OJ Is Dead

by Rozlan Mohd Noor

Jeffri used to run with a street gang when growing up in KL, but is now a criminal lawyer with his own small firm. He’s also down on his luck. One day his old college buddy Kim On Juan (OJ) — also a lawyer but with a successful family-owned firm — offers him a lifeline in the form of some lucrative work.

Jeffri and his sole employee are grateful for the help. But things take a turn for the worse when OJ's father exits the window of their Jalan Ampang office without a parachute. Did he jump or was he pushed?

Soon enough, the triads are on their heels. In order to save himself and OJ, he enlists the help of his former street-pack friend Shah, whose methods are rarely on the right side of the law. But their options are running out -- and some of the unlikeliest people feel that things will only be resolved when OJ is dead.

308 pages, Paperback

Published October 20, 2021

About the author

Rozlan Mohd Noor served as a police officer in the Royal Malaysia Police for 11 years as a crime investigator and court prosecutor before joining the private sector. He has published several crime/thriller novels. Six of them feature Inspector Mislan as the main protagonist, with Posthumous Child (2022) being the latest. The Inspector Mislan novels are now published internationally by Arcade CrimeWise, New York, starting with 21 Immortals in 2020 and DUKE in 2021. In 2022, the Inspector Mislan books were optioned as a mini-series by UK-based production company Envision Entertainment.

Reviews

[hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

To finally get to delve into this new series(?) of local thriller-- not that usual police investigator for its main character like his first series of Inspector Mislan, 𝙊𝙅 𝙞𝙨 𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙙 having Jeffri Abdullah, a lawyer to get involved in an unexpected incident after accepting two cases from his good friend's firm, OJ. I love how the plot centered towards Jeffri but having OJ as the main point. A neatly structured plotline and a page-turner to me-- a chock-full of conflicts, a love story, a family loyalty oath that stretched from years long, bit on the racial clash (not that descriptively told but fairly enough for the author to raise the issue) and the best part; Malaysian-styled gangs that I honestly love Jeffri and Shah collaboration.

The pacing was a bit slow at the beginning but it gets fast-moving after Kim Senior's death (OJ's dad). Love the characters dynamics especially Jeffri and as much as I don't favour OJ's character, it was still interesting to see how they both having that different personalities and way of dealing with troubles (can't blame OJ too for this as who wouldn't go berserk over an unknown family oath for dirt works he needs to cover up, all suddenly) despite both being a good friend.

Hectic and suspenseful yet with no plot twists whatsoever (quite a straightforward narrative to me), perhaps only Jeffri's way of manipulating the situation while settling it with Dato' Lau making it a bit cunning (a lawyer afterall, I guess). Love how the title speaks the ending, and that bit on how Malaysian judicial and legal system work were engaging much. A great first book as an intro for the series-- I was hoping it'll be a series considering how the cover has that 'A Jeffri Abdullah Thriller' on it, would love to read more about Sarah and for Jeffri to meet Inspector Ruby again ( I actually like her).

4.3 stars to this!

[Nur Elvina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear with the beginning slowness, you would appreciate the peak till the end.

A new series by Rozlan Mohd Noor but this time it was no longer centered on a police officer but lawyers. Presenting 2 main characters with significant opposite personalities, Jeffri a lawyer once involved with street gang while OJ a conservative-born whose father believed he would continue the Kim's law firm legacy. The tale start to excite when Jeffri received a confidential document regarding Kim & Kim blood oath. A story of true friendship thought Jeffri in the first place had the choice not to involve with OJ family issue that might cost him his life. I can say that the way of OJ's death can be predicted as his intimate relationship with this enchantress Caucasion, Sarah.

I'm looking forward for the next sequel because this reading left me with a gap. Who is Yusof? Why he willing to help Jeffri by connecting him to key people to solve OJ case?

[Lemonade Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars from yours truly!

What I love about this book?🤩🤩🤩

(1) Malaysian scenes - I felt relatable & every locations, situations, events & all that mentioned in the story, I knew, I can imagine & relates to the scenes - which makes the storytelling much more compelling & may be happening to us, Malaysian. Malaysian represented, gituh!

(2) Interesting characters - each of them have their own interesting background with layers of mysteries especially for Jeffri, the main character - who is a lawyer with good networks. He grew up in the streets of KL & make friends with chief of brotherhood, Shah (instead of calling them gangsters lols). Through Shah, he got to know many other people to assist his cases by just a phone call away. Hebat kan?

