Publisher: Minotaur Books
Published: May 4, 2021
Source: Publisher
Summary:
The brutal murder of a young woman in a rural village in Northern China sends shockwaves all the way to Beijing–but seemingly only Inspector Lu Fei, living in exile in the small town, is interested in justice for the victim.
Lu Fei is a graduate of China’s top police college but he’s been assigned to a sleepy backwater town in northern China, where almost nothing happens and the theft of a few chickens represents a major crime wave. That is until a young woman is found dead, her organs removed, and joss paper stuffed in her mouth. The CID in Beijing–headed by a rising political star–is on the case but in an increasingly authoritarian China, prosperity and political stability are far more important than solving the murder of an insignificant village girl. As such, the CID head is interested in pinning the crime on the first available suspect rather than wading into uncomfortable truths, leaving Lu Fei on his own.
As Lu digs deeper into the gruesome murder, he finds himself facing old enemies and creating new ones in the form of local Communist Party bosses and corrupt business interests. Despite these rising obstacles, Lu remains determined to find the real killer, especially after he links the murder to other unsolved homicides. But the closer he gets to the heart of the mystery, the more he puts himself and his loved ones in danger.
My thoughts:
I am a big fan of police procedurals so of course this new series by Brian Klingborg interested me, but what really sold me was the fact that it was set in rural China…I don’t think I’ve read a detective series set there yet. And the cultural aspects that are woven into the story were just so fascinating.
“On the night the young woman’s corpse is discovered, hollowed out like a birchbark canoe, Inspector Lu Fei sits alone in the Red Louts bar, determined to get gloriously drunk.”
With that opening line, I was hooked! This book was one that might have started a little slow, but definitely picked up the pace and kept going. I really liked Inspector Lu Fei. He is determined to solve the case the right way and not just find a quick answer. He doesn’t let the politics of the town get in the way of his work and I appreciated that. I also loved that he rarely loses his cool.
I loved how as much as this is a crime fiction novel, it also is a great commentary on the differences between the Chinese criminal system and ours. The author did such a great job explaining the differences, which was not only helpful but also quite interesting. And we also learn quite a bit about the culture in this area that the book is set, a small rural area in Northern China.
I liked the mystery element and it kept me guessing with the twists and turns the case took. All in all, I really enjoyed this book and am excited to see where the series goes from here!
