Rating: 
Summary: Trade Your Money for this Superb Debut!
Review: It should have been one of the happiest times of young Marina Lu's life: graduating from high school, planning a wedding, shopping for bridesmaid's dresses. Instead she is lying dead in the front seat of her Lexus, the apparent victim of a carjacking gone wrong. So begins this fascinating mystery about the secluded world of Chinese immigrants living in L.A.'s San Gabriel Valley.Debut novelist Denise Hamilton first wrote about Los Angeles' Chinese community (and the parachute kids) during her other career as a journalist for the "Los Angeles Times." There she uncovered this inner world of California's Asian Southland, all but unknown to most of the city's millions of inhabitants. She uses her skills as an investigator and writer to excellent effect, producing a work that is both compellingly readable and factually accurate. Hamilton's real-to-life characters keep the reader's eyes fixed on the page as she leads us through a mystery that is both compelling and heart-breaking. I somehow missed this book when it was published last year, despite the fact that it received rave reviews from such gifted writers as Michael Connelly and Thomas Perry. Don't make the same mistake! Buy "The Jasmine Trade" and read it today. It was one of the best mysteries of 2001. Reviewed by David Montgomery, MysteryInkOnline.com
Rating:
Summary: Smart, sexy noir novel by a journalist who knows the real LA
Review: It would be a pity if The Jasmine Trade ends up relegated to the mystery shelves of specialty bookstores. Author Hamilton gives us much more than a well-plotted mystery involving murder, Asian gangs and an intrepid heroine/investigator. The book is anchored in a vivid world of cops, organized criminals, reporters and rich "parachute kids," (teenagers left to fend for themselves by parents who have installed them in leafy neighborhoods while they pursue their own business interests in Hong Kong and elsewhere). Interwoven into the scenes of crime, sex and telltale clues, The Jasmine Trade offers the reader an accurate picture of modern life in LA, in all of its countless contradictions. It's a juicy well-informed peek into the corners of a sprawling metropolis that rarely gets represented so richly in contemporary fiction. If one is looking for the done-to-death stereotype of LA as a Jackie Collins-type universe populated by Hollywood agents and cosmetically altered actresses who romp through pastel-colored mansions and in-spot restaurants, one will not find it here. Hamilton gives us something much better, fresher and more literary with this debut novel. An experienced reporter, she proves herself here to also be an artful fiction writer. From the first page, we are aware we're in the hands of a self-assured guide. We enter worlds we rarely get to see. The Jasmine Trade is arguably a mystery/thriller, yes, but one that has greater literary ambitions than a formulaic whodunit. What distinguishes this book is the author's passion and conversance with the city's quirkier neighborhoods, newsroom antics, pop cultural landmarks, immigrant customs, and the relentless culture clashes - large and small, humorous and dangerous -- that make LA so maddening, so interesting, absurd and so vastly misunderstood. Like the author herself, Hamilton's protagonist, Eve Diamond, is a journalist. Diamond is an appealing and plucky character with a working class sensibility and a healthy dose of skepticism. Her brashness and vulnerability make her credible. Her observations about her hometown and its inhabitants are funny, intelligent and dead-on. Much of the pleasure in reading this book comes from the delight in accompanying Hamilton's main character as she navigates through a kaleidoscopic landscape rich in tension, vivid characters, suspense, atmosphere, and always, always, freeways.
Rating:
Summary: An Intelligent and Gripping Debut.....
