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artrichive's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
5.0
inadraw's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
shihangh's review against another edition
5.0
4.6 stars out of 5
Summary:
18 years ago, a mysterious bomber calling himself/herself Eumenides first murders the vice commissioner of police Xue Dalin, then takes life of Captain Pei Tao's girlfriend and best friend. The case was never solved.
18 years later, Captain Pei Tao receives another declaration that the murders are restarting. The police reform a task force, the 4/18 task force, to combat the killer. However, the killer is able to outsmart the police at every turn, and even blackmail the leader of the task force with knowledge of his past mistakes.
The book climaxes with Eumenides's declaration of murder against Deng Hua, a business magnate who, in his early life, got his start as a criminal who worked with the police. Truths are dredged up from the past - Deng and Xue were partners in corruption who had silenced Xue's secretary, Shi's ex girlfriend. Driven to revenge by his feelings of powerlessness against injustice, Shi orchestrated a fake death, with Pei's girlfriend, Meng, as a sacrifice. Things did not go to plan as Meng triggered the bomb before Shi could get away. This crippled him, and with this, his ability to execute his revenge died with him. However it is revealed that in the 18 years since, he has trained an apprentice, who is now committed to helping him execute his vengeance.
Comments:
- I really liked this book. This is a pulpy thriller where a detective faces off against a criminal, like the games between Holmes and Moriarty, and Light and L.
- While cliched, Shi's motivation was believable and in my opinion well characterised.
- The way the murderer overcomes the police's preparation was convincing and interesting. A major source of intrigue was how the criminal would thwart the police. However, there are some elements of disbelief, making this more a show like Luther rather than a more serious police procedural. How does the man get so many explosives? How was he able to apprehend so many criminals that the police could not?
- The modern day cast, particularly Mu, who is set up to be a kind of eventual love interest, feel weak. As does the computer whiz Zeng. On the other hand, I liked the characterisation of the arrogant Han, who could not own up to his mistakes and failures, and in so doing, digs his own grave.
I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next instalment!
Summary:
18 years ago, a mysterious bomber calling himself/herself Eumenides first murders the vice commissioner of police Xue Dalin, then takes life of Captain Pei Tao's girlfriend and best friend. The case was never solved.
18 years later, Captain Pei Tao receives another declaration that the murders are restarting. The police reform a task force, the 4/18 task force, to combat the killer. However, the killer is able to outsmart the police at every turn, and even blackmail the leader of the task force with knowledge of his past mistakes.
The book climaxes with Eumenides's declaration of murder against Deng Hua, a business magnate who, in his early life, got his start as a criminal who worked with the police. Truths are dredged up from the past - Deng and Xue were partners in corruption who had silenced Xue's secretary, Shi's ex girlfriend. Driven to revenge by his feelings of powerlessness against injustice, Shi orchestrated a fake death, with Pei's girlfriend, Meng, as a sacrifice. Things did not go to plan as Meng triggered the bomb before Shi could get away. This crippled him, and with this, his ability to execute his revenge died with him. However it is revealed that in the 18 years since, he has trained an apprentice, who is now committed to helping him execute his vengeance.
Comments:
- I really liked this book. This is a pulpy thriller where a detective faces off against a criminal, like the games between Holmes and Moriarty, and Light and L.
- While cliched, Shi's motivation was believable and in my opinion well characterised.
- The way the murderer overcomes the police's preparation was convincing and interesting. A major source of intrigue was how the criminal would thwart the police. However, there are some elements of disbelief, making this more a show like Luther rather than a more serious police procedural. How does the man get so many explosives? How was he able to apprehend so many criminals that the police could not?
- The modern day cast, particularly Mu, who is set up to be a kind of eventual love interest, feel weak. As does the computer whiz Zeng. On the other hand, I liked the characterisation of the arrogant Han, who could not own up to his mistakes and failures, and in so doing, digs his own grave.
I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next instalment!
earl_grey_without_lemon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really like this sort of detective cat and mouse chase thriller! The back of the book says it started as an online series, and it definitely reminds me of other East Asian media pertaining to death games. I think you do have to hand wave away Pei (one of the main characters) having “guy who’s just so observant” syndrome, and the book itself is translated, so I don’t know if it reads the same in Chinese. I think the translation was pretty good, but it definitely has translator voice, in my opinion. It is extremely fast paced and moves mostly linearly with multiple perspectives and occasional time jumps, and there are some really gruesome images in there. Overall an enjoyable book that I read in two sittings and a good thriller! I’m tempted to read the next book because the mystery isn’t completely unraveled in this book (it is part of a trilogy).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism, Suicide, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape, Abortion, and Pregnancy
linda_helmi's review against another edition
5.0
#129 - 2024
Genre: Suspense, Asian Literature
Buku yang benar-benar seru buat dinaca, bisa selesai 1 hari. Dibuat pusing mengira-ngira siapa pembunuhnya tapi dihadapi dengan plot twist. Berkisah tentang pembunuh dg nama alias Eumenides yg melakukan pembunuhan bagi oran2 yang melakukan kejahatan tapi tidak dihukum. Penyelidikan mengarah ke kasus 18 tahun lalu dan dari sana menghubung ke banyak orang yang terlibat.
Harap diingat ini baru buku 1 dari serial Death Notices yang berjumlah 5 buku (katanya).
Genre: Suspense, Asian Literature
Buku yang benar-benar seru buat dinaca, bisa selesai 1 hari. Dibuat pusing mengira-ngira siapa pembunuhnya tapi dihadapi dengan plot twist. Berkisah tentang pembunuh dg nama alias Eumenides yg melakukan pembunuhan bagi oran2 yang melakukan kejahatan tapi tidak dihukum. Penyelidikan mengarah ke kasus 18 tahun lalu dan dari sana menghubung ke banyak orang yang terlibat.
Harap diingat ini baru buku 1 dari serial Death Notices yang berjumlah 5 buku (katanya).
deveniegas's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bbildanainat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
ohkrasias's review against another edition
2.0
the premise of this was so intriguing and i genuinely enjoyed the first hundred pages or so, but my interest quickly waned, especially after reaching the halfway point. i just didn't really care what happened, to be honest.
son_of_simon's review against another edition
3.0
I received this from a Goodreads giveaway.
You know that movie where the genius criminal taunts and baits the police? This book is that movie. It's not bad if that's what you are into. There is nothing exceptional about it either. It seems to have been written to be turned into a movie. It is also part one of an unknown number of books.
You know that movie where the genius criminal taunts and baits the police? This book is that movie. It's not bad if that's what you are into. There is nothing exceptional about it either. It seems to have been written to be turned into a movie. It is also part one of an unknown number of books.