First book in a new series. I didn’t feel it found its identity or place in mystery. Tackled many subjects and written a well , but felt very dense in setting up too many characters for the series. This happens Sometimes in the first book of a series, as thee author is trying to establish the base for the rest of the books, but can it becomes dense and loses its focus on the genre of the book, which is what happened. It is a well written book. It’s just dense with too much character information and a little slow.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media | Recorded Books for gifting me this ALC of the audiobook to review.

This book is like a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery, with a 1920s- Chinese spin.
Sherlock Holme’s quirkiness is Dee’s addiction to opium and his special skills are partially in deduction, but mostly in fighting. As a person who likes Sherlock Holmes a lot, these didn’t seem like worthy exchanges/ sacrifices to be made. I was not a big fan of the fighting scenes, because they feel a bit like fillers within the story. I am not a big fan of action movies, to begin with, but reading about them is even less satisfying.

Lao, the Watson-like character, unfortunately, lacks some of the charm that Watson seems to have. He comes across as well-meaning, but ultimately clumsy and inexperienced and apart from his heritage, he doesn’t have any qualities that make him interesting. As Dee comes across as more neurotypical than Sherlock Holmes, Lao is also not the sidekick that makes Dee more accessible to people around him. Lao, in fact, seems to be the one out of the two of them that is socially awkward. At times I felt a bit like Lao is a child that is being taught how the world works by Dee. This is even more strange if you consider that Dee is actually new to London and its ways, while Lao has lived there for a while. Lao did not add much to the case at all, apart from providing the narration and that was a bit unsatisfying to me. In general, I wished both Lao and Dee to be more badass. The case just seemed to dwindle down until Lao & Dee had no choice but to catch the killer.
As both Lao’s and Dee’s characters still lack some finetuning and character development I would say that this book is not as character-driven, as it should be. I am hoping, as this is the first book in the series, that we will find out more about the characters in the future and that they will go through more character development.

This is a book for you, if you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes, possibly fight/case scenes and want to read a book with some additional insights into the Chinese culture of the 1920s but are willing to forgive the fact that the main characters don’t measure up to Watson and Sherlock Holmes yet. 3,5 *** from me

Thank you Net Galley and publisher for this ARC!

What a great story! I really enjoyed this. I love how well the characters worked together. I am a stab for a good cozy mystery!

In the book The Murder Of Mr. Ma Vy John Shen Yen Nee it is the first book in the new series called Dee & Lao mysteries and I must admit this one started with a bang. It is set in 1924 London Mr. Loa is a shy academic and when he is summoned by Lord Russell he couldn’t imagine with the man wants this is where he would meet a very respected fellow countrymen name Mr. Dee. After a failed bit of subterfuge Mr. Dee and Mr. Lau Will start an investigation on a man murdered by a butterfly sword and he will not be the last. They will be plagued by stereotypes Mr. Dee’s Bad personal habits Mr. Lau‘s romantic crush and they even get a little help from Spring Heeled Jack. This was an awesome book I think Mr. Dee and Mr. Lau when merchants around London all start a rainy day fun it seems someone wants it can The duo stop him before everyone is dead? This was such a great book I loved the authors writing style I love to read a book and find the MC in the situation I have no idea how he’s getting out of police for him to do so in a brilliant way and that is a lot of the book. They have some great fight scenes and although Mr. Lau isn’t professionally trained like Mr. D they are still both formidable opponents but it’s their investigation skills that are put to the test. I highly recommend this book if you love great mysteries with an awesome narrator in Daniel York Loh you will love this audiobook I only hope he is the narrator for future books because he did such a great job with accents and setting a great intriguing tone for the book. I want to thank recorded books the author and NetGalley for my free arc copy. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

A stellar match of narrator and subject matter. Daniel York Loh's voice lends this delightful cozy historical detective novel with action-flick level fight scenes just the right element to remind readers of its early 19th Century London setting.

