Review: The Woman in the Camphor Trunk

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Los Angeles, 1908. In Chinatown, the most dangerous beat in Los Angeles, police matron Anna Blanc and her former sweetheart, Detective Joe Singer, discover the body of a white missionary woman, stuffed in a trunk in the apartment of her Chinese lover. Her lover has fled. If news gets out that a white woman was murdered in Chinatown, there will be a violent backlash against the Chinese. Joe and Anna plan to solve the crime quietly and keep the death a secret. So does good-looking Mr. Jones, a prominent Chinese leader who has mixed feelings about helping the LAPD and about Anna.

Meanwhile, the Hop Sing tong has kidnapped two slave girls from the Bing Kong tong, fuelling existing tensions. They are poised on the verge of a bloody tong war that would put all Chinatown residents in danger.

Joe orders Anna out of Chinatown to keep her safe, but to atone for her own family’s sins, Anna must stay to solve the crime before news of the murder is leaked and Chinatown explodes.

My Thoughts

So, I read the first book in this series, and I have to recommend you read that one before you read this one. I just don’t think these books are designed to be read as standalone novels. You would miss too much.

That said, I actually enjoyed book two more than book one. Maybe it was because Anna seemed more sure of herself and more determined. She had moved past the stage where she couldn’t decide what type of life she wanted, but instead was attempting to learn to live in the life she chose.

I love the romantic storyline between Joe and Anna, I just felt like this book was a little bit of stalling. I read an article where the writer of the Gilmore Girls said she introduced a character simply to keep the main love interests apart. That’s how I felt about this book. They both love each other, they want to be together, but they are fighting being together.

That part of it seemed silly, but the actual love was perfect. When they were in scenes together you could feel the tension, and I found myself (more than once) hoping the other characters in the scenes would find reasons to leave just so that Joe and Anna could be left alone. That’s good writing.

I really enjoyed experiencing Chinatown in Los Angeles. I hate to admit that I didn’t even realize there was a Chinatown in LA at that time and was fascinated by this setting.

The pace in this one was great. I thought book one had a few too many scenes and went on some unnecessary tangents, but book two seems to have fixed those issues with a perfect murder mystery that was full of action but also took its time with the story.

The Woman in the Camphor Trunk is a fun cozy mystery with a spunky leading lady and tons of historical intricacies. Can’t wait to listen the third book of this series.