Starred review from September 17, 2012
Church’s stellar first in a new series introduces Major Bing, the nephew of Inspector O, the hero of the pseudonymous author’s series set in North Korea (The Man with the Baltic Stare, etc.). Bing, who heads a state security office in China near the North Korean border, and his uncle, with whom he lives, have an affectionately prickly relationship reminiscent of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. In an intricate plot that ranks as one of Church’s best, Fang Mei-lin, “the most beautiful woman in the world,” arrives at Bing’s house to seek his uncle’s help with a problem she keeps secret from Bing. A satirical look at paranoid intelligence structures (“No one finds out about what the Third Bureau is doing on purpose. Not even the Third Bureau”) and the snappy, irreverent narration (O hums “a Korean folk song, not so much carrying the tune as pushing it in a wheelbarrow over rocky ground”) add to the fun.
November 1, 2012
A hard-boiled Asian investigator probes the disappearance of "the most beautiful woman in the world." Maj. Bing Zong-yuan, State Security officer and the nephew of retired North Korean Inspector O (The Man With the Baltic Stare, 2010, etc.), is staying with his uncle when the (in)famous Madame Fang Mei-lin stops by unannounced. Bing is taken aback by the chemistry betwixt his uncle and the legendary beauty, but he stops short of asking about the nature of her notoriety, which seems to be political, or the details of the pair's subsequent night out. There's no doubt, however, that her visit stirs up strong feelings that the senior investigator has worked hard to control. Bing works for the government just over the border in China, and his superiors frequently subject him to awkward questions about his uncle's activities. He receives the secret mission of shepherding an agent across the border into North Korea as Inspector O is probing a more concrete and bizarre case brought to him by a Miss Du. Claiming that her father's remains are cut up and wrapped in the freezer of her brother's restaurant, she becomes a regular visitor to the Inspector's office. The vanishing of Madame Fang, along with a colleague, throw both uncle and nephew into turmoil, and Bing feels compelled to investigate, especially as Uncle O is being eyed as a suspect. Church's elegant ambiguity and frequent digressions get a facelift with his new hero Bing's edgier first-person narrative, and he has great insight into Asian culture and politics. Casual readers, however, should be warned that the plot is tantalizingly complex.
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November 1, 2012
Major Bing, a Chinese security official working the North Korean border, doesn't pretend to understand everything about his spy-ridden corner of the world, but the day Madame Fang appears at his home asking for his uncle, Inspector O, is the day any sort of false calm ends. A former Chinese agent now wants to return to China, and somehow Fang is a part of the operation. There's also rumor of a forged government seal that needs to be recovered. In short order, Fang disappears and Bing is sent to Mongolia to retrieve the missing official but finds his efforts hindered until Inspector O gets involved. As usual, he never shares much of what he knows with his frequently befuddled nephew. Events in Mongolia step up the pace considerably but readers' heartrates will speed up even more when Bing and O find themselves in North Korea. VERDICT Former intelligence officer Church's hold on this particular corner of espionage is without peer, and readers will be thrilled to try his new series. It helps to know the "Inspector O" series (start with the first, A Corpse in the Koryo), but Church's brief asides make it possible to jump in cold. Yes, it's intrigue and all very covert, but think Rex Stout here as well. Share also with Colin Cotterill, Michael Stanley, and Philip Kerr readers. [See Prepub Alert, 7/5/12.]
Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from October 15, 2012
Church's previous novels featuring North Korean cop Inspector O showcased the endemic paranoia and dysfunction that is bedrock in the most secretive nation on earth. In The Man with the Baltic Stare (2010), O is retired by his government and banished to a mountain-top, only to be called back into service. This time, the guileful and cantankerous O has had to flee his country. He's living with his nephew Bing in a backwater region of northeast China that borders North Korea. Bing is head of state security for the region, and his skill at controlling corruption at the border is all that allows him to keep his job. But a visit by Madam Fang, the most beautiful woman in the world, draws Bing and O into a bizarre quest for an almost unknowable objective, a quest that becomes increasingly more mysterious and hazardous. Bing, who narrates the story, is weighed down by the same obstacles O always faced: misinformation and disinformation about his assignment. As the story progresses, assorted Chinese, Mongol, and Kazakh agents, all maddeningly inscrutable, sow further confusion, making this the most convoluted investigation O has ever faced. The Man with the Baltic Stare was reported to be the final book in the series. Here's hoping Inspector O has merely been transplanted to a new locale and will continue to appear in further adventures. He's one of a kind.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)