An interesting take on Sherlock Holmes. London 1924, Chinese immigrants are turning up dead, each by a butterfly knife. Can Dee (Sherlock) and Lao (Watson) be able to figure it out before one of them fall victim? I think it was a decent story but the writing is in first person of Lao and this became quite confusing at times. I listened to the audiobook so perhaps reading it would have made more sense. I do feel like it should have gone back and forth between Lao and Dee's perspective. There are a lot of fight scenes which made this seem like a film and not a novel. First person fight scenes were kind of hard to follow along. I did enjoy the narrator and think that he did a great job! I thought the story was good overall.


Thank you to RB Media and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Title: The Murder of Mr. Ma
Author: John Shen Yen Nee, SJ Rozan

Genre: Detective Fiction

Rating: ⭐️ 3/5 ⭐️


When I first laid eyes on the title and cover, I was immediately intrigued. Getting an advance copy of the audiobook made my day.

The narration style really hooked me. That’s what kept me engaged. However, the book was just okay for me. The pacing felt a bit sluggish, and I saw the plot twist coming. What I did enjoy was the strong sense of community between Lao, Dee, and their comrades. It was admirable how they stood up for their fellow countrymen, although it did strike me as a bit odd for a judge to go to such lengths. But, well, it was the 1920s.

The Murder of Mr. Ma is a murder mystery set in 1920s London. It follows two Chinese men, a judge and a professor. They team up and try to solve the case as to why Chinese men keep getting killed.

I enjoyed this book! I loved the action and adventure in it. The mystery kept having twists that kept me interested. There were some quirky characters. I liked the bits of humor and the narrator’s tone. It also examined how the Chinese were treated during that time, which I feel like isn’t a popular topic in books.

I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed it! The narrator was great and it kept me interested.

It wasn’t quite a five star for me but I did really enjoy it! Thanks so much to netgalley and RB media for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

3.5
I suppose I should have known from the line "if you're a fan of guy richie's sherlock Holmes films" (or whatever it says), that this would be a little more of an action adventure situation than a classic mystery. Wait, no, it is a classic mystery, it just...well it reads a bit like a screenplay, or at least vibes that way.

I genuinely wasn't expecting to love this story as much as I did. I was worried it was going to be a knockoff Sherlock Holmes & Doctor Watson set-up, and to a certain extent, it is - however the so-called Holmes and Watson characters are well-developed and interesting enough to stop the story from feeling like a carbon copy of Doyle's original series. The secondary characters were also fascinating and the plot kept me on the edge of my seat. There were plenty of plot twists as well, which is always a bonus in a murder mystery, and on top of all of that, the novel gave me a perspective I'd never seen before of how Chinese immigrants in England were treated before and after the world war.

Interesting new series that takes place in 1924 London with Chinese protagonists. Looking forward to more in this series. Good narrator on the audio version.

Lao She is an unassuming, respectable young scholar from China who has emigrated to London and now teaches Chinese language at Oxford and wants to write a novel. Then he is called to the home of philosopher Bertrand Russell who needs his assistance – in breaking a friend out of jail. It’s during this errand that Lao meets Judge Dee Ren Jie. I do have to say it’s an interesting meeting and sets the tone for the rest of the book. Judge Dee is in London to investigate the death of Mr. Ma, a fellow member of the Chinese Labor Corps who served in France during the First World War and was allowed to come to London afterward. Lao, who is more familiar with the city, offers to help Dee, but soon another Chinese man is found dead and the whole situation becomes more complicated.

Lao is our Watson to Dee’s Sherlock. I listened to the audiobook, which worked well. Most of the story is from Lao’s point of view and when he is not present or knocked out for scenes, he tells the reader directly. The narrator did a good job with all the accents, and I appreciated hearing the Chinese names and words.

The mystery itself was well done as was the setting. It was appropriately complicated and while I did guess part of the solution, there was a lot more going on. London in 1924 is not a friendly place for Chinese men.

