This book was a lot of fun, total escapism. The racism is gross, but the characters are a hoot. In the beginning I worried about Lao being used and sacrificed to protect Judge Dee. That didn't last long and soon the adventures began.

A reinterpretation of Sherlock Holmes set in an Asian context in the 1920’s. I found the narrative and characters engaging. While the mystery was compelling at times, I found the narrator's laughter to be forced and found it distracting. I would prefer to have read this novel over audio because of it. Numerous unexpected twists and turns add to the entertainment value of the production.

Special thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a fun mystery story set in London 1920s about two Chinese men who are trying to solve the murders of other Chinese men. I loved the interaction between the two main characters. The book also gives light to the racism experienced by the Chinese people in England during this time. One of the funniest scenes involved a gray cat 🐈‍⬛
Great for fans of Sherlock Holmes.

Action packed adventure- fast paced novel. The narrator was great with good pronunciation in all languages and accents . The writing is well done and could easily become a hit movie, the writing does live up to the style of Sherlock Holmes.
For me personally, though I enjoyed the story — I couldn’t really deeply invest in any of the characters , but the premise of the mystery itself is what kept me motivated I wanted to know who did the murders. I think it was a creative story and I didn’t suspect correctly— so the reveal I didn’t see coming. It’s an intelligent mystery.
I loved that all the main characters were Chinese immigrants to the UK it gives a different feeling and spin to the style of story.

Thanks to NetGalley and RB media for this ARC. This is my honest review.

The synopsis that mentioned that this is similar to Guy Ritchie's Sherlock wasn't lying. I didn't expect there to be so much fighting in a murder mystery novel. And to be honest? I think it kinda detracted from the mystery (which was the main appeal for me).

I'm also not sure how I feel about this adaptation of Judge Dee. Like I even feel like Judge Dredd is a better adaptation? This character didn't feel like Judge Dee at all, despite sharing the name and the backstory. He definitely felt like a Chinese Guy Ritchie's Sherlock.

I also didn't really like the Chinese-people-in-old-timey-London aspect. While it's nice that they get to share in their culture and go to a restaurant, it mostly felt like an excuse to have a lot of racism from the British characters? They were occasionally gently taught not to say things in an insulting way, but it was mostly just a tedious weardown for the characters to be barraged with constantly. No real commentary, revenge, or even joyful cultural moments that balance out the racism. I personally read fiction to escape this sort of thing, so ymmv.

And lastly, the narrative device by which the Watson character delivers information to the reader when he wasn't there or was knocked out or it's from the Sherlock character's POV? I found that annoying. Like commit to first person or don't. If it was only once I wouldn't have minded, but this happened several times and I didn't like it.

Audiobook Notes:
I thought the narrator did an excellent job with all accents and pronunciations. His diction on the Chinese words was clear and easy to understand (reminded me of the accents of my Mandarin teachers who were from Beijing rather than Taiwan or Shanghai, but I'm not a native speaker so take this observation with a grain of salt).

This book was not for me. That being said, it was very well written and the narration was pretty good. The story just wasn’t my cup of tea and that’s okay! It was enjoyable just didn’t hold my attention like I needed it too.

For fans of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes films, this stunning, swashbuckling series opener by a powerhouse duo of authors is at once comfortingly familiar and tantalizingly new.

Two unlikely allies race through the cobbled streets of 1920s London in search of a killer targeting Chinese immigrants.

London, 1924. When shy academic Lao She meets larger-than-life Judge Dee Ren Jie, his quiet life abruptly turns from books and lectures to daring chases and narrow escapes. Dee has come to London to investigate the murder of a man he’d known during World War I when serving with the Chinese Labour Corps. No sooner has Dee interviewed the grieving widow than another dead body turns up. Then another. All stabbed to death with a butterfly sword. Will Dee and Lao be able to connect the threads of the murders—or are they next in line as victims?

A fun romp through 1920s London that includes historical aspects not often written about, this is a fresh take on a beloved genre.

In 1920s London, Lao She (not the bad guy from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) teams up with Judge Dee to solve murders of Chinese immigrants. This was a fun, fast paced mystery with very much a Sherlock Holmes vibe. The opium trade is touched upon but the main draw are the characters, who are real, flawed, and well rounded. I enjoyed this book a lot, the prose immersed me in a world that is not often visited and dealt with issues like drug addiction and racism, which are very much part of our present day.

I am so very glad that "The Murder of Mr Ma" is the first in a series as this audiobook was flipping glorious! It's based in an era I love (1920s) and firmly in the mystery genre but with so much more besides. If the audiobook is anything to go by, the writing is so good that it can easily transfer to film in the future (and we all know it is rare for a book to be awesome to read, to listen to and to watch) that is some 5 star writing right there

See, I muct love it as I went off on a right wiffling tangent! Oke, I digress; The narration by Daniel York Loh is absolutely brilliant. Epic, dynamic, and atmospheric, a fantastic narrator

Written by the awesome team of John Shen Yen Nee & SJ Rozan, the writing is simply glorious, the ebbs and flows build to a wonderful crescendo, leaving you gasping and sputtering for breath. Stunning

The plight of Chinese immigrants after WWI who came to London is very under-reported (in fact this is the same globally in both world wars) however it is a central theme throughout this audiobook. Two very different personalities come together a la the Sherlock Holmes canon but in a completely new, diverse and fresh way that is istorically authentic. The quiet academic Lao She and the extroverted Judge Dee Ren Jie combine in a mismatch of personalites that are incredibly well written and should not work together but meld onto a powerful symbiosis that works and so very well

This book is so very much more than a mystery (despite being a very good one) it is an action packed adventure, a thriller and has such wonderfully subtle parallels with the stories of Holmes and Watson, but not how you would expect. It explores the side streets if you will

This is certainly a keeper series in my estimation because the writing is flipping incredible

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media, Recorded Books, the incredible authors John Shen Yen Nee & SJ Rozan and the epic narrator Daniel York Loh for this fantastic ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own