Review: Los Angeles Times reporter, Eve Diamond, thought it was just another suburban carjacking gone wrong. Seventeen year old Marina Lu, on her way to order bridesmaid dresses for her upcoming wedding, was now lying dead in the shopping center parking lot, shot in the head. But as Eve looks first into the death, and then the life of this teenager, whose existence was filled with all the advantages that money, status and the upper class provided, she begins to discover that all was not as it seemed. The more she investigates, the deeper she plunges into the desperate lives of rich parachute kids, teenagers left alone in America to fend for themselves while their parents live and run lucrative businesses from Hong Kong, Asian gangs, and the "jasmine trade", smuggled immigrant Asians brought to America, and sold into prostitution. What started as just a sad, local crime story, has now turned into a deadly mission, and Eve vows to find the truth, no matter what the cost..... Turn off the phone and lock the door, Denise Hamilton's debut novel, The Jasime Trade, is about to keep you up reading, all night. This is an intricate thriller that grabs you from page one and never lets go. The plot is tight, tense and compelling, with vivid and riveting scenes that set you on the edge of your seat, and keeps you there. The writing is intelligent, crisp, and spare, and her well drawn characters, original, engaging and very believable. Complex and intriguing, Eve Diamond, is definitely one of the best new leading ladies, or men, to pop up on the mystery/thriller scene this year. It is obvious that Ms Hamilton did her homework, and her indepth knowledge of Los Angeles and the Asian community transports the reader to another world, and adds real credibility to the story. With a stunning climax and satisfying ending that ties up all the loose ends, The Jasmine Trade is hopefully the beginning of a marvelous new series starring a remarkable heroine, that shouldn't be missed. Be sure and put this novel at the top of your "must read" list!
Rating:
Summary: An Intelligent and Gripping Debut.....
Review: Los Angeles Times reporter, Eve Diamond, thought it was just another suburban carjacking gone wrong. Seventeen year old Marina Lu, on her way to order bridesmaid dresses for her upcoming wedding, was now lying dead in the shopping center parking lot, shot in the head. But as Eve looks first into the death, and then the life of this teenager, whose existence was filled with all the advantages that money, status and the upper class provided, she begins to discover that all was not as it seemed. The more she investigates, the deeper she plunges into the desperate lives of rich parachute kids, teenagers left alone in America to fend for themselves while their parents live and run lucrative businesses from Hong Kong, Asian gangs, and the "jasmine trade", smuggled immigrant Asians brought to America, and sold into prostitution. What started as just a sad, local crime story, has now turned into a deadly mission, and Eve vows to find the truth, no matter what the cost..... Turn off the phone and lock the door, Denise Hamilton's debut novel, The Jasime Trade, is about to keep you up reading, all night. This is an intricate thriller that grabs you from page one and never lets go. The plot is tight, tense and compelling, with vivid and riveting scenes that set you on the edge of your seat, and keeps you there. The writing is intelligent, crisp, and spare, and her well drawn characters, original, engaging and very believable. Complex and intriguing, Eve Diamond, is definitely one of the best new leading ladies, or men, to pop up on the mystery/thriller scene this year. It is obvious that Ms Hamilton did her homework, and her indepth knowledge of Los Angeles and the Asian community transports the reader to another world, and adds real credibility to the story. With a stunning climax and satisfying ending that ties up all the loose ends, The Jasmine Trade is hopefully the beginning of a marvelous new series starring a remarkable heroine, that shouldn't be missed. Be sure and put this novel at the top of your "must read" list!
Rating: 
Summary: A Fair Mystery
Review: Since this was Denise Hamilton's first novel I think she did pretty well. Her character Eve Diamond was likeable and interesting. She wasn't perfect and she did do plenty of dumb things like getting drugged, losing evidence and getting romantically involved with someone she went to interview. But come on, she was a reporter not a dectective. Having the main character less then perfect made for a more interesting book. I liked the story. There isn't a lot known about the "Parachute Kids" and I found it quite educational. The murder mystery itself was done well. At least, I didn't come close to guessing who done it and was even surprised at who did. That alone made it worth reading. All in all it was a good book and I hope the author continues with a few more Eve Diamond mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: Ms. Diamond in the Rough
Review: The Jasmine Trade is a multicultural murder mystery ripped right out of an LAPD crime blotter. Eve Diamond, the novel's neo-noir voiced narrator, covers that beat for the Los Angeles Times. When a botched car jacking results in murder, Eve is assigned to file the pro forma story on another senseless death. Sensing more is afoot, she is soon enmeshed in the world of 'parachute kids'; young Asian expatriates exported by wealthy parents to populate California's San Gabriel Valley. While developing a weakness for these footloose homesteaders, Eve goes weak at the knees for Mark Furukawa, the youth counselor of her fancy.
