Jing-nan is a vendor at the night market in Taiwan's capital, Taipei. When he gets a call from his uncle, he knows it's not good news. His gangster relative is about the only family he has left since his parents died. Meanwhile, Jing-nan's 16-year-old cousin Mei Ling wants to be a singing star, and her father has decided she should visit Jing-nan in the big city to get thoughts of such a career and of her unsuitable boyfriend out of her mind. Babysitting a sullen teen is certainly an imposition, but the Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for reconnecting with family. Of course the boyfriend turns up, as do some dubious associates of Jing-nan's uncle, but that doesn't worry Jing-man until Mei Ling disappears.
VERDICT The second entry in Lin's "Taipei Night Market" series (after Ghost Month) is an exciting mystery with an intriguing hero and cast of characters who will appeal to readers who like international settings in their crime fiction. Mystery fans enchanted by the Asian night markets visited on numerous Travel Channel shows will enjoy a peek behind the curtain, as Taiwan's history and culture are lightly explored in this story that moves fluidly along to its conclusion. [See Prepub Alert, 4/10/16.]
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