Great book! I was pleasantly surprised by how fluid it was to read. I'm excited to see what else the author has in store.

Inspector Lu Fei, confronted with the murder of a young woman in his rural district, is stunned to realize several organs have been removed and the wounds sutured. She was also found with joss paper in her mouth, designated for use in the afterlife to ensure she has what she needs. Soon the authorities in Beijing are called in to investigate, leading to a string of strange events as Lu Fei tries to find the perpetrator before he kills again.

I love a good murder mystery, and Thief of Souls did not disappoint. Lu Fei is a strong character, with a good heart and a sense of fairness, and he tried to strike a balance between placating his supervisors and doing what he believes is the right thing. I appreciated the unfamiliar (to me) background and enjoyed the many twists in the storyline, and I did not guess who the murderer was while reading. I felt the story was told in a straightforward and logical manner, and the ending was believable. Brian Klingborg has written an interesting and compelling story, and I will be eagerly waiting for the next book featuring Inspector Lu Fei.

Interesting as a police procedural novel - I also learned a lot due to the setting in rural China. Well written characters but not a thrilling story line.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the free advanced reader's copy.

This is a fast-paced and straightforward serial killer thriller. Set in a remote village in Northern China, the main character is an inspector with the police, just below the chief after he was promoted away in exile from the nearest city, Harbin. Lu is an honorable and almost classic investigator, determined to find the truth when a local woman is brutally murdered.

What really makes this book shine is the setting. Intended for Western audiences, Klingborn does a good job of mixing in the facts of society, the legal system and political policies without ever crossing the line into the dreaded "info-dump" territory. Plot-wise, I did guess the killer's identity a bit early on, so while nothing really surprised me, it was still satisfying to be proven correct. The romantic subplot hints at perhaps more to come in future installments, so this set-up works well here, too. I am definitely curious to see where the rest of the series will go. Some of the characters are more likable than others and overall, this is a solidly entertaining read. It's a bit gorier than a cozy mystery, but is overall rather simple and quick!

I received this book from Net Galley. I'm giving my honest review. The story started off okay but the more I read the more I became disinterested. Thank you for the opportunity.

Grateful to have read a book by this author! I always love a police procedural. However, I found the book to be overwritten and it really distracted from the story for me. Too many unimportant details.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!

From the beginning, the tone and setting for the book sounded very authentic. I felt immediately transported to this rural backwater in modern China, and Inspector Lu Fei quickly became an interesting guide to follow.

There were a few places that felt like information dumps-- the hierarchy of police organization, for example, but it was information I needed to know.

I did not like the shift to the villain's POV at the end that explained everything-- but I'm not sure how I would have done it differently. Overall an interesting, engaging read.

When this book is marketed, it should be made clear that the author is a China scholar. Some details, especially regarding the police, are very familiar to a Western reader but details of life in China are not. I keep wondering if it was completely made up, had to look him up. We don't know much about China, especially about how working class/poor Chinese people live and this book gives a lot of interesting details. The attitudes towards Western culture were also eye-raising. This depictionof life in China elevates the book far above a typical police procedural. Recommended.

This got off to a slow start for me but it drew me in. It is interesting reading a book set in China. Lu is a good character and I can see this becoming a series.

Thief of Souls is the first in a new mystery series featuring Inspector Lu Fei. Set in a backwater in contemporary northern China. Lu is a graduate from China’s best police college who could reasonably be expected to be much higher up and closer to the centers of power in Beijing. His assignment to such a small town is a sign that he ruffles feathers.

When a woman is murdered in his town, though, it attracts national interest because of the gruesome details. Some of her organs were removed and money to pay for her expenses in the afterlife was placed in her mouth. Naturally, a group of crime scene technicians, a medical examiner, and a someone officious higher ranked investigator were sent to run the investigation. They are eager to close the case and are thrilled to have a convenient neighbor that they can fit to the crime. Lu is not so sure and his continued investigation trods on more than a few toes.

I enjoyed Thief of Souls quite a bit. It was absolutely fair and for that reason, I knew who the murderer was long before Inspector Lu. There should have been a couple more viable suspects just to make it difficult. Of course, as a reader I had an advantage over Inspector Lu with interludes from the killer’s point of view. I really don’t think those interludes are necessary and they quickly made the killer obvious. When they reviewed two other cases, there was a detail that should have been investigated and it was not. I noted it as a reader and was surprised Inspector Lu missed it at first.

However, other than that, I enjoyed the book. It is a good procedural that is enhanced by the details about Chinese criminal justice practices. The characters are sufficiently complex, except for a couple oafish cops on the force. There is also a good sense of place, rich in context and social texture. I hope to read more in the series.

I received an e-galley of Thief of Souls from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thief of Souls at St. Martin’s Press | Macmillan
Brian Kingborg on Twitter

I really enjoyed this book set in modern China. I wanted to change up what I usually read, and this was a nice change of pace. I feel like I learned a lot about Chinese culture, and I liked the main character.
I was able to guess who the killer was, and from then on it was mostly predictable, but I didn’t have a problem with that.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A police procedural novel, or a CliffsNotes introduction to modern day China? Brian Klingborg’s Thief of Souls mixes those two elements with quotes from Mao and poetry. The book showed promise in the beginning: the gruesome murder and mutilation of a young woman; a policeman who has been sent to the backwaters by politicos who despise him; a corrupt system. Somehow along the way I was detracted by the book’s mishmash of characters, quotes and colloquialisms. It did not help that I solved the murder mid-book and was left with an abundance of corruption and cigarette smoke until the end.

Inspector Lu Fei was a likeable man. Klingborg deftly interspersed Lu’s hard-core police training with a softer side, presenting a complex and realistic character. The author has a good basis for future novels. I personally found the novel choppy, which hindered the flow of the story for me.

