar mixture of the traditional and the contemporary, and its often bedeviled relationships with the U.S. Here again are American lawyer David Stark and his Chinese lover, police investigator Liu Hulan; they become involved in the issue of working conditions among women in an American-owned toy factory in rural ChinaAa highly promising and original notion. Stark's law firm wants him to supervise the buyout of the American entrepreneur who launched the toy company, while Liu is called in by the mother of a factory worker who seems to have committed suicide. What actually happened to her, and why? It seems inevitable that the lovers will be pulled in different directions by their opposing interests, and soon Liu has introduced herself into the factory as a worker, while Stark's deal, important to his career, begins to unravel. So far, so good; but as the action becomes increasingly violent, with another girl's sudden death at the factory, gunplay, a deathly sick Liu struggling to survive, and a climactic fire that takes hundreds of lives (a calamity treated almost as an afterthought), it becomes apparent that See has plotting problems. Many story threads seem to disappear, the action scenes are stagy and unconvincing, and the David-Liu relationship never seems to generate much real warmth. A pity, because until the melodrama takes over, much here is original and fresh, an absorbing look at an unfamiliar world

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

David's back in LA and meets up with a young lawyer from his old firm before he joined US Attorney's Office. The friend is drinking too much, upset and as they leave the restaurant, he is killed. David believes he was the intended target (though as the reader, I didn't think so, which proved to be true later in book). One of the managing partners from the firm, Miles Stout, asks David to rejoin the firm and open a Beijing office, which he does so he can reunite with Hulan, who is pregnant with his child. Meanwhile, she has returned to the small village where she worked on a farm as a young teen. The daughter, Miaoshan, of a friend, Suchee, has been found hanging - it is ruled a suicide, but the mother believes her daughter was murdered. The daughter was working at a local American toy factory. Hulan goes undercover there and observes underage employees and unsafe working conditions. David is supposed to be representing the firm about to buy this American toy company. When he and Hulan uncover financial questions along with the unsolved death and the unsafe conditions, David tries to find the right thing to do. He goes to both the buyer and the seller. They buyer doesn't care but the seller does. Through lots of daring do, they discern that Miaoshan's death was not connected to the factory but to a greedy neighbor who wanted the well on their land and having failed to marry either mother or daughter decided if he killed the daughter the mother would leave and he would get the land with the well. The son (Doug) of the owner (Henry Knight) of the toy factory had been conspiring with the assistant (Amy Gao) to the local Governor Sun Gan. Henry and Sun had become friends during the war. They were unaware of Doug's efforts to make it look like Sun was accepting bribes from Henry. It all ended in a lot of blood shed at the factory, Miles Stout, the partner from the law firm, Doug, over a hundred women who worked in the factory died. Interestingly, David viewed it as a result of greed - wanting to make more money and have more power. Hulan viewed it has a result of love. Doug didn't feel love and was trying to get his father to see him. Henry loved his son and was willing to take the fall for his son's crimes. That was an interesting perspective on motive. In some ways the mystery template feels less contrived once I know the characters - I guess I have "buy in" but the wrap up came so fast after a lot of slow discerning earlier on and then some heavy philosophizing at the end. All of that feels a little more forced than in Lisa See's historical fiction, which flows quite effortlessly. Nonetheless, in these mysteries, I do feel like I learn about Chinese life and I enjoyed reading it.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one a whole, whole lot better than the flower net, because it centred Hulan more and portrayed Stark as a bumbling incompetent mainly as soon as he is out of his white boys' club. Well I am oversimplifying but it wasn't all about him. I still felt irritated at their relationship but there were signs that even Hulan was a little bit ambivalent about it.

I had a love-hate relationship with all the contradictions in the book. Hulan's actions in the past, during the war are still troubling, as is the scene where she (quite pointlessly since it is probably going to happen anyway incites restributive torture and mob violence against a man who has not had a trial). These are portrayed besides American practices that get diluted down and are only criticised when excessive (American capitalism is shown as fantastic for China except when people go too far and cut corners). I can't say more on that without spoilers.

I wanted a bit more admission of how colonialism and capitalism are linked and are not just open to the odd problem but in many ways ARE the problem itself. Also I would cope better with the harshness toward Chines culture if there was more honesty about American culture, rather than seeing possible critiques as just stemming from Chinese exotic ways of being. It's sort of there but too often diluted or apologised for (and the ending undercuts most of the critique).

The very negative view of Chines history and Chines culture are probably in large part based in fact, on the other hand a friend of mine who grew up in China and has only recently come to Australia stared at me in bemusement when I tried to ask her about the facts...maybe this is partly due to the fact this book is two decades old, but also maybe it's an outsider's view. I get the impression the author is more American than Chinese (although she fought well against her bias).

