Snake Agent: A Detective Inspector Chen Novel by Liz Williams
BUY IT NEW
- $14.95 List price$14.20 Online price$12.78 Member price(Save 14%)Limited Time Offer! Everyone receives the Member Price on books.
See Details
(Paperback)
- Pub. Date: July 2006
- 267pp
- Sales Rank: 711,045
| More Formats | |
|---|---|
| Other Format | $7.99 |
Buy it Used: 18 copies from $1.99 See All Available
Customers who bought this also bought
Product Details
- Pub. Date: July 2006
- Publisher: Night Shade Books
- Format: Paperback, 267pp
- Sales Rank: 711,045
- Series: Detective Inspector Chen Series, #1
- ISBN-13: 9781597800433
- ISBN: 1597800430
Synopsis
John Constantine meets Chow Yun-Fat in this near-future occult thriller! Detective Inspector Chen is the Singapore Three police department's snake agent - that is - the detective in charge of supernatural and mystical investigations. Chen has several problems: In addition to colleagues who don't trust him and his mystical ways, a patron goddess whom he has offended, and a demonic wife who's tired of staying home alone, he's been paired with one of Hell's own vice officeers, Seneschal Zhu Irzh, to investigate the illegal trade in souls. Political pressures both Earthly and otherworldly seek to block their investigations at every turn. As a plot involving both Singapore Three's industrial elite and Hell's own Ministry of Epidemics is revealed, it becomes apparent that the stakes are higher than anyone had previously suspected.
Publishers Weekly
The shade of Charlie Chan hovers over Williams's entertaining supernatural mystery, the first in a new series starring Det. Insp. Wei Chen of Singapore Three's 13th precinct. In a near future that allows travel between Heaven and Hell and Earth, "snake agent" Chen finds himself in hot pursuit of ghost-girl Pearl Tang and the father who murdered her to protect his business of "supplying the souls of the virtuous to Hell." Chen is not only a crack paranormal crime investigator but also a licensed feng shui practitioner never without his compass. While the plot might have benefited from a few more action scenes and some martial arts, Williams (The Banquet of the Lords of the Night) provides a sleuthing feast for those with a taste for the exotic Orient. Agent, Shawna McCarthy. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
More Reviews and RecommendationsCustomer Reviews
Chinese Mythology Meets Inspector Chenby lizzeee
Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings
May 20, 2009: In a mystery steeped in Chinese mythology, Detective Inspector Chen Wei is the go to guy for all things supernatural in the Singapore police department. Shunned by his colleagues, he is used to working alone. Still, he must work with someone, and Sergeant Ma was unlucky enough to be assigned to do the job. Mrs. Tang has come to Chen with a ghost photo of her daughter, Pearl, who had died and should have been frolicking in Heaven. Instead, she was a ghost, lost somewhere in limbo. Could Mrs. Tang's industrialist husband be involved? That is what Chen must figure out, but before he can even begin, Tang calls Chen with disturbing news. When he arrives at their mansion, Chen finds that Mrs. Tang has been possessed, and in spite of the department's exorcist, she doesn't survive the possession. Chen does meet Seneschal Zhu Izu, one of Hell's vice officers. Unfortunately, Chen's wife, the beautiful Inari, who is a fugitive from Hell, has now become tired of hiding on their houseboat. She has been exploring the markets with her faithful badger/teakettle. With each adventure, she risks being identified as a demon b the humans around her or worse by another demon. In fact, Chen helped her escape her unwanted arranged marriage with a high official in the Department of Epidemics bringing retribution and shame upon her family. In the meantime, one of Zhu Izu's patrons, the first minister of the Department of Wealth, Chen's relationship with his patron, the Goddess Kuan Yin is strained at the best. A man fully committed to his wife and work, Chen will follow all leads to their conclusion. He finds that he must follow the clues to Hell, a good thing, because his wife has been kidnapped to Hell by her once fiancé. How Chen and Zhu Izu ferret the extent of the conspiracy, how Inari finds compassion and self-sacrifice and thus gains maturity, is a story worth reading. Williams created complex societies with complex characters who you either love or hate and tells a story in this rich back drop worth reading. Five stars!
I Also Recommend: Precious Dragon, The Demon and the City.
Loading...