This was quite a surprise. I received an ARC of this excellent police mystery through NetGalley. This was my first read of this author. He is very engaging. The story moved along very well but the setting made the difference for me personally. The uniqueness of the setting was enough of a hook for me to finish it and likely start another. I would recommend for any mystery fan - again especially with the foreign setting.

A young policeman Lu Fei is working in a small town in northern China where nothing out of the ordinary ever happens. Until he is suddenly faced with a gory murder of a young woman.

This is a new author for me, and the book was a bit challenging to start off with but once I got going it was great. It is set in China and the police force is so different than ours. But murder is murder in any country. This is a must read to see how Inspector Lu solves the murder! Great job Brian!

I'm surprised to say I liked this book. It was given to me via NetGalley and at first I thought, what? I've never read a mystery set in China although I am a fan of some Chinese tv series (mostly historical), but definitely not all. My first reaction was to say no thanks, but instead I decided to try it. The book centers around Lu Fei, an "inspector" in a small town in the far north not far from a good sized city. Lu likes to drink and finds himself at the Red Lotus nearly every night, but is it just for the alcohol or the company of the widow who runs the small bar? He's there when he receives a call to come to the crime scene of a brutal ritualistic murder. Lu previously worked in the city before circumstances led him to this small town, so he has to guide the officers that work below him and above him, sometimes coming to blows. You feel like your working the case with the characters. Lu at first, until Song and his forensics team fly in from Beijing. They have a bit of a rough beginning but start to work together until forensics leave and then Lu saves Song from an attack. Lu continues to puzzle out the case. He and his superior start to build a begrudging respect for each other and I enjoyed watching it evolve. There were some aspects I didn't like. The characters are rough talkers randomly, so it sort of jarred me the first time. Cursing doesn't bother me, but some words were offensive, but probably authentic. Also, there were a number of times the US was slammed as I'm sure we are over there, but that bothered me a bit. Now, although I say that, again, I'm sure it's necessary for authenticity, but it seemed excessive. I was able to figure out who the murderer was pretty early in the book but felt the author did a good job spinning the clues. This was woven in such a way that I want to know what's next for Lu and his crew. #ThiefOfSouls

3 intriguing stars
While I enjoyed The Thief of Souls 4 stars worth, I need to subtract 1 star for abnormal sexual and graphic violence against multiple women. I can’t in good conscience wholeheartedly recommend it to my many reading female friends or other Christians.

Klingborg uses humorous and colorful turns of phrases such as “dumb as a wheelbarrow full of pig shit.” Given that northern China is the sole setting for the mystery, I was surprised by references to a police officer as short, squat, and tough as old rhinoceros hide and another reference to a hollowed-out dugout canoe. Seemed a bit out of context.

Sections start with a quote by Mao. Sentences are often direct and short, even choppy, moving the pace of the mystery on quickly. Pacing was excellent, building toward an extraordinarily strong ending. To add to the suspense, the killer speaks a short soliloquy at the end of each section.

I admired Inspector Lu for his honesty and dedication. I found myself rooting for him when bad guys and other Chinese politicos were against him.

I especially enjoyed the brief commentaries about modern life in China; firearms are rare, cigarettes as an expression of rank, power and wealth, mental health is a touchy subject. China’s arrest and trial system differs vastly from the United States with a conviction rate more than 90%. For those without much knowledge of Chinese history, a concise view of Mao’s Great Leap explains the main character’s motivations.
I was initially hoping to read more of Inspector Lu in the future – interesting characters, tidbits of Chinese history, a romantic interest, fresh setting – but I have no stomach for reading about a psychopath carving up and raping female victims.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of police procedural will surely enjoy this start of a new series! I thought it was clever and entertaining, though I didn't really connect that much to the protagonist. That being said, I'd be curious to see how the series will continue.

This is the first entry in what promises to be a nice addition to the field of police procedurals. Fans of international settings, cultural insights, and complex puzzles will enjoy it.

Basically, this is one of those police procedural books. Perhaps it's a bit hardboiled in that we have some crude language and sketchy situations.

But, there's a big difference from your garden-variety procedural: the action and events take place in northeast China, up near Mongolia. Yes, there is a large city nearby, Harban, but most of the activity takes place in a much smaller burg, Raven Valley Township. I don't know enough about modern China to know if the descriptions of life there is somewhat realistic, but I'm guessing the author did a decent job of research. Things feel realistic.

So, a young woman, Yang Fenfang, is found murdered in her house. She has also been eviscerated, i.e. her organs "harvested". In addition, her TV and laptop appear to have been stolen, and later on, we learn that she used to have a fancy pair of red shoes, which are also missing. The cops figure to finger a local, Zhang Zhaoxing, who seems to have had rather a fetish regarding Yang Fenfang. But Inspector Lu Fei isn't sure they guy has either the smarts to pull off the murder, nor the skills to do the evisceration, even though the guy worked as a butcher. So, he looks further afield.

It seems that Yang Fenfang had previously worked as a hostess of some sort in the large city near by, Harban. She had come home recently to help ease her mother's last days and prepare her for a proper funeral. In looking into the goings on in Harban, Inspector Lu discovers several similar murders of young women, each of whom were eviscerated, each of whom had some attachment to an item that was red, and each of whom had recently been involved in the funeral rights of a close family relative.

Well, no need to go on. It's a pretty engaging story which also involves a spot of romance, in that Inspector Lu Fei has become a bit soft on the young widow, Ms. Luo Yanyan, who is the owner of the Red Lotus, the bar where Inspector Lu likes to while away his idle hours drinking.

Assuming this novel turns out to be part of a series, I'll be looking forward to further adventures of Inspector Lu Fei.

#ThiefofSouls #NetGalley