The best thing about the book was that it was genuinely interesting. I wish we had found out what happens to Peanut and Siang ultimately, I strongly connected with those characters, as well as Stark's Chinese assistant. I read the whole thing pretty fast despite going back to work and having limited time because it was a super interesting page-turner of a read. Hulan is strong and courageous and contradictory enough for me to like her as a heroine and Stark has calmed the hell down.

I think I will read the third one sometimes. I may read other things from Lisa See. Despite the things I have criticised I really liked having a Chinese heroine and a relatively diverse cast.

[Dyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but the characters spent too much time speculating on the who, what, where, when, and why of the cases they were investigating. I wish they had spent more time on their relationships! This is the 2nd in the Red Princess series with Lawyer David Stark (U.S. Attorney's office) and Chinese investigator Liu Hulan (Ministry of Public Security). Hulan receives an urgent letter from an old friend, Suchee, of her Cultural Revolution days. It seems Suchee's daughter, Miaoshan has committed suicide, but Suchee is convinced it was murder; and she would like Hulan to investigate as the police in the village could care less. Hulan discovers that Miaoshan worked at the Knight Toy factory in the rural village of Da Shui so she goes undercover. She finds horrific working conditions, corruption, cover-ups, worker exploitation, and more.

Meanwhile David invites an old friend, Keith, from his previous law firm to lunch to find out what he knows about Knight Toy Co. David senses Keith is terribly upset about something. Outside the restaurant Keith is killed, and everyone thinks David was the target. Later his former boss and law partner, Miles, offers David his old position back, and he will be based in Beijing. He will be overseeing the closing of the purchase of Knight International Toy Company by Tartan Enterprises. David jumps at the chance to be near Hulan as they are expecting a baby. After arriving in China, David discovers so many problems that could and should prevent the sale. It looks like the Governor of the province, Sun Gan, may have taking bribes from the Toy Company as well. After all that speculating mentioned above, there is a surprise ending.

The book delves into the Chinese culture, Chinese and U.S. business and cultural relations and clashes, corruption, village life in interior China, factory exploitation, and the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution. You could tell alot of research went into this book. Hope the 3rd in the series is better - it may be awhile before I read it.

[Agatha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A second mystery by the author of Snow Flower & the Secret Fan, Peony In Love, Shanghai Girls and Dreams of Joy, as well as my , Flower Net. In fact, this can be said to be the second in a series behind Flower Net, b/c it has the same main characters, Hulan (a Chinese investigator) and David (a US attorney). This time, Hulan, still in China, is expecting David’s baby and David, back in the States, is eager for a job opportunity that would bring him back to China. When his former boss and law partner offers him a position back with his old firm, with the first assignment being to travel to China to preside over a closing between the purchase of a US toy compan, David jumps at the opportunity. Little does he know, Hulan has just been summoned to the same area by an old friend whose daughter’s mysterious death seems to be also connected with the same toy factory. Hulan goes undercover to work on the assembly line to learn more about working conditions there, while David dives into the paperwork; both discover irregularities, cover-ups, bad working conditions, and more.

In all, I can see why these two books (Flower Net and The Interior) did not do as well as See’s other books (the novels) b/c they can be cumbersome, overly detail oriented, and take some time getting into. See also doesn’t seem quite as polished an author yet (these were published before the novels) and that shows in some unevenness. But I still enjoyed them personally b/c I enjoy See’s insights into life in contemporary China. However, I can see why these did not gain a wide readership.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Stark, an attorney, is asked to open a law office in Beijing, China. Liu Hulan, David's lover, is asked by an old friend to investigate the death of her daughter. The daughter worked at an American owned toy factory that is about to be sold to David's client Tartan Enterprises. Hulan goes undercover at the toy factory. There she is forced to face her past, which she has long been avoiding. Hulan finds more questions than answers, all leading to David's client. The two lovers find themselves on opposite sides. This book was quite different than Lisa See's others and very interesting. I enjoyed the mystery and the twists and turns. I also enjoyed the relationship about Hulan and David. The melding of cultures that are so vastly different. My only qualm with it was the ending. I found it very drawn out and tedious.

