This is the second I’ve read in the series and I continue to enjoy it. The plots again have political and religious elements, giving a little course in the history of China and Tibet and Buddhism. I enjoy the story teller character most, though many of the anecdotes were cut short in this one ( )

Former royal librarian Li Du has joined a trading caravan on the roads between China and Tibet. Waiting for a snowstorm to pass, they come across a bridge with a monk (Dharmo), who appears to be praying; instead, he is dead holding a knife in his abdomen, with a white circle painted on his chest -- an apparent suicide.

Li Du is determined to prove that Dhamo's death was no suicide, and investigates thoroughly in the style of Columbo: asking many questions, which make little sense along the way. Dharmo leads a solitary life, painting murals for distant monasteries. As in the first book, there is plenty of politics, religion, and skullduggery as Li Du solves the complex mystery. The book was slower than the first one, and Li Du's analytics less understandable. ( )

http://bactra.org/weblog/algae-2017-09.html#hart ( )

I really loved following Li Du's journery to another area. While it was intriguing to learn about the mountain region and the intersection of travelers who brought elements of commerce, politics, and spirituality to bear, the most compelling thing for me was the librarian detective's personal questions that he may be drawn to answer in the final book. ( )

The White Mirror is Elsa Hart's second historical mystery featuring Li Du as an amateur sleuth. Li is a former librarian for the Chinese Emperor and he is in exile. The series takes place in 18th century China.

In this installment of the series, Li Du has joined a caravan heading north and finds the dead body of an elderly monk on a path leading to the manor where his group is headed for the night. The owner of the manor, Dosa, seems to think that the monk, Dhamo, committed suicide over an obsession with the demonic world as an odd symbol was painted on his chest and an image of a mirror was painted on his face. Li Du believes that the monk was murdered and that someone painted the symbol and mirror on the monk's wounds after he died from a stab would in the lower abdomen.

Being stuck at the manor house due to a snow storm, Li Du uses his scholarly skills to investigate the circumstances surrounding Dhamo's death. Some of the suspicious characters Li is stranded with include a female from Lhasa, a Roman Catholic priest and his Chinese translator, the 4th Chose Lasa, Li's old colleague Hamza and a merchant familiar with the mountainous area surrounding them all.

The pace of the first half of the book was slow. Since there was more historical detail than investigation of a crime, I was thinking about calling this book historical fiction, not a historical mystery which it is advertised as being. However, the pace picked up as the halfway mark when the investigation became primary to the plot. It did take a long time to get going considering that the murder happened in the first chapter.

The author's knowledge of the geographic area is apparent as well as her knowledge of the era. She provides the reader with meticulous details on everything from how to cross the Tibetan mountains in both winter and spring to the regional politics of Tibet and from the spiritual beliefs of the mountain people to Hamza's crazy tales on deducing facts.

The White Mirror was a fun read and I rate it 3 out of 5 stars. ( )