Klingborg’s twisty, tense police procedural seems poised to kick off a series.
A maverick Chinese police detective hunts a twisted serial killer.
In the Raven Valley Township of northern China, Inspector Lu Fei is drinking himself into his customary oblivion at the Red Lotus bar when he’s called to a brutal murder scene. The young victim, Yang Fenfang, has been “hollowed out like a birchbark canoe.” Suspicion immediately falls on her boyfriend, Zhang Zhaoxing, who works as a butcher. Once he’s arrested, Lu’s bosses at the Public Security Bureau are content to end the investigation and incarcerate Zhang. Klingborg takes the time to lay out the structure and conventions of law enforcement in China, a welcome aid for Western readers. Lu finds a kindred spirit in sarcastic medical examiner Dr. Ma Xiulan, who takes his rejection of her sexual advances in stride. No forensic evidence implicates Zhang. Though Lu thinks the young man is innocent, he’s overruled by his superiors, who order that Zhang be kept in custody until more conclusive evidence against him can be found. A wave of protests has little effect on this decision. But the discovery of two similar murders in nearby Harbin gives the investigation new life. Terse dialogue dominates this series debut, which wraps its depiction of contemporary Chinese society in the tropes of police novels. Even when the righteous Lu goes too far in interrogating a suspect, he keeps on going.
Klingborg’s twisty, tense police procedural seems poised to kick off a series.Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-2507-7905-2
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Minotaur
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
The mystery isn’t all that mysterious, but Osman fans will be glad to hop on that private jet and go along for the ride.
The Thursday Murder Club takes a break while British TV personality—and bestselling author—Osman introduces another lovable group of unwitting investigators.
Amy Wheeler and her father-in-law, Steve, have a special relationship. They talk on the phone every day but in a particularly British way, communicating important things while chatting about the weather. Steve is a former London cop who’s retired to the small town of Axley, and since his wife died he’s retreated into a routine of playing with his cat, Trouble, and attending Quiz Night at the local pub. Amy works as a bodyguard for Maximum Impact Solutions, a private security company, traveling the world and having adventures. Her husband, Adam—Steve’s son—works in finance and also spends most of his time traveling; they view their relationship as a long-term bet and don’t mind not seeing much of each other for now. Things begin to go sideways, though, while Amy is on a private island off the coast of South Carolina guarding Rosie D’Antonio, a Jackie Collins–esque novelist who’s being threatened by a Russian oligarch who took offense at one of her books. The problem is that three other clients of Amy’s firm have been killed in three separate incidents, each murder occurring when Amy was nearby. Is someone sending her a message? Then the only other person on Rosie’s island, an ex–Navy SEAL hired by Amy’s boss to back her up, tries to kill Amy, and the race for answers is on. Amy begins by reaching out to the only person she can trust—Steve. Rosie isn’t going to be left out of the excitement, so, aided by her private jet, the three set off on a journey around the globe as they try to figure out what’s going on while keeping Amy (and Rosie) alive. As in Osman’s other series, they cross paths with a variety of people—including drug-dealing politicians, customs agents, and social media influencers—who may or may not be inclined to help them, and watching the unlikely threesome charm each other and (almost) everyone they meet is a delight.
The mystery isn’t all that mysterious, but Osman fans will be glad to hop on that private jet and go along for the ride.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9780593653227
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Pamela Dorman/Viking
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
Breezy, entertaining characters and a cheeky premise fall prey to too much explanation and an unlikely climax.
An aspiring mystery writer sets out to solve her great-aunt’s murder and inherit an estate.
Twenty-five-year-old Annie Adams has never met her great-aunt Frances, who prefers her small village to busy London. But when a mysterious letter arrives instructing Annie to come to Castle Knoll in Dorset to meet Frances and discuss her role as sole beneficiary of her great-aunt’s estate, Annie can’t resist. Unfortunately, she arrives to find Frances’ worst fears have come true: The elderly woman—who’s been haunted for decades by a fortuneteller’s prediction that this will happen—has been murdered, and her will dictates that she will leave her entire estate to Annie, but only if Annie solves her killing. It’s a cheeky if not exactly believable premise, especially since the local police don’t seem terribly opposed to it. Annie herself is an engaging presence, if a little too blind to the fact that she could be on the killer’s to-do list. Her roll call of suspects is pleasingly long, including but not limited to the local vicar, a one-time paramour of her great-aunt’s; a gardener who grows a lot more than flowers; shady developers and suspicious friends from Frances’ past; and Saxon, Annie’s crafty rival, who inherits the estate himself if he manages to solve the case first. Annie pieces together clues through readings of Frances’ journal, but the story eventually runs aground on the twin rocks of too much explanation and a flimsy climax. Cute dialogue gives way to lengthy exposition, and by the time Frances’ killer is revealed you may well be ready to leave Annie, Dorset, and Castle Knoll behind for the firmer ground of reality. Fans of cozy mysteries are likely to be more forgiving, but if you cast a skeptical eye toward amateur sleuths, this novel won’t change your mind about them.
Breezy, entertaining characters and a cheeky premise fall prey to too much explanation and an unlikely climax.Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780593474013
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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