I will say there is a lot of fighting in this book with descriptions of stances and hand positions and punches. Too much detail in my opinion. I ass

As a fan of detective fictions such as Sherlock Holmes, I felt this book was directly in my line of interest. I enjoyed the 1920's London setting with Chinese main characters. It often seems we don't get this perspective and I, personally, thought it was well done and clever. The characters are engaging and the story has just enough twists and turns that I was fully drawn in,
We start the story with a jail break and we end the story with wrapping up the "Murder of Mr. Ma" I know it seems pretty obvious based on the name of the novel but so much is going on throughout the pages, but we do get everything wrapped up in the end. This was definitely a fun read moving into the spring season when I tend to look for poolside options and books to work through while drinking coffee on the patio.

For once it’s not the western spies are going to other countries solving murders. It’s the Asian investigators coming to the UK to figure out who is killing all these Chinese people. These investigators are Sherlock Holmes of their country.

When Chinese immigrants were dropping one after another on London streets, an academic and a judge decided to chase the culprit. They knew the people in the community and if anyone can get anything out of them, it was them. While they were questioning folks, they realized that the knife cutting people’s throats was getting too close to their necks

I liked the fast pace of the story and the role reversal for once. I also appreciated how topics like opium addiction was weaved into the story and cultural reaction to it was described.

This was so much fun: the same vibe as classic mystery novels, with an interesting cultural twist. Recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Ok story, good narrator. Contains some Chinese history. In ways reminiscent of Charlie Chan. Chinese men are dying, but why? In the end it is for multiple reasons.

2.75
this book wasn’t my normal cup of tea, but let me explain. I went into this book, thinking it was more like a thriller instead of being a mystery similar to Sherlock Holmes, and for this reason I was not that invested with the story.
Additionally I would also say that the cast of characters was too diverse for an audiobook and I couldn’t keep up with it, read it physically, maybe it could’ve been better.
Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for a digital listening copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

🎧THE MURDER OF MR. MA by John Shen Yen Nee, SJ Rozan & narrated by Daniel York Loh was a cinematic story with action and intrigue!

This is a start to a series that looks to be quite fun! Lao and Dee are quite opposites, and it was really fun to see how they came together and in the most spectacular way. I wasn't expecting the grittier fight scenes that were described and it lent it a very theatrical presence, especially through narration. I did enjoy how it was read and how each character was very distinct in personality. I didn't expect them to have a British accent, but there you are. My expectations revealing more about me and happily brushed aside. Once I got my head wrapped around the style of this book, I did enjoy it.

I would recommend this story to those who enjoy a historical crime novel with fresh characters and lots of impressive fight scenes!

Thank you @recordedbooks & @netgalley for giving me this ALC and letting me share my thoughts! This book publishes on April 2nd.

Thanks to RB Media, NetGalley, John Shen Yen Nee, SJ Rozan, and narrator Daniel York Loh for the wonderful opportunity to listen to this advance audiobook in exchange for a honest review. I loved the atmosphere of this book—it felt as though I stepped into a cross between Charlie Chan and Sherlock Holmes style mystery—and they are a pair of my favorite characters. The heroes Professor Lao and Judge Dee are on the hunt for the killer of Chinese men in 1920’s London. The men are desperately trying to stop the killings but they are running out of time. Love that Judge Dee uses the fear of Spring-Heel Jack to try to ferret out the culprit. I look forward to reading more from these authors and look forward to more in this series. Highly recommend this to fans of amateur mystery.

I loved the premise of this book. A 1920s mystery with Sherlock Holmes meets Judge Dee has a lot of incredible possibilities. It also shows a part of London's history that isn't always highlighted. I enjoyed our two main characters, though I do think Lao can drag on at times. It echoes the historic voice of the old Watson narrative, but with a modern audience in mind, I do think it can hinder the reading experience rather than help. I also thought there were parts of the mystery that seemed to be pushed to the back burner for action/fighting scenes. Very in-line with some Judge Dee depictions in pop culture, but again, it might not be for everyone. I loved the world-building and characters more than the plot at times, so I do think I'd enjoy future books (should this be adapted into a full series) a bit more.