Bai Jiang specializes in finding lost people, especially in the San Francisco, California area, a job that can be particularly dangerous. Her expertise with knives and guns makes her a highly regarded and sought after resource. She is also over thirty-years-old, dating, and dealing with her complicated feelings for the father of her thirteen-year-old daughter, Dan.

Police inspector Kelly of the San Francisco Police Department asks Bai to find Daniel Chen who was involved in an altercation that left several people dead, including a policeman, and drugs and money missing. Believing Chen is hiding in China Town, Kelly hopes Bai can help locate him.

Bai and Lee, her friend and business partner, begin the search for Chen, but soon realize Inspector Kelly has not been honest with them. During her investigation Bai finds the body count rising as various factions try to control their piece of the city with hired assassins, corruption, and violence.

A key witness is murdered and the two bodies found in Chen’s office, along with money and drugs, put him in the hot seat. While Inspector Kelly thought Chen was at fault, Bai thought it looked like a set-up and wanted further investigation.

Bai splits her time between her children, including a newly found young girl, and her search for and desire to bring to justice those who deal with drugs, information trafficking, and death in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Black Karma is the second mystery novel in the White Ginger series written by Thatcher Robinson, following the first novel, White Ginger. Robinson has created a unique and powerful female investigator in Bai Jiang, and has given her a world where she can make a difference in the lives of many while trying to make a life for herself and her family.

The characters are well drawn with depth and believability, both the protagonists and antagonists. The fast-paced non-stop story line will keep readers swiftly turning pages to see what happens next.

And that is the main thrust of this strong tale. The twists and turns drive an unconventional plot and provide one of the best stories I’ve read in quite some time.

You don’t need to read the first novel in order to understand the second, but reading both will give you a well rounded perspective of the main characters.

We are looking forward to the next novel in this series to see what Bai, Lee and the other main characters are up to next.

Both White Ginger and Black Karma are available at Amazon.com.

A special thank you goes to Seventh Street Books for providing us with a complimentary copy of this novel for our review.