(3) Fast- paced thriller with easy reads- you need only 2 to 3 days to finish. I can guess the plot but still loving the way Jeffri solves this case.

(4) Potential for sequel - I hope so! 🤔

What I don't like?😩

(1) Malay as muslims representations - understand that this book is morally grey. Their lifestyle is too westernized eventhough the scenes are all in Malaysia. I know that those scenarios are happening in Malaysia, not denying it. But I am quite uncomfortable to read it (or admit it lol) & totally not gonna let my immature brothers & sisters to read this book - that lifestyle is totally not to be promoted or normalised. Peace ✌

[Athirah Idrus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do believe that some books are made for you, unfortunately that isn’t the case with OJ Is Dead for me. Having read about the author’s background in the police force in Malaysia, as well as his highly-rated Inspector Mislan series, I went into this with giddy anticipation.

There were some good things about the book: the fact that it’s authentically Malaysian, with a good balance in terms of representation - at least on the surface. There are various characters across racial lines which accurately depict the layers of the ‘melting pot’ that Malaysia is known for, even the niches into which these characters are carved in terms of cultural and economic background. The author clearly has a good grip on the specific locations in KL and what they are known for. It’s like he has the locations all mapped out in the back of his mind. Even though I am unfamiliar with some of the places, I can roughly create the mental images in my head thanks to the clear descriptions.

As a fan of detective fiction, I am thrilled to be exposed to the law and the legalities in Malaysia instead of the usual foreign setting I’m used to. The bonus was the relatability. At the mention of a street or location that’s familiar, I couldn’t help but to squeal internally. The chapters also flow smoothly which make the storyline easy to follow. However, this is where my admiration ends.
I wished it had a better plot. There are no twists and turns and no mystery to keep us hooked. While the story had all the necessary ingredients for a good detective fiction, the plot fell flat and not even halfway I was already asking myself if it was worth continuing. This is also perhaps largely due to the characters. Now I am into great character development, and I’m afraid to say that in here, there’s almost none. The characters remained one-dimensional and in fact, I might stretch it out a little to say that aside from Jeffri, the main character, the rest of them felt like they only existed to serve one purpose or another to Jeffri. I am miffed that despite being part of the title, OJ’s character seemed static. There’s nothing much to him, and nothing much improved upon his character by the end of the story. He was only there as a problem that Jeffri had to solve. The same can be said about Sarah, and the others.

I am very much affected by characters but I don’t need to have characters I can relate to to enjoy the story. Morally grey characters don’t necessarily put me off. An example would be like Gone Girl. I swear to God the characters in Gone Girl are vile and I can never be able to associate myself with them should they exist in real life, but the plot and character development was amazing that it is one of the books I enjoyed tremendously. Sadly, this is not the case here.

Jeffri, despite being a Malay and by definition according to the Malaysian constitution a Muslim, is a morally grey character. He indulges in all kinds of debauchery that are frowned upon by society. I acknowledge and recognize that there are people like that in our community, and so long as it doesn’t harm them or other people, I am fine with it. Unfortunately, seeing through his limiting point of view is like trying to view the world through distorted lens. The funny part is I don’t think he realizes how restrictive his POV is, and in fact I think he would perhaps regard himself as ‘superior’ because he is unrestrained by the “shackles” of religion. Consider this excerpt from the text:

“For lack of anything to do, Jeffri watched the receptionist cum nurse cum dispenser. A Malay woman, probably in her early twenties, with the standard nurse uniform, but like most Malay women nowadays, instead of the nurse hat or whatever it is called, she had a white hijab. Funny, how it’s now the accepted dress code for Malay women in uniform. What a pity. She has such a lovely face and probably hair too, all distorted by the hijab. The glory and dignity of the uniform are lost”.

Imagine having this type of POV throughout the book. What’s ironic is I was the one feeling like I had to pity him. Imagine deciding the glory and dignity of a uniform as ‘being lost’ because of a piece of cloth wrapped around the head. How the hijab causes ‘distortion’ to one’s appearance. If that is not one that’s bound by the shackles of prejudice then I don’t know what is. He thinks of himself as one who’s ‘liberated’, but perhaps he is the one who is not free from the clutches of bigotry after all.

