The First Excellence ~ Fa-ling's Map (Li Fa-ling mystery series) [Kindle Edition]

Donna Carrick (Author)

Book Description

What happens when East bleeds into West? Join Fa-ling on an incredible journey into the heart of mainland China as she sets out to discover the land of her birth. In order to determine her future, Fa-ling must unlock the mysteries of her past. To this end, she travels with a Canadian adoption group to the exotic southern province of Guang-Xi Zhuang.

Searching for her lost heritage, Fa-ling encounters murder, kidnapping, political intrigue and organ theft. Together with Detective Wang Yong-qi and his brilliant but uncouth partner Cheng Minsheng, Fa-ling must uncover a high-stakes kidnapping plot -- before another child goes missing!

Donna Carrick grew up in Canada's military, and now resides in Southern Ontario with her husband author Alex Carrick and their three children. Along with their beloved family pets, the Carricks spend most of their free time in Ontario's North Country.

The First Excellence draws on their own experience in adopting a child from China.

Author of The Noon God and Gold And Fishes

Editorial Reviews

Review

Your title says it all. Not only was it excellent, it kept on my toes and I was so excited to see what other spin you could put on it. A must read! I could not put it down. Can't wait for your next one to come out, add me to your list please.  --Keti Penner -- Toronto, Canada

...compelling storylines... A complex mystery with multiple plots and a host of intriguing characters.

When Fa-ling was a child in Guangxi, China, her birth mother--fearful that her ruthless mother-in-law would kill Fa-ling and her newborn sister--abandoned the girls on a park bench before committing suicide. Fa-ling and her sister Daphne lived at a wretched orphanage where Fa-ling tolerated sexual abuse in an unspoken trade for extra food for her and Daphne. Readers later discover that their father's heart was broken by their disappearance, and though he was too weak to stand up to his insufferable mother, he continued to search for them unbeknownst to Fa-ling and Daphne.

Forward to the present, when 21-year-old Fa-ling is living with her loving adoptive family in Canada, but feeling lost, tentative and confused about her future. Determined to resolve her feelings by revisiting her past, she returns to China. For safety reasons, she doesn't go alone, but travels with a tour guide and a group of five couples who ironically are going to China to adopt a child. Soon after their arrival, a gruesome murder occurs at their hotel and Fa-ling unknowingly stumbles into a three-way plot involving child kidnapping, organ theft, political intrigue and government coverups.

Enter detectives Wang and Cheng, two wonderfully rendered characters who must toe the tenuous line between uncovering the truth and risking reprisal from governmental higher-ups. The other compelling storylines quickly unfold, and Carrick deftly and seamlessly weaves these plots together. As with many other mysteries, there's a lengthy list of characters and some readers may feel confused by the array. Though there are some lovely descriptions, there are also some jarring metaphors and similes which disrupt the narrative flow--"Her voice, never soothing at the best of times, ripped through the humid afternoon with the intensity of a chicken being plucked" and "The water shimmered, whispering like a friend in a new dress."

Still, the conclusion is pleasantly unpredictable. ENJOYABLY COMPLICATED PLOTS WITH SOME WELL-DEPICTED CHARACTERS. --Review by Kirkus Discoveries, November 27, 2009

Product Details

• File Size: 703 KB
• Print Length: 376 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1439253935
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Carrick Publishing; 1 edition (May 3, 2010)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B003KN3G6Y
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,084 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! October 28, 2011

By Catherine

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The First Excellence was a really great read by a writer who has quickly become one of my favorite Indie authors. The story certainly fits the bill for a mystery and a thriller, but it is much more than that. Donna Carrick has once again done her homework for the background of this book. I had no knowledge whatsoever of the process that parents go through to adopt a child from China. I had only a passing knowledge of the Falun Gong as a religious sect that is persecuted in China. And, although going to China is on my bucket list, aside from the Great Wall I had little idea of what I would want to see once there. Mrs. Carrick has done an excellent job of telling a story of a group of couples that travel to China to complete adoptions and run into all kinds of intrigue once there. There is everything from murder, to kidnap for ransom, to embezzlement to double crossing, and on and on. The group visits many cultural sites in China and Mrs. Carrick describes each in lovely detail. There is also a very interesting and sad family saga around the main character Fa-Li. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story, beautifully written March 2, 2010

By Lori Osterman

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Wow, I have to say this book is wonderful. There is so much detail it's as if I am right there every step with the characters. I fell in love with Fa-ling and was so entrenched in her journeys that I couldn't put the book down. The Author Donna Carrick not only did her research, very well, she made me feel every heart breaking turn that Fa-Ling was experiencing. Even trying to write this review I find myself wanting to go into detail the highs and lows of each experience Fa-Ling found herself in. Any book that can keep me glued to its pages, and act as if the story is playing out as a movie in my head, deserves high praise and to be read by all. I don't wish to ruin the story for you but I do recommend you read 'The First Experience'. The imagery, the adventure and the emotion that was poured into writing this book is definitely evident through out the pages. You do not want to miss this story.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning... you won't want to put it down December 31, 2011

By Danielle

Format:Kindle Edition

I literally spent 51% (Kindle keeps track of your location) trying to keep track of characters & their involvement in the story. The biggest reason for that is because most of the names are Asian... And there are A LOT of characters.

Once I had my characters straight, I couldn't put it down. Even though the end was perfectly satisfying, I couldn't help being sad there wasn't more. What became of Li Fa-ling? Did she just go back to Canada? What happened to the Kaders? The babies? Daphne? With so many characters I would've loved a "One Year Later" follow-up. It was excellent nonetheless!

More About the Author

An Air Force Brat, Donna Carrick grew up in locations all over Canada. Her primary influences came from small town Saskatchewan, Northern Ontario, the mining towns of Cape Breton, Northern Quebec and her birth province of New Brunswick.

An executive member of Crime Writers Of Canada, Donna volunteers her time as a mentor to aspiring CWC authors. She remains active in the Canadian writing scene, supporting Sisters In Crime, Word On The Street, Bloody Words and a variety of other venues for the literary arts.

Donna is the author of 3 mystery novels: The First Excellence ~ Fa-ling's Map, Gold And Fishes and The Noon God. All titles are available in paperback as well as Kindle and e-reader versions. Her 3rd full-length crime novel, The First Excellence, won the 2011 Indie Book Event Award for excellence in fiction!

In addition, her Toboggan Mystery Series, which includes "Sept-Iles and other places" and "Knowing Penelope", offers short-story lovers a broad collection of her work for Kindle.

Donna's interest in creative writing was established early and developed into a passion for fiction that continues to this day. She studied both Literature and Psychology at the University of Toronto and currently writes novels, short stories and poetry.

She enjoys sharing her knowledge of and enthusiasm for the independent and self-publishing industry. Contact Carrick Publishing to arrange a workshop or group engagement.

An office manager, wife and mother of three, Donna divides her time between the hectic pace of Toronto and the relative peace of Ontario's spectacular Georgian Bay. Life is never dull with husband/author Alex Carrick, their children, their beloved golden retriever Daisy and Dora The Cat.