Review: The Only Girl in China

Title: The Only Girl in China
Author: Eric Qiao
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Source: Borrowed from a friend
Release Date: May 13, 2016
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Adoptee Ed Li is on a mission to find his missing sister. An elaborate plan is devised that involves him teaching in a rural Chinese village, which Ed soon discovers it isn’t his idea of a good time. In fact, when he sees a chance to quit, he takes it. But just before he can get out of Dodge, a local girl is murdered.

Suspect? That Chinese teacher from America: Ed.

With the help of his female colleague, Ed sets out to clear his name, uncovering a web of deceit in a village that’s on the verge of becoming a lucrative jade mine. The deeper he digs, the more horrors he unearths. With memories of his sister drawing uncanny parallels to the victim’s life, possibility of redemption and revenge looms.

Review:

This book is very unique. I learned a lot from this story.

Many parts of the story are hard to read. The abuse that children suffer in orphanages in China is described in detail. It’s horrible to imagine that children, particularly little girls, have to suffer for no reason other than having no parents.

The way that Ed goes to China to find his sister while working for UNICEF was an interesting plot. Though Ed originally plans to use his position as a teacher for UNICEF to find his sister, he gets wrapped up in a murder investigation in the small town where he’s staying. This murder derails his plans to find his sister.

The last half of the story turned into a really good murder mystery. I tried to figure out who did it, but I couldn’t. It was a great mystery, though the circumstances were devastating.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s a great debut!