School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Once again, Lily and her aunt are on the trail of a mystery in their native San Francisco. Auntie, also known as Tiger Lil (a role she played in several movies) takes Lily, her brother Chris, and his girlfriend to the set of the television show "East Meets West" to meet the teen-heartthrob Clark Tom. Once there, the group is cast as extras in a scene. Unknown to the actors on the set, someone has put real bullets in the gun that is fired at Clark during the filming. Suspicion is cast on the actor using the weapon and Auntie promises the young man's grandfather that she will try to prove his innocence. During their investigation, the characters travel about town and learn a bit about their Chinese heritage, information and details that will also hold readers' interest. Both fans of the series and those new to it will enjoy this well-written mystery.-Cathy Coffman, Sunrise Mountain Library, Peoria, AZ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
When a prop gun loaded with real bullets is fired at teenage TV heartthrob Clark Tom, twelve-year-old Lily and her great-aunt Tiger Lil leap to the rescue of the two prime suspects--Lily's brother and a Chinatown gang member. The fast-paced mystery deglamorizes Hollywood, corrects misperceptions about Chinatown, and neatly inserts cultural details into characters' conversations. From HORN BOOK Spring 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4^-7. Tiger Lil Leung and her great-niece, Lily, last seen in The Case of the Lion Dance (1998), return in their third Chinatown mystery. This time Tiger Lil, an aging film star who moonlights as a public relations specialist, an entertainment agent, and a detective, has been asked to meet with teen heartthrob Clarke Tom, who is filming on location in Chinatown. When someone makes an attempt on Clarke's life and Lily's brother is suspected, Tiger Lil and Lily are swept into the case. Various leads take the sleuths to the Tenderloin district (where they are held hostage), to a Chinatown social club, and finally to a Chinese laundry, where they prevent a second murder attempt. The details of the Chinatown neighborhood are a real plus, and the carefully plotted mystery, sprinkled with judiciously placed clues, makes the story hard to put down. Give this to mystery buffs as well as children fascinated by Chinatown. --Kay Weisman
