The Golden Hairpin

By: Qinghan CeCe, Alex Woodend - translator

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

In ancient China, history, vengeance, and murder collide for a female sleuth.

At thirteen, investigative prodigy Huang Zixia had already proved herself by aiding her father in solving confounding crimes. At seventeen, she's on the run, accused of murdering her family to escape an arranged marriage. Driven by a single-minded pursuit, she must use her skills to unmask the real killer...and clear her name.

But when Huang Zixia seeks the help of Li Shubai, the Prince of Kui, her life and freedom are bargained: agree to go undercover as his eunuch to stop a serial killer and to undo a curse that threatens to destroy the prince's life.

Huang Zixia's skills are soon tested when Li Shubai's betrothed vanishes. With a distinctively exquisite golden hairpin as her only clue, Huang Zixia investigates, only to find that she isn't the only one in the guarded kingdom with a dangerous secret.

©2015 Qinghan CeCe (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Translation © 2018 by Alex Woodend.

I want a sequel.

I loved the quiet, deliberate pacing of this novel. The setting and heroine are very different from my usual reads and I want to find out what happens to her quest now that an earlier mystery is solved.

Love the mystery and the characters

As I wrote, I loved the story until I didn’t. The story is not finished, meaning some parts are left unexplained. I looked up and it was supposed to be a part of a series but apparently the writer stopped writing it, which is a shame from my point of view. If you ignore that, then it is an excellent book and I’m not sorry I have read it. Or she wanted it that way, meaning some crimes are never cleared. And if you think like that then yes it is a great book.

great read

Loved the story & narration. Plot was interesting. Can't wait for next book to learn more about the main character's own case.

Great story

Excellent narration. Engaging story. Great characters. I am desperate for the books in the series!

Exciting novel

Very exciting novel and i could not help not to put it down. It is a mystery not a romance novel