Scan barcode
meloches's review
3.0
This novel is the second in a series following Asian American, CIA operative Bai Hsu. The first thing that stood out for me with this novel was its clean opening and clean ending. This makes for a really good standalone; so, fear not, if you had not read the first novel, you can easily catch on.
I had read Bai Tide earlier this year and really loved it. I don’t read a lot of espionage thrillers and I struggle with police procedurals so I was concerned but I found Bai Tide to be entertaining, fast paced and completely binge-worthy. Like Bai Tide, I found Take the Bai Road to be similar! At a little over 200 pages, this one is fast-paced, contains lots of action and is to the point.
Following our diverse protagonist, Bai Hsu, after the events in Bai Tide, he returns to the field after being given the assignment to investigate and track the mysterious Ghost Cartel. With no cover, no backup and no resources, Bai finds himself completely on his own and has no choice but to infiltrate the organization. Will Bai make it out?
Although this novel has the same non-stop action that I came to know and love in Bai Tide, I did find that this novel did not have as many humorous moments. I found Bai Hsu to be absolutely hilarious in book one; incredibly witty and lots of clever dialogue but with this novel, I found that to be slightly lacking.
Overall, I felt like this novel was a solid follow up in the series! I would highly recommend going back to read Bai Tide (even though this one can be read as a standalone, Bai Tide is very entertaining!) and follow with Take the Bai Road.
I had read Bai Tide earlier this year and really loved it. I don’t read a lot of espionage thrillers and I struggle with police procedurals so I was concerned but I found Bai Tide to be entertaining, fast paced and completely binge-worthy. Like Bai Tide, I found Take the Bai Road to be similar! At a little over 200 pages, this one is fast-paced, contains lots of action and is to the point.
Following our diverse protagonist, Bai Hsu, after the events in Bai Tide, he returns to the field after being given the assignment to investigate and track the mysterious Ghost Cartel. With no cover, no backup and no resources, Bai finds himself completely on his own and has no choice but to infiltrate the organization. Will Bai make it out?
Although this novel has the same non-stop action that I came to know and love in Bai Tide, I did find that this novel did not have as many humorous moments. I found Bai Hsu to be absolutely hilarious in book one; incredibly witty and lots of clever dialogue but with this novel, I found that to be slightly lacking.
Overall, I felt like this novel was a solid follow up in the series! I would highly recommend going back to read Bai Tide (even though this one can be read as a standalone, Bai Tide is very entertaining!) and follow with Take the Bai Road.
hcmurdoch's review
4.0
I read Erika Mitchell's first Bai Hsu novel, Bai Tide, and quite liked it. However, this book is better. I feel like Mitchell found her voice, is more confident in her character and her writing, and it all came together for a fun spy novel.
Bai Hsu is a CIA operative working on his own this time. He is so competent and talented: he is trained in martial arts, lock picking, fire arms, knows five languages, and is pretty darn savvy. I also think he has a good personality; he is smart, personable, and seems able to get along with almost everyone he encounters, even those whom he is fighting. I like that about him. He seems like someone I'd like if I met him.
I also thought having a story based around the Mexican drug cartels was interesting, even though the main story isn't about drug smuggling. Connecting North Korea from the previous book to the Mexican cartels and the US government was an interesting angle that I didn't expect. I also like that the book isn't one where I feel like events are implausible. Yes, it's spy stuff, but not out of control spy stuff. So that's fun.
Bai Hsu is a CIA operative working on his own this time. He is so competent and talented: he is trained in martial arts, lock picking, fire arms, knows five languages, and is pretty darn savvy. I also think he has a good personality; he is smart, personable, and seems able to get along with almost everyone he encounters, even those whom he is fighting. I like that about him. He seems like someone I'd like if I met him.
I also thought having a story based around the Mexican drug cartels was interesting, even though the main story isn't about drug smuggling. Connecting North Korea from the previous book to the Mexican cartels and the US government was an interesting angle that I didn't expect. I also like that the book isn't one where I feel like events are implausible. Yes, it's spy stuff, but not out of control spy stuff. So that's fun.
More...