While the resolution of conflict was interesting, I thought it was rather simplistic and naive. The suspension of disbelief required is way too much. There would be no way in hell that that kind of ending could have occurred in real life. Also, the fact that the characters cherry picked which part of the religion and the law that worked to their advantage made my skin crawl. I also have to point out that there was one too many spelling errors in the book that reduced my reading enjoyment further.
There were also bits of the story that seemed that they could do with a bit of elaboration, but perhaps the writer had a sequel in mind that they were left hanging in the story deliberately. I noticed a review of the book saying that “This story was like a plate of mee goreng with good ingredients but the chef had forgotten to put enough salt into the dish” and I have to agree. The ingredients are there but the cook does not mix it well to elevate the flavor profile. There are too many minor things left unresolved that smell like the making of a series. Question is are they enough to pique my interest to pick up the sequel? Unfortunately, a hard pass for me.

[Fira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book, with a good ending. The story feels a bit slow paced at the beginning but quickly wrapped it up towards the end.

[Zulzafry Zulkifly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story with smart ending but slack of satisfaction.

[Andrea Brantomio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather stereotypical description of the Malaysian environment, with limited in-depth analysis and caricatural female characters (one of them is defined “cute” every single time she is mentioned).

[Jehan Omar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rozlan Mohd Noor’s work has always been my go-to to end my literary dry spells.

This new book was a welcomed change from the Inspector Mislan series, however …. Whilst his work often kept me within its universe - a few details threw me off from this one

For what seems to be late 20 year olds to early 30 year olds during Pakatan Harapan’s reign in 2018, the Kenny G reference seems a bit dated

The storyline about Sarah too, makes it seem like this female character was written by a man. She’s painted with strong survival instincts, hence it just seems very unlikely for a woman in her position to jump into something messy very quickly. If anything, she’d avoid getting involved in another big mess.

That being said, both leading men had rather one-dimensional characters. I guess more could be added to strengthen the depth of the characters.

The rest of the book was very reminiscent of Inspector Mislan series. Action-packed, fun, and an easy read. However I do think the resolution was rather simplistic towards the end.

[Nur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Permulaan cerita a bit slow tapi bila dah sampai pertengahan, rasa macam roller coaster.

Geram dengan OJ sebab sepanjang cerita dia blur tak tahu apa yang terjadi.

Amazed dengan Jeffri , Shah and their street friends that willing to do everything and anything to safe their friend.

There are part of the book that I not fond of but, I love the plot and character devolepment.

[RJ Eszura RJ Ibrahim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok having personally known the author and his previous books.. I 's d say the ending in one word : WITTY!

Never would I had assumed ( and usually I dont!) that this would be the ending of his novels.

I truly enjoyed it and I would like to see a second one since I believe there's a possibility of the backstory of Sarah coming up.

Would there be , Unc Rozlan?

[Azril Noor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bagi aku permulaannya agak perlahan, sekadar perkenalan untuk 3 watak tu. Plot jadi makin exciting bila dah sampai pertengahan. Jeff memang akan berfikir dahulu sebelum bertindak. Yang penting, akhirnya OJ is dead.

[Nuyuryna · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The vow is broken if OJ is dead"

I think this book is just a begining for Jeff's journey.
The plot was smooth, does not have many twist.

I really looking forward for the next Jeff's book as for me masih banyak lagi persoalan yang belum selesai.

[Ikmal · Rating 3 out of 5]

plot: I like the flow. some may say it got slow build-up but idm. it's normal & acceptable.

characters: all of the characters are interesting. they all play their own parts. some may not have enough story time but it'll do I guess. over telling is not good as well.

solid book nonetheless.

[ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story was bit slow, but good ending. It's like a roller coaster, the fact that Jeffri doesn't know anything and blur make me quiet sick actually. But love the plot and character devolepment.

4.5 star, for this.

[Khairul Afandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flat storyline..weak climax..

[Lia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. Make me interested to read more thriller books.

[Naizer Aj · Rating 4 out of 5]

terbaik, menunggu untuk episod seterusnya

[Mohd Amirrudin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story feels like a plate of mee goreng with good ingredients but the chef forgotten to put enough salt into the dish.

[Dzil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost everything about the writing is good from the plot, action, character and dialogue. The only issue is one sub-plot that felt like it was abandoned.

[Khalilah Liana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vibe Grisham punya buku. 😊