2005 futuristic fantasy. Detective Inspector Chen is a cop in the
franchised city Singapore Three, in charge of magical and supernatural
investigations. When a missing girl's soul turns up demonstrably in
Hell, rather than Heaven where it should be, that's the first thread
of a long and political investigation.
This book is a strange combination of relatively pedestrian
characters and situations with an utterly fascinating universe. Yes,
Chen will have to cooperate with a demon as they have buddy-cop
adventures and learn to trust each other. Yes, the corruption will go
all the way to the top. But there are three worlds in play here, two
of which we visit in some detail: Singapore Three itself on Earth,
Heaven which is only mentioned in passing, and Hell. That's the
Chinese Hell, about which I admit I don't know much, but it feels
richly detailed whether or not it's accurate. So when Chen has to
search Celestial records, he turns away from his bioweb screen, and:
Sighing, Chen scribbled a note on a piece of red paper and took out
his cigarette lighter. At least this was technology that he could
understand. He folded the note into an intricate octagon, muttered a
brief prayer, and set the note alight. Then he waited as it crumbled
into fragrant ash and dispersed into whatever airs existed between
Heaven and the world of Earth. Time for another cup of tea, Chen
decided, and made his way as unobtrusively as possible to the
vending machine.
The one real mis-step is a prologue that consists of a scene from near
the climax of the book, wrenched out of context and placed up front to
lure the reader in. Skip it; you won't lose anything.
Williams writes beautifully, particularly when describing the scenery
of Hell. She also shows a good sense of humour, with moments like:
Passers-by took one look at Detective Inspector Chen hastening down
the road with a lobster on a string, like one of the more eccentric
French surrealists, and gave him a very wide berth.
and her characters display more self-awareness than one might expect,
such as the police captain suffering from political pressure:
I'll say here and now that there's no way you're going to be taken
off this case, since no one else would touch it with a barge-pole.
You have my full and total support, as long as I don't actually have
to go any nearer to this supernatural shit than I can help, and as
long as you sort it out. But if you don't, the city will be looking
for a scapegoat. That scapegoat will be you, Chen.
The plot is a relatively straightforward investigation that involves
all the protagonists getting into various degrees of trouble, which
seems a pity in a way given the gorgeous background against which it's
played. Even so, the book is a joy to read and I recommend it highly.
Followed by The Demon and the City.
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