Review: Insightful Eastern Serial Killer Adventure
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 9, 2014
Written by Chinese author Lei Mi and translated into English, this novel of a young and brilliant profiler, named Fang Mu, who is a graduate student in college, but is a genius at aiding different police departments catch serial killers is put to the ultimate test.After solving a case that the local police had been going nowhere on, he is now challenged by what looks like separate cases where the police are stumped. Things turn personal as the number of killings escalates, and they are all linked to the University Fang Mu attends. Then it gets even more personal than that. I can't tell you more without ruining the book for future readers, but the author does an amazing job of ratcheting up the tension until both you and Fang Mu are at the end of your ropes. At the end, the one who the serial killer is hunting is Fang Mu.Fang Mu was a very different and difficult protagonist, but you still identity with his need to help others, even though he is a haunted loner who is laconic almost to the point of rudeness. Part of this is due to the fact that he was the only one who made it out alive after a crazed killer murdered three people in front of him and assaulted him. The other part is due to his genius, as his big brain needs time to cycle through the millions of scenarios when he is profiling to find the correct one. He is like a young Chinese Sherlock Holmes.Tei Wei, the senior police official who works with Fang Mu, begins to understand how to best work with this genius profiler. He makes sure that he eats and sleeps, and acts as a sounding board for unfinished ideas that he is working on. The rest of the time, he quietly keeps Fang Mu company until something brilliant pops out of his mouth. The policeman also helps to keep Fang Mu out of trouble. These two characters from the nucleus of the story, with Fang Mu playing the starring role.It was very interesting to see the differences in an Eastern versus a western crime novel. Because it took place in a fairly large city, many things were westernized, which came as quite a surprise to me. Even though you know that college kids the world over are generally alike, the cultural differences determine a lot. The town celebrated Christmas - the commercial kind, with decorations and presents. Nike Air Jordans were an expensive and cool Xmas gift, so was American perfume. The internet, cell phones and video games are necessary tech for every college student.There were only about three or four times where the author has to explain a Chinese cultural difference, which was nicely done with parentheses, so as not to break the thread of the story. I was amazed that a translation from Chinese to English produced such clear, insightful prose, with only the slightest number of errors.This is one of the most imaginative serial killer stories I have ever read. One big difference is that we don't get to see the killer in action, or know who it is until the end of the novel. All through the story, the focus is on Fang Mu and/or his police partner, who are trying to solve the case. Another difference is that you rarely hear from the police management, or the politicians pushing for a solution. The third difference is that there is no interference from the press. The media is nonexistent in the story.  They don't bother the police or the victim's family It was really quite refreshing.Bottom Line: I am so pleased to have discovered a new writer who can make me want to read all day because the story is insanely good. Great characters, labyrinthine plot, a master of suspense and terror, a variety of serial killers and intelligently plotted character growth. There is also a savagely high body count. Highly Recommended for people who like serial killer, profiler, cat and mouse games, or the pitting of one intellect against another stories, winner take all..