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A review by sarag19
Thief of Souls by Brian Klingborg
4.0
***ARC received from Minatour Books and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***
I will admit, police procedural mysteries are not a book I would normally reach for but I do love reading books set in Asian setting and this does have an interesting premise and for the most part, it works.
We are introduced to Inspector Lu in a bar because all good leads in a detective (inspector) story has to have a vice. I really liked Lu he’s not a disgruntle disillusioned inspector, he’s a good guy that just wants to see justice for the victims. He’s not 100% by the books though but he isn’t about underhanded tactics or holding innocent people. Its an interesting comparison to others that he works with, many who are all about climbing the ladder so when a murder happens in his small town he is out to see justice done for the murder victim.
The first half of the book is easily the slowest, it has a good start and then slowly begins to drag. I felt at times like the author was more interested in giving backstory and trying to tell more than show. Its clear that the author has knowledge and respect for the Chinese culture but at times I felt like I was getting more of a history lesson than reading a story. Its very jarring to get dragged out of the story for a few paragraphs so you can get an explanation about how the government system works. Lu also quotes lots of sayings and it sometimes feels like an excuse to show the whole poem. This does settle down in the second half and feels more like a character trait. Its about at the half way point that the mystery really gets going and the book settles in with a little less telling and letting the story just flow more freely.
When we do get more explanations in the second half they feel more like a natural part of the story and I didn’t find myself getting pulled out as I did in the first half. Its really fun to learn many of the interesting histories regarding China and Lu’s view of them both positive and negative. One of the strongest points of the story is the dialogue and that was really what kept me interesting when the book began to drag for me. The characters each have a unique voice and the descriptions of the cramped setting of Raven Valley make the city come alive. I am looking forward to reading more on Inspector Lu.
I will admit, police procedural mysteries are not a book I would normally reach for but I do love reading books set in Asian setting and this does have an interesting premise and for the most part, it works.
We are introduced to Inspector Lu in a bar because all good leads in a detective (inspector) story has to have a vice. I really liked Lu he’s not a disgruntle disillusioned inspector, he’s a good guy that just wants to see justice for the victims. He’s not 100% by the books though but he isn’t about underhanded tactics or holding innocent people. Its an interesting comparison to others that he works with, many who are all about climbing the ladder so when a murder happens in his small town he is out to see justice done for the murder victim.
The first half of the book is easily the slowest, it has a good start and then slowly begins to drag. I felt at times like the author was more interested in giving backstory and trying to tell more than show. Its clear that the author has knowledge and respect for the Chinese culture but at times I felt like I was getting more of a history lesson than reading a story. Its very jarring to get dragged out of the story for a few paragraphs so you can get an explanation about how the government system works. Lu also quotes lots of sayings and it sometimes feels like an excuse to show the whole poem. This does settle down in the second half and feels more like a character trait. Its about at the half way point that the mystery really gets going and the book settles in with a little less telling and letting the story just flow more freely.
When we do get more explanations in the second half they feel more like a natural part of the story and I didn’t find myself getting pulled out as I did in the first half. Its really fun to learn many of the interesting histories regarding China and Lu’s view of them both positive and negative. One of the strongest points of the story is the dialogue and that was really what kept me interesting when the book began to drag for me. The characters each have a unique voice and the descriptions of the cramped setting of Raven Valley make the city come alive. I am looking forward to reading more on Inspector Lu.