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A review by aoki_reads
Bad Kids by Zijin Chen
4.0
Sanmingshan, called the most famous mountain in Ningbo— becomes a grisly crime scene one beautiful, summer morning.
Zhang Dongsheng takes his wealthy in-laws on a trip up the mountainside. All is well, but it's a tough walk for the elderly pair. At Zhang's suggestion— the couple takes a seat on the wall for some family photos.
First they're there... and then they're not.
For Zhang decides to quickly push his in-laws off the side of the mountain. And what looks like an accident— is secretly a brutal murder.
But Zhang Dongsheng's in the clear, right? He chose a sunny morning where nobody would be around. He will claim the death of the elderly couple as a freak "accident".
Wrong.
Because three teenagers caught him dead in the act. And from there— a deadly spiral of blackmail ensues.
Bad Kids is one of those thrillers where you share common knowledge with the group of kids. Everyone else in the story is trying to piece things together. I find these narratives to be fun and entertaining— which is why I often couldn't stop turning the pages. You already know what happens, why it happens, and how. You know every lie and intricate fabrication— will everyone else catch on?
That's the thrilling aspect of this one. While not necessarily the ultimate thriller, it was a solid and sensical read (while in my opinion, being just a tad far-fetched). I enjoyed the wickedness, the stacking of problems, layering of crime after crime, and the plot was enjoyable. This read more like a blackmail adventure spree rather than a psych thriller— but again, the tone was there.
And then there's the underlying theme of "bad kids, worse parents." Each child in this story feels unloved and betrayed by the adults in their life. Are bad choices and decisions embedded in their souls? You get to answer that one. Their stories broke my heart. And even while making horrible and life-changing choices, some out of pure desperation,— I found myself rooting for the trio.
Bad Kids was a lot of fun to read. I would definitely love to see more Chinese crime novels and thrillers in translation (hint hint). I highly recommend this one to those who like a quick paced page-turner with some great backstories and detail. It's a solid summertime crime read.
Zhang Dongsheng takes his wealthy in-laws on a trip up the mountainside. All is well, but it's a tough walk for the elderly pair. At Zhang's suggestion— the couple takes a seat on the wall for some family photos.
First they're there... and then they're not.
For Zhang decides to quickly push his in-laws off the side of the mountain. And what looks like an accident— is secretly a brutal murder.
But Zhang Dongsheng's in the clear, right? He chose a sunny morning where nobody would be around. He will claim the death of the elderly couple as a freak "accident".
Wrong.
Because three teenagers caught him dead in the act. And from there— a deadly spiral of blackmail ensues.
Bad Kids is one of those thrillers where you share common knowledge with the group of kids. Everyone else in the story is trying to piece things together. I find these narratives to be fun and entertaining— which is why I often couldn't stop turning the pages. You already know what happens, why it happens, and how. You know every lie and intricate fabrication— will everyone else catch on?
That's the thrilling aspect of this one. While not necessarily the ultimate thriller, it was a solid and sensical read (while in my opinion, being just a tad far-fetched). I enjoyed the wickedness, the stacking of problems, layering of crime after crime, and the plot was enjoyable. This read more like a blackmail adventure spree rather than a psych thriller— but again, the tone was there.
And then there's the underlying theme of "bad kids, worse parents." Each child in this story feels unloved and betrayed by the adults in their life. Are bad choices and decisions embedded in their souls? You get to answer that one. Their stories broke my heart. And even while making horrible and life-changing choices, some out of pure desperation,— I found myself rooting for the trio.
Bad Kids was a lot of fun to read. I would definitely love to see more Chinese crime novels and thrillers in translation (hint hint). I highly recommend this one to those who like a quick paced page-turner with some great backstories and detail. It's a solid summertime crime read.