THIEF OF SOULS

4 stars out of 5

This was a bit of a challenging read for me, but through no fault of the author. It takes place in China - a country about which I know very little - at least before I finished this book. It was hard to keep the characters straight (China, it appears, has several common names like Smith and Jones are in the United States). But the star of the show, Inspector Lu Fei (this is the first book in a series about him), was easy to remember and like as he grapples with life and work in a sort of backwoods town despite being a highly trained police officer. And the exposition - plus little snippets of wisdom from Chairman Nao Zedong - bolstered the story and helped me learn more about the country.

Most crimes in Lu's little town are minor, until a young woman is found with three major organs removed and sutures similar to an autopsy. Because those three organs - lungs, heart and liver - have been associated with spiritual or mental attributes, one theory is that the killer was trying to "steal the soul" of the victim. Other clues, though, such as a pair of expensive Loubutin high heels that appear to have gone missing, lead Fu in other directions, no matter where or to whom they lead. But while Fu would be happy to handle the case by himself and his department, higher-ups insist on getting involved because of "weiwen" - in today's China, stability always takes precedence over public safety.

Still, he remains intent on finding the killer - especially when he turns up links to previous unsolved murders. But going where needs to go puts himself squarely between Communist Party leaders for whom corruption is the order of the day, resistence from bosses whose only goal is to solve the crime quickly and sweep the whole thing under the rug. There's a fair amount of action - some of which puts Fu's life on the line - before the story ends.

An enjoyable read overall, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Thief of Souls by Brian Klingborg (Minotaur Books, May 2021); 281 pp.