The Red Heart of Jade

The Red Heart of Jade (2006) Marjorie M. Liu

Dirk & Steele have been very good to Dean Campbell. They allow him to use his powers to help others, but also to have adventures–going out in the world and rescuing the innocent from evildoers. He also continues to mourn the loss of his first love who knew all his secrets and loved him anyway.

Mirabelle Lee (also know as Miri) is an archeologist who has the good fortune to work international digs. Their recent find in Yushan National Park in Taiwan of three well preserved bodies–two men and a woman–is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery, and Miri wants to make sure everything is one by the book. Unfortunately for her, her boss and mentor removes an object from one of the bodies–a red piece of jade that draws Miri.

Apparently both Dean and Miri have drawn the attetion of a unknown group who seem to want them for reasons unknown or unexplained.

Dean has appeared in several of the other Dirk & Steele books I’ve read, and was enough of a character I was curious to learn more of his story. Miri is an intelligtent and engagng heroine. It’s always nice when female characters have sense and intelligence to go with their good looks.

I also liked how the past between Dean and Miri worked out. Initially I was skeptical, but I believe the story worked very well. Plus, she’s an archeologist and good at her job (not just someone who has an education in name but is really too stupid to live.)

As with other books in the series, if you have not read a previous Dirk & Steele book, you can start here with no difficulties. There remains the ongoing mystery of what Dirk & Steel truly is and does, but that mystery does not result in cliff-hanger endings, so no problems as far as I’m concerned. And any bits that were learned in other books are sufficiently clarified that you are not missing anything.

If you have not read a Dirk & Steele book before, this is certainly an okay place to start. As far as books within this series, I can’t say that Dean is my favorite character, but I do quite like Miri.
Rating: 7/10

Published by Harper Collins e-books

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