North Korean police Inspector O is in the unlovely position of being asked to investigate events that no one really wants the answers to. Much like Sonchai Jitpleecheep in Jon Burdett's
books, or Shan Tao Yun in Eliot Pattison's
series, there is danger is looking too closely when other government agencies want to keep things hidden. The book moves us back and forth between the interview room where Inspector O is being interrogated by an intelligence agent from the West and the portrayal of the events he is recalling. In the cat and mouse game, it is never entirely clear who is on his side and who is manipulating him for their own benefit. We learn relatively early that his boss has died as has another government official of interest to his interrogator, so Inspector O seems freed to reveal what he knows. But he has been cagey so long, it's hard to stop. He has also not given up altogether on his country, in spite of the terrible abuses of power and rampant corruption. Although orthodox religion is never mentioned as a means of coping as it is with Buddhist protagonist Jitpleecheep, Inspector O does seem to rely on a connection with nature--specifically wood--instilled by his grandfather, to ground him when all else falls apart. I plan on reading the sequels, especially if I can entice my friend Anne--who turned me on to this book--to loan me her copies :-)
