This is the 4th of the "Inspector O" series by the pseudonymous James Church and it is as enigmatic as the previous three. Some characters we thought were dead reappear and some new dyanamics are in play. O has apparently gone to live the life of a hermit on a mountain top, crafting wooden toys, when he is brought unwillingly back into play to "solve" a murder in Macau. Someone very high up in the Korean government is all but convicted of murdering a prostitute and O is told to direct attention away from him as prime suspect. It is never entirely clear who the suspect is, but it sounds like the successor to head North Korea, only he is never found. One of the men pulling the strings is a major from South Korea who believes the two countries will be reconciled or at least ruled jointly by the south. But then the Chinese also want to move in as does organized crime. I have never been able to completely follow how O comes up with the solutions to these murky messes he is handed, but I never tire of getting to know O better as he navigates the minefield that is life in North Korea.
Reviews from
Kirkus and
Publishers Weekly.
No comments:
Post a Comment