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A review by lynguy1
Thief of Souls by Brian Klingborg
3.0
Thief of Souls by Bring Klingborg is a police procedural set in contemporary times in a rural township in Northern China. 3.5 stars rounded to 3 stars. The book opens with a call to Inspector Lu Fei (deputy chief) on his day off. The local Public Security Bureau station lets him know that there has been a murder.
Despite graduating from China’s top police college, Lu has been assigned to this rural community where calls are normally for the theft of a chicken or help with someone’s internet. What went wrong with his career? Lu’s character has depth and shows growth over the course of the book. He also has some character flaws that make him seem more realistic. How does he handle facing an old enemy?
Due to the nature of the death, Lu contacts the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) in Beijing. Superintendent Song, deputy director of the CIB and his team arrive to help. How well do different branches of police work together in China?
The author does a great job of giving the reader a sense of time and place as well as people. He is quite descriptive, but sometimes ‘tells’ rather than shows. However, I easily pictured the small patrol car coming to pick up Lu with Sergeant Bing and four constables already in it. He also provided a look at some of the legal and cultural differences in China versus the United States.
Interspersed throughout the book, the reader gets to hear the killer’s thoughts and actions. The author does a good job of not telling the reader who this is, but I did determine the killer by the halfway point. Themes include corruption, theft, murder, lies, stigmas attached to certain professions, and much more. Will you guess the unique reason for the murder?
The plot is well done with lots of unknowns and some twists. One of the fascinating things about this book was the interactions of the characters as the stakes got higher. Will you be surprised by some of the events? The ending was dramatic.
Overall, this book is entertaining and suspenseful. This is the first novel in the Inspector Lu Fei Mystery series and the first book that I have read by this author. I definitely want to read the next book in the series. If you like mysteries or police procedurals set in other countries, then you may enjoy this one as much as I did.
I received a digital copy of this book from the St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Brian Klingborg in a Goodreads Giveaway. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is scheduled for May 4, 2021.
Despite graduating from China’s top police college, Lu has been assigned to this rural community where calls are normally for the theft of a chicken or help with someone’s internet. What went wrong with his career? Lu’s character has depth and shows growth over the course of the book. He also has some character flaws that make him seem more realistic. How does he handle facing an old enemy?
Due to the nature of the death, Lu contacts the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) in Beijing. Superintendent Song, deputy director of the CIB and his team arrive to help. How well do different branches of police work together in China?
The author does a great job of giving the reader a sense of time and place as well as people. He is quite descriptive, but sometimes ‘tells’ rather than shows. However, I easily pictured the small patrol car coming to pick up Lu with Sergeant Bing and four constables already in it. He also provided a look at some of the legal and cultural differences in China versus the United States.
Interspersed throughout the book, the reader gets to hear the killer’s thoughts and actions. The author does a good job of not telling the reader who this is, but I did determine the killer by the halfway point. Themes include corruption, theft, murder, lies, stigmas attached to certain professions, and much more. Will you guess the unique reason for the murder?
The plot is well done with lots of unknowns and some twists. One of the fascinating things about this book was the interactions of the characters as the stakes got higher. Will you be surprised by some of the events? The ending was dramatic.
Overall, this book is entertaining and suspenseful. This is the first novel in the Inspector Lu Fei Mystery series and the first book that I have read by this author. I definitely want to read the next book in the series. If you like mysteries or police procedurals set in other countries, then you may enjoy this one as much as I did.
I received a digital copy of this book from the St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Brian Klingborg in a Goodreads Giveaway. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is scheduled for May 4, 2021.