Seemingly alone of the all the men in the force, Han is able to see that a bright, curious woman could be an asset to his investigation (as opposed to being an annoying affront to the patriarchal order, as Seol appears to most other men on the force). Han has all the virtues one might want in an inspector. Han is one of the few members of the force for whom Seol has unquestioning respect. Utterly unknown: the identity of the killer. The cause of death is likewise easy to determine: her throat was slashed and her nose cut off, likely with Lady O’s own dagger. It’s easy to determine that the dead woman is Lady O, daughter of the Cabinet Minister O. The woman in the alley falls under the category of otherwise.Įvery subject is supposed to carry a wooden identification tag at all times: it gives the bearer’s name, place of birth, status, and residence. Therefore, the police have damos, female indentured servants like Seol, to deal with women, living or otherwise.

However, it is forbidden for men to touch women to whom they are not related. Rivers of blood will flow, followed, no doubt, by a golden age of stability.ĭamo (indentured police servant) Seol has a more immediate problem: a woman’s corpse found in an alley. As will others whose crime is to have inconvenienced the currently well-connected. Nevertheless, in the well-ordered state that is Joseon, to speculate risks execution for treason.Įvery politically aware person knows that when in five months the official mourning period ends, Catholics, deemed enemies of the state, will again be tracked down and punished, as will those whose diligence in exposing Catholics is insufficient. Natural causes? Assassination? The ominous natural phenomena said to have accompanied his death are suggestive of something askew. June Hur’s 2020 The Silence of Bones is a stand-alone historical murder mystery.

June hur the silence of bones