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colinsnguyen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
timinbc's review against another edition
5.0
Not perfect, but a very good book.
Kwan's smarter-than-Sherlock deductions don't grate because we can believe it's just that he was looking at things differently than we do.
The backward chronology works.
The plots are meticulously worked out, and every detail is considered. Kwan and Lok are easy to like. The bad guys are smart, and Kwan is smarter.
I've been to Hong Kong, and researched it quite a bit before going, so I liked all the place names and the presentation of culture and identity and corruption as part of the story.
I'll look for more from this author, even though I don't read a lot of mysteries.
Kwan's smarter-than-Sherlock deductions don't grate because we can believe it's just that he was looking at things differently than we do.
The backward chronology works.
The plots are meticulously worked out, and every detail is considered. Kwan and Lok are easy to like. The bad guys are smart, and Kwan is smarter.
I've been to Hong Kong, and researched it quite a bit before going, so I liked all the place names and the presentation of culture and identity and corruption as part of the story.
I'll look for more from this author, even though I don't read a lot of mysteries.
bellkakao's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
chery's review
dark
mysterious
2.75
The book explores the darker side of urban life in Hong Kong, highlighting its role as a hub of lifestyle challenges marked by high crime rates and a flawed justice system that can lead to many unfortunate situations. The story follows a seasoned detective renowned for his crime-solving skills. However, despite his undeniable expertise, I found it difficult to understand how some of his conclusions were drawn, as the events lacked sufficient context for us to connect the dots. It felt as though we were expected to accept everything the detective said without enough links to the preceding events. This was disappointing, especially given my newfound interest in the crime genre.
I had similar reservations when I started this book after finishing Second Sister. While I don’t think the writing is poor, it often feels straightforward, perhaps due to translation issues that reduce its impact. This affected my enjoyment and made it hard to fully engage with the storyline. If the story had been presented as a cohesive whole, I might have appreciated its complexity more, but as it stands, I found it difficult to feel satisfied upon completing it.
I had similar reservations when I started this book after finishing Second Sister. While I don’t think the writing is poor, it often feels straightforward, perhaps due to translation issues that reduce its impact. This affected my enjoyment and made it hard to fully engage with the storyline. If the story had been presented as a cohesive whole, I might have appreciated its complexity more, but as it stands, I found it difficult to feel satisfied upon completing it.
corryreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
liz_newbern's review against another edition
3.0
This sherlockian mystery takes you through the streets of Hong Kong as you travel back through the decades of the police Detective Kwan as he takes strange and sometimes baffling crimes and guides you to the answer. Each story represernts a different period in the detective's professional career and walks you through not only his own life, but the life of Hong Kong the city. Trigger warning: It does contain violence and detailed descriptions of gory crime scenes.
headliner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Buku ini bagiku kayak kumpulan cerpen perjalanan Kwan Chun-dok buat mengungkap kasus yang terjadi. Karena setiap bab punya cerita yang berbeda (favoriteku bab kelima; kasus penculikan). Setiap bab juga punya tension yang menegangkan, pembaca dibuat deg-degan dengan segala kasus kejahatan yang terjadi di Hongkong, dan bagaimana para polisi juga detektif berusaha menyelesaikan itu semua. Yang kusuka juga adalah karena di setiap bab diselipin kisah hidup Chun-dok; misal saat akhir masa jabatannya.
Terus yang menarik di buku ini juga terletak pada alur mundur yang digunakan. Di bab awal kita diajak berkelana dan menyelesaikan teka-teki dari kasus yang terjadi tahun 2013. Awalnya aku juga bingung kenapa Chun-dok di sini (bab awal) gak mampu untuk beraktivitas, tapi kok dikenal dengan sosok cerdas? Then as the time goes by aku paham kalau itu adalah Chun-dok di usia senjanya. Chun-dok juga gak sendirian karena ada muridnya, Sonny Dok, serta kerabat polisi yang lain. Well written story dengan latar Hongkong yang dapet banget.
SAYANGNYAAA (huh hah) aku kurang menikmati karena banyak banget typo dan penyuntingan tulisan yang sepertinya terlewat :< mungkin karena bukunya yang lumayan tebal (+500 halaman) jadi ada bagian yang terlewat dan gak sadar dengan hal itu. Meskipun demikian, buku ini mantap banget untuk dibaca! Specifically if you are into police-detective things, crime, sama mengagumi Second Sister!
Terus yang menarik di buku ini juga terletak pada alur mundur yang digunakan. Di bab awal kita diajak berkelana dan menyelesaikan teka-teki dari kasus yang terjadi tahun 2013. Awalnya aku juga bingung kenapa Chun-dok di sini (bab awal) gak mampu untuk beraktivitas, tapi kok dikenal dengan sosok cerdas? Then as the time goes by aku paham kalau itu adalah Chun-dok di usia senjanya. Chun-dok juga gak sendirian karena ada muridnya, Sonny Dok, serta kerabat polisi yang lain. Well written story dengan latar Hongkong yang dapet banget.
SAYANGNYAAA (huh hah) aku kurang menikmati karena banyak banget typo dan penyuntingan tulisan yang sepertinya terlewat :< mungkin karena bukunya yang lumayan tebal (+500 halaman) jadi ada bagian yang terlewat dan gak sadar dengan hal itu. Meskipun demikian, buku ini mantap banget untuk dibaca! Specifically if you are into police-detective things, crime, sama mengagumi Second Sister!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Police brutality
balrog's review against another edition
4.0
There's a lot I love about this, particularly the setting and the way the cases build up. Perhaps the only thing holding it back from being rated higher is the way the cases themselves are resolved. But after finishing it, I've really come to appreciate how the parts make up the whole and I'd be interested in revisiting it some day.
linhgaga's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
**Omg!! Just finished it now and I’m still in utter shock. What a brilliant plot twist at the last few lines!!!**
Chan Ho Keith (CHK) is an extremely capable writer. I already have tons of respect for him after reading ‘Second Sister’. Coming to this one cold, my expectation was high and gladly I was not disappointed in the end. CHK knows how to fascinate readers, and is the type of writer that can simplify the complex. The watertight logic and deduction lines are just like music to my ears - either there are no plot holes or that he has masked them all. There is no need for blood and violence as there is already enough substance. If there is just one very minor complaint, I struggled a little bit with shorter stories from separate timelines. But overall a must read for all lovers of the crime genre!