The Red Heart of Jade

by Marjorie M. Liu

Book Overview

"If you have yet to add Liu to your must-read list, you're doing yourself a disservice."--BooklistMarjorie M. Lui has created a most unusual investigative organization in the Dirk and Steele Detective... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 050552631X
• ISBN13: 9780505526311
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Love Spell
• Length: 369 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Fabulous! Gripping and intriguing!

Don't miss Tiger Eye (1st book) and Shadow Touch (2nd), also by Marjorie M. Liu! In Liu's books I feel I am actually "on location" in the countries her stories take place in. She describes everything in unique detail, engaging all your senses. Her descriptions are fabulous. Here is an example: "And then Miri heard a rasping sound beyond the door of the lab, an odd hard ripping. Something was on the stairs and it was large, ponderous, an unending rolling rumble that got louder and louder, like a truck engine wrapped in snakeskin and chains." :) For a paranormal fantasy, her books are very contemporary, and the plots, amazing and complex as they are, believable. I felt like I was there. What more can you ask for?? I can't wait to buy her next book!

Liu can definitely dish it out!

Tiger Eye takes us to China, Shadow Touch we see Russia, and now Red Heart of Jade takes us to Japan. Liu is determined to fly our imaginations to the far reaches of the world. I love this woman! Her settings and characters are so vivid and each book is unique. So often romance writers follow a certain outline for ALL their books. A reader knows exactly what is going to happen and when. Not so with Liu. Each book is a stand alone and completely different from the previous. Each situation and each person is unique in their problems and abilities. In this one, another member of the Dirk and Steele detective agency, Dean is reunited with his childhood love, Miri, whom he thought dead all these years. Miri is an archeologist, whose partner had discovered a strange ruby inside a mummy. Now she's being hunted by strange supernatural beings. Dean is in Taipei with Koni investigating a murder spree (burned victims they think might be caused by a murdering dragon) when his trail of vicitims brings him to Miri. Discovering her finding and his investigation are connected, they join together to discover the truth of the Red Heart, their relationship, and the murders. Very fast-paced and action pacted. I loved it! Please! More! More!

Wonderful Series

I picked up a copy of Tiger Eye on impulse. Since then I have been a fan of Marjorie M. Liu. She has a real talent for hooking a reader until the last page. In this entry into the Dirk & Steele Detective Agency, Dean Campbell finds his lost love, Mira. They thought each other dead, only to meet again after 20 years. Both have power that was unknown until now. Dean knew of his psychometric ability, but now it is changing into something more. Mira was unaware of her ability. This book has all of the magic of it's forefunners and adds more knowledge to this particular world. Some of the characters from other books are back. Particularly Koni, he who flys as crow. There is more knowledge about the dragons - who get more complicated. I recommend that the books be read in order. There is information in each contributing to the next. It is possible to read them as stand alone though. This series is really wonderful. My only complaint is that Liu is writing too slowly.

another great book from Marjorie Liu!

Dean Campbell has been sent to Taipei by Dirk and Steele Detective Agency to investigate several murders. Dirk and Steele doesn't investigate ordinary murders, however, as these occurred when the individuals were burned alive through the power of someone's mind. Dean has an unusual power himself and tries to track the psychic threads of the killer but is instead led to his childhood best friend and sweetheart, Mirabelle Lee. Miri and Dean each believed the other dead after a carjacking went wrong when they were merely teenagers. Miri has become an archaeologist and just discovered a mysterious jade piece imbedded in the chest of an ancient female mummy. Even more bizarre, flesh had grown over the jade indicating that the woman had continued to live after the jade was implanted in her. The discovery of the jade piece has attracted a great deal of attention in the immortal and psychic communities and not all of this attention is good. Now, forces bigger than either Miri or Dean are seeking to bring the two of them together to complete a task of which neither is aware. Marjorie Liu has created her own version of the X-Men. The members of Dirk and Steele each have a unique power or powers that make them different from the rest of society, just as the Mutants do. Some characters, such as Koni, are shapeshifters while others are clairvoyant, telepathic, or psychic in some other manner. However, Marjorie Liu's series is not simply a rehash or carbon copy of the X-Men but is instead a unique blend of action, intrigue, romance, and the paranormal that makes this wonderful series stand apart from all others. THE RED HEART OF JADE takes readers on a journey into the sensual, sometimes seedy, world of Taipei. The lush details bring Taipei to life and one can almost smell the various scents and aromas while envisioning the land itself. The action is intense and readers will be tempted to peek at the ending to see how Marjorie Liu can possibly resolve the mess that Dean and Miri find themselves in. Restrain yourself, however, as the build up and eventual conclusion are well worth the wait! The intricate details of THE RED HEART OF JADE may be difficult for readers new to the series to completely understand. This reviewer highly recommends first reading TIGER EYE and SHADOW TOUCH so that the reader can truly appreciate the complexity of Marjorie Liu's world. There are several ongoing threads, such as those regarding the Consortium and the trustworthiness of Dirk and Steele, that are gradually being revealed throughout the series and are part of the continuity of the series. Marjorie Liu demonstrates once again why she is such an exciting author to read. THE RED HEART OF JADE is a fascinating story with numerous dream sequences flawlessly intertwined with great action and a sweet romance. This stunning story is sure to keep the reader enthralled. One word of caution, however: once you start reading THE RED HEART

Psychics and Dragons and Cults, Oh My!

In THE RED HEART OF JADE, Marjorie M. Liu returns us to the fantastic world of Dirk & Steele, the detective agency which has more to offer than your average PI firm. This time it's wisecracking psychic Dean Campbell in the spotlight. He's in Taipei with his shapeshifter partner, Koni, investigating a series of grisly murders in which the victims apparently spontaneously combusted. In the course of his investigation, he finds something impossible, even for his world: his long-dead childhood sweetheart, Miribelle Lee, alive and well. And she's hip-deep in his case without even knowing it. For her part, Miri rarely accepts things outside her normal worldview, but when Dean, whom she thought was killed long ago, shows up (along with other scary and seemingly impossible events and creatures) and tells her to trust him, she does, without question. And that's the beauty of this story: the unconditional love and trust between Miri and Dean after so many years apart and so many questions between them. They've been given a miraculous second chance and neither has any hesitation about taking it. The dialogue between them sparkles and I love it. The intrigue that surrounds Miri and Dean is harder for Miri to accept, but Dean she trusts absolutely. So she joins him in a game of cat-and-mouse against a dragon shifter and the cult sworn to protect the red heart of jade artifact found by Miri's archaeological team. The mystery surrounding the artifact is suspenseful right to the very end, and the larger story arc of Dirk & Steele moves along nicely. Just as in SHADOW TOUCH, readers (and characters) are left wondering about the allegiances of formerly trusted compatriots, and I for one can't wait to see where it goes next. This book has it all -- action, adventure, intrigue, romance, basically something for everyone -- and I highly recommend it.