[Rachel N. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book featuring Liu Hulan, an agent with China's Ministry of Public Security, and David Stark, an American attorney. This time Hulan is contacted by an old friend in the interior of China who believes her daughter, Miaoshan, was murdered. Hulan connects Miashoan's death to a nearby toy factory. Meanwhile David returns to China so he can be with Hulan and he ends up representing the company that wants to buy the toy factory. I'm apparently reading this series backwards since I read the third book in the series a few years ago. An interesting look into a part of China that isn't frequently written about. The mystery was well plotted and there is a good discussion about U.S. business involvement in China.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like Flower Net before it, I thought The Interior was decent, but nothing special. It simply did not wow me. I'm not sure why I thought it would be better, because it was pretty much the same. I liked the concept, and I thought the beginning was intriguing. But then when things got going, I started losing interest, which caused me to lose track of various characters, (I'm not sure which one caused the other) on and on until by the time the mystery was solved I was only mildly interested. This should not have been a surprise to me, since it was the same deal with the first book. I still have not read Lisa See's more popular historical fiction (it's on my list), but I completely understand why this series is not very highly rated or talked about in comparison.

[Julieb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the first book in th Red Princess series that I've read. I enjoyed the theme but thought See belabored the points to the extreme. The kindle version needed better editing so that I would not feel the need to skim pages of repeated details.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best parts, to me, were the descriptions about the lives of the people in China - their beliefs and customs and their outlook on life. The plot became convoluted and bogged down by twists and turns, which detracted from the novel.

[Annalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling page-turner of a murder mystery with the added bonus of Chinese and American cultural clashes, with interesting insights into Chinese politics.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa See’s first three published novels are the three volumes of The Red Princess trilogy: Flower Net (1997); The Interior (1999); and Dragon Bones (2003). The focal pair of characters throughout the trilogy are Chinese Inspector for the Ministry of Public Security (China’s ‘FBI’), Liu Hulan, and David Stark, who begins the series as a federal U.S. Attorney. The cases assigned to each inevitably intertwine, bringing them together in Flower Net after they’d engaged in a pre-series failed love affair. The events in each novel consistently complicate their relationship - both professionally and during the rekindling of their deep personal ties.

In each of the volumes, author See takes us on a deep dive into aspects of Chinese history and its present day situation, and explores the unavoidable mutual impact of Chinese and American cultures, economies, and political systems. In Dragon Bones, See gives us a summary characterization of the main characters, “thought” through the voice of David: “David knew that Hulan saw everything in a geopolitical light - the struggle over image between countries, the battles within those countries for the hearts and minds of their citizens. But to him so much came down to familial actions …” (p. 336). Through these complementary characters, See is able to give us a complex, multi-layered picture of each crime - the interpersonal influences and motives of those involved, and the social-political-economic structures shaping how the individuals might interact. A strength of the trilogy (from the perspective a non-Chinese reader) is the humanity and cultural specificity which See brings to each of the Chinese actors and settings.

I came upon the third book first and was entranced by its crime-at-the-border-of-two-cultures nature. I felt compelled to read the first two volumes and have enjoyed each, as well. Each can be read independently, but reading in sequence will make certain ‘retrospective’ references in later volumes more meaningful. Enjoy! A suicide, or a murder in a rural Chinese community? Who, how, why? The motives are many, the list of possible perpetrators grows, the barriers to investigation and information-sharing are nearly impenetrable. The layers! The layers! The Interior begins with a most local of deaths and unwraps its most global of contexts to finally unveil the cause.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liu Hulan is an investigator with China’s version of the FBI. Considered a “Red Princess”, she has more money and privilege beyond that of most Chinese citizens, but even so, she’s taking risks by having a white American for a lover and getting pregnant without a permit. Her lover, David Stark, is an American attorney who jumps at the chance to go into private practice when a firm offers him a posting in China and he can live with Hulan. This is following an attempt on his life and the shocking death of his friend in Los Angeles.

When an old friend contacts Hulan about the death of her adult daughter, they don’t expect it to turn into a major investigation. The death is ruled a suicide, but the mother doesn’t buy that, and clues Hulan sees tell her it was a murder. When Hulan looks into it, it leads her right to the girl’s employer- a company that is being purchased by the very firm that David is representing. More and more irregularities appear, and David feels he has to step in.

There are many, many plot strands in this story, sometimes more than I could keep track of, along with lots and lots of characters. The ‘interior’ the title refers to is the interior of China, an area almost all rural (at the time; the book is set in 1997) and extremely poor. This makes the American owned factories that have started appearing very appealing to young Chinese, especially women, who have almost no other chances for advancement. The novel exposes some of the problems that happened during that time, when there were almost no rules for foreign investors.

Legal thrillers are not normally something I read. I picked this up because I love Lisa See’s writing, both fiction and non-fiction. I enjoyed it, but didn’t feel that the characters were nearly as developed as in her historical fiction, and that she had too many different elements in the story. The detail on life in China was amazing, though, and featured an aspect of China I had read little of. Four stars.