Review: Intense!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 29, 2013
Randall Lee is one of those characters you can't help but love. He approaches life with witty humor, and his actions are more focused determination than stereotypical brave heroics. The cast of characters that accompany Randall through his travels are strong and fascinating. Many could carry a series of their own.This, to me, is the most compelling Randall Lee Mystery so far. While there is mystery, it reads more like dark psychological suspense. Charles Colyott takes us to some uncomfortable places, but it never feels contrived for the sake of the plot. The realism is striking. Randall is forced to confront the demons of his past, and at times we wonder if he'll snap beneath the burden. This intensity is balanced well with bits of humor.While Jianghu can be read as a stand-alone, I think the series works best when read in sequence. There is a continual undercurrent that follows through from one book to the next, and readers might miss some of the subtleties within the characters' relationships if the first two books are skipped.