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allusory 's review for:
The Silence of Bones
by June Hur
In this intriguing historical mystery, one servant girl goes against societal convention to find a killer. An indentured servant given to the police bureau, sixteen year-old Seol is a doma who acts as the hands of officers when a case involves a woman. In 1800s Korea, no unrelated man may touch a woman and so the bureau uses female servants to handle female witnesses, arrest female criminals, and in the worst cases, deal with the female dead. When the body of a murdered noble woman is discovered outside the south gate of the capital, Seol is sent to be the lead Investigator's hands. Unable to shelve her curiosity and terrible at holding her tongue, Seol is drawn into the investigation - an investigation that may even lead her to uncovering her own past.
The Silence of Bones is a solid mystery novel, but what really makes this book is how it breaths life into Korean history. Using the early nineteenth century Catholic purges as a launching point, Hur builds a rich and detailed story centering on a lower class woman whose life is so often over looked in these kinds of narratives. Seol is not exceptional, other than in her curiosity. She's tenacious and loyal, but those are never treated as characteristics others of her class fail to have. Hur treats her subject, both the woman and the history, to the care they deserve.
On top of this rich setting, Hur builds a substantive mystery with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Even the most genre savvy readers will enjoy the paths this novel takes on the way to solving not only the murder case, but uncovering Seol's family history. An enjoyable solid read from start to finish, don't give this one a miss.
A digital copy of this book was provided by Feiwel & Friends via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Silence of Bones is a solid mystery novel, but what really makes this book is how it breaths life into Korean history. Using the early nineteenth century Catholic purges as a launching point, Hur builds a rich and detailed story centering on a lower class woman whose life is so often over looked in these kinds of narratives. Seol is not exceptional, other than in her curiosity. She's tenacious and loyal, but those are never treated as characteristics others of her class fail to have. Hur treats her subject, both the woman and the history, to the care they deserve.
On top of this rich setting, Hur builds a substantive mystery with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Even the most genre savvy readers will enjoy the paths this novel takes on the way to solving not only the murder case, but uncovering Seol's family history. An enjoyable solid read from start to finish, don't give this one a miss.
A digital copy of this book was provided by Feiwel & Friends via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.