The Devil of Dragon House

Another incredible mystery novel by J.S. May. This one starts with our heroine, Drusilla (Dilly) jumping out of one potential love triangle into another - all the while seeking out her cousin and confidante, Doro. When Dilly arrives at her cousin's residence in Connecticut, she is shocked to find that not only is her cousin missing, but the house is occupied by two mysterious brothers. May wastes no time in introducing us to the other players in this drama: the Chinese servant, Chang; Chang's mother, Yu-Wei; and the brothers' mother, Mrs. Berkley. May builds a house of cards around Dilly's search for her cousin, Mrs. Berkley's supposed insanity and the family's intimate connection to Chang and his mother. May handles with sensitivity the conflicts surrounding Chang and Yu-Wei's ethnicity and ties these nicely to Dilly's own views and experiences regarding slavery. The walls finally come down in chapter seventeen-- with the secret behind Doro's disappearance revealed to be, above all, about possession; possession of those we view only as objects, and possession of those we are supposed to hold most dear- our family members. I read most of May's other novels together and PURPOSELY put off reading and reviewing this one. The reason: I dreaded not having another of May's mysteries to solve. My first thought was...I am really going to miss these books! And then it hit me, I don't have to miss May's novels. Janis Susan May is not only an exceptional author but one of the finest teachers I have ever encountered. The words in her books will continue to speak to me and other readers - even if May doesn't write another book (let's hope this isn't the case!). With this, as with May's other novels, the real beauty lies not just in solving the mystery but in looking beyond it to see the ways that fate, bravery, and consanguinity play out in all of our lives.