The Second Inspector Chen

Snake Agent by Liz Williams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was led to this book while searching for the Inspector Chen mysteries written by Qiu Xiaolong, set in modern China. But I was intrigued by the blurb, explaining that this Chen worked on cases involving demons and ghosts. So I bought it and was well rewarded. Not only is the world a unique one, but the writing is much better than I expected.

What captivated me most, though, was the way that Williams drove me through the novel by adding new characters, each one more interesting and odd than the previous ones, and how the story kept unfolding layer after mysterious layer.

I feel that if I had read this book earlier, my own novels would be slightly different; not better necessarily, but different. In fact, since I am midway through my third "Small Town" novel, I can honestly say that I hope that it has some of Snake Agent within it.

It is not as good as the Xiaolong mysteries, but few mysteries are. Give this a solid 4.



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