The jasmine trade - Denise Hamilton (Eve Diamond Mystery #1)

Seventeen-year-old Marina Lu lies dead in her shiny new Lexus in a suburban shopping centre car park, her two-carat diamond engagement ring refracting another shattered Los Angeles dream.

Was her murder merely a carjacking gone bad, or is there more to the story? As LA Times reporter Eve Diamond begins investigating the case, she soon realises there’s more to Marina’s death than meets the eye. Why was she marrying a much older man at such a young age? Why is her father so reluctant to provide information about his daughter? And why would someone steal the dead girl’s diary?

As Eve delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding Marina’s life and death, she stumbles into the world of the ‘parachute kids’, the rich teens who are left to their own devices in California while their wealthy parents live and work in Hong Kong. She also discovers an even more tragic subculture, where destitute young Asian immigrants live in virtual sexual slavery. As Eve reveals the haunting details and closes in on her scoop, she finds that one person is prepared to kill to keep the story hidden.

A powerful and moving crime debut, The Jasmine Trade was shortlisted for the Anthony, Edgar and the Macavity Best First Novel Awards.