I’ll just come right out and say it, I generally avoid books with much sex, not out of prudishness, but because sex in books is not like pizza – when it’s bad, it’s really bad (mechanical and distracting and so many other negative things). There is a lot of sex in Lindley’s faux-memoir of the spy Eastern Jewel (often called the Eastern Mata Hari) and all of it is well-written and an integral part of the story. Inspired by Eastern Jewel’s brief appearance in the film The Last Emperor, Lindley did extensive research into the life of the Manchurian spy. I knew basically nothing about her real story when I started this book and I found it all fascinating. From her brief life as an arranged bride on the Tibetan steppes to the luxury of being a sought-after consort, I couldn’t put it down. Though this book isn’t perfect, it’s a wonderful read (especially for September when the smell of falling leaves might seem to fit the doomed life of any novel-worthy spy). ~Lillian