Fueled by compassion, passion and assorted beverages, Ms. Diamond investigates the killing in a succession of restaurants, living rooms and bedrooms. Eve also takes the measure of Pacific Rim race relations and social strictures while pursuing her story. The intricate plot, mapping the ebb and flow of Asian-American society across a wide spectrum, involves youth gangs, corrupt cops and international financiers as well as pan-Pacific sex slavery: the Jasmine trade.
Having worked ten years as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, first time novelist Hamilton knows her turf and displays a deft touch with dialogue:
"They're like us, you know. They're parachute kids. That's why Colin and I became friends. We understand each other."
Her face softened as she spoke of Colin. They were geo-orphans, huddling close for comfort in this grave new world. But who had given Marina safe harbor? "This diary is important. If the police knew you had it, they might want to take it. They'd want to read it for clues. In case there was any evidence." "Evidence of what? She was killed by a carjacker. It was random. It could happen to any of us," she said softly.
Funny how quickly immigrants picked up on our awful new vocabulary, I thought. At times her heroine's sensibilities seem more suburban than Sam Spade, but Hamilton captures the nuances of interracial behavior without squeamishness and navigates Los Angeles' diverse neighborhoods with aplomb. The mystery profits from its social sophistication by never straying into political correctness or academic discourse. The former journalist understands how to drop nuggets of information without slowing the story. Indeed, this mystery is a sex, love and low-fat spring roll page-turner. "The Jasmine Trade" should keep those who don't mind a little lipstick on their hard-boiled aphorisms reading late into the night.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy it.....
Review: The writing is good, the background is interesting but the main character is an ass. She manages to get almost everyone (and a animal) she comes in contact with beat up, murdered or left as a prostitute, because she can't seem to keep her mouth shut. I hate that. Nothing is resolved and she goes on her merry way without a clue its all her fault. I'll take a pass on the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: tired
Review: This is not a good book-it is not even average. The female protagonist is a trite, tired stereotype and the plot does not hold together logically. I can suspend belief, but not logic. All the characters are stereotypes and the whole mess is just not good. I do not understand where all the five star reviews came from unless they are all friends of Ms. Hamilton's.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting investigative tale
Review: Though still in high school, Marina Lu seems to have it all. She is engaged to Michael Ho with their wedding set for two weeks and has earned admission to Berkley. However, her idyllic life ends in a San Gabriel, California parking lot where she had just ordered ten designer dresses for her bridesmaids. The police think this homicide is a carjacking that turned ugly, but Los Angeles Times reporter Eve Diamond wonders why the Lexus and Marina's diamond ring were not stolen. Eve begins her investigation by talking with the counselor to teenage Asian expatriates Mark Furakama and follows that discussion with asking questions of students at Marina's school. She soon learns about a subculture involving "parachute kids" whose wealthy parents remain in Asia while the children live in America. Marina was one of the displaced children who was also responsible for her younger brother while her parents worked the Pacific Rim. The more Eve learns, the nastier the information turns as she uncovers an apparent slave whore trade, which places her life in danger. THE JASMINE TRADE is an exciting investigative tale that will shock the reader who will want to deny the truth of "parachute kids." The story line is exciting and the cast seems real, which adds to the terror of a subculture caught between two worlds and afloat on its own. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: decent debut, no more
Review: Though the plot of Denise Hamilton's novel of Asian gangs and sex slavery is nothing new, where the book shines is in its description of Asian-American culture-- Hamilton obviously knows the many conflicts these people face in straddling two divergent cultures, and it is this which keeps the novel interesting. Unfortunately, her plotting leaves a little to be desired. In the first half, she relies way too much on luck and chance circumstances in having her reporter find out about criminal goings-on, and there are maybe one or two instances where the female reporter probably should've been killed, but made an almost miraculous escape. I think Hamilton also plays many of her cards way too early, so that there are no big revelations at the end as there are in many crime novels, though the ending is somewhat effective in its own understated way. And, to be really picky, there is a sentence or two that comes off a bit clunky. Still, with a little more effort, she could probably join the ranks of Cornwell, Paretski, Reichs, et al.
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