Precious Dragon

Precious Dragon (2007) Liz Williams (Detective Inspector Chen #3)

Detective Inspector Chen and Zhu Irzh are taken from their current cases and sent to Hell to escort the Celestial, Miss Qi.

“Miss Qi will be coming with us, then?” Chen asked, more to stave off yet another difficult discussion than out of any real attempt to clarify matters.

“She will indeed.”

“What, to Hell?” Zhu Irzh said. It was the demon’s turn to look disapproving.

Things seem to be going unusually well (despite Zhu Irzh needing to attend his mother’s birthday party) until, typically, everything goes terribly wrong.

He stopped and an expression of sheer horror came over his face.

“Zhu Irzh?” Chen said sharply. “Are you all right?”

“No.” The demon collapsed back onto the couch. “What’s wrong?” “I’ve just remembered. I knew there was something. It’s my mother’s birthday. Tomorrow. And we’ll be in Hell.”

Meanwhile, a young man has disappeared, after reporting the disappearance of one of his cast mates.

There had to be more than this, but if it were a choice between either corporate indenture, or Fourth Chorus and occasional bouts of prostitution, he’d take the latter options.

And Mrs Pa is delighted to celebrate not only the wedding of her only child, but the arrival (from Hell) of her grandchild.

Mrs Pa had been hard put to explain how, after being married for only a few days and being, in any case, dead, her daughter had somehow managed to produce a two year old child with the demeanour and vocabulary of an elderly gentleman, but people seemed to understand.

Plus, and elderly dragon.

It was said, too, that it was from the stars that the dragons had come, making their way to the sanctuary of Cloud Kingdom, but Embar Dea did not know whether this was true or not.

Characters: Detective Inspector Chen, Inari, badger / teakettle, Seneschal Zhu Irzh, Jhai Bhatya Tserai, Mrs Pa Niang, Precious Dragon, Kung Mai, Kung Ahn, Pin H’siao / Ryu Tang, Miss Jhin, Maiden Ming, Embar Dea, Prince Rish, Mhara, Robin, Miss Mi Li Qi, Celestial Emperor, Lu Yueh, Mr and Mrs Kung, Daisy, Erdzhe Shen, Madame Zhu Feng Li, Underling No, Lesser Lord Nine, Foreperson Tung, Sip Lu, Su Yi, Mrs Pang

Cover by Jon Foster

Publisher: Night Shade

Rating: 8/10

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