I enjoy the occasional police procedural if the writing is strong and there’s a good hook. The author kept me reading, and the setting was an unusual hook—a small town in northern China. The protagonist, Lu Fei, is a middle-aged (although they keep calling him young, he’s forty) inspector on the police force, never married, who drinks too much, and is good at martial arts. Okay, raise your hand if you’ve read that before. <G> But it all works. Young women are being murdered, their organs removed, then sewed up again. The author takes us through the workings of the police department, all the petty government hang-ups, the interdepartmental fighting, all the things we normally see in the usual Brit and American police stories, only with a Chinese twist. I had to look up the author to see how he knew these details, and he’s apparently lived in China but isn’t Chinese. Still, it felt authentic.
Inspector Lu has never married because he wants to marry for love. He quotes Confucius but he’s an independent thinker and an honest cop. You really have to like him because he tries so hard. And better yet, the author manages to keep the killer a secret almost to the point that Lu works it out. So we get to feel smart and not too annoyed with our hero when it takes him a few pages more. If you enjoy a good police procedural and reading about China, you might want to check this out.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
What an interesting and involving mystery this is - I had never read a novel set in China and I thoroughly enjoyed the immersion into the country,
people and customs. The mystery itself is great and Inspector Lu Fei a very engaging protagonist
He's tasked with the investigation of the brutal murder of a young woman. The murderer is quickly found and the case closed... But wait, not so fast, do they really have the right killer and have they really solved the crime?
The Inspector is determined to hunt down the truth, despite all the obstacles thrown his way.
Great story, loved it and definitely recommend this book.

Lu is a Deputy Chief of Police in a small Chinese city. He does not ordinarily carry a gun. A woman has been brutally murdered, cut open and stripped of some body parts. It is Lu’s responsibility to determine who did it. He also contacts the national police for help. The story is a procedural, but like nothing I’ve seen before. It deals with all sides of Lu, who is single, lives in a tiny apartment and drinks way too much. It also deals with the Chinese police, both the positive and the negative. I went into this pretty open minded about a different procedural and was frequently amazed by the things I read of being done there both politically and ethically. The research into China alone begs for 5 stars. Thanks to Net Galley, the author and Minotaur for an ARC for an honest review.

Police procedurals, post 87th Precinct, seem to all have similar setups -- if the series is to continue, there is a recognizable set of rascals and heroes populating the stationhouse, no matter whether the location is in Manhattan, Detroit, Saudi Arabia, Sicily, Rio de Janero, Dublin along with many other UK locations. Wherever the setting, it's the interplay between the central character and his coworkers that provides for me the greatest interest along with information about the surrounding country, its customs and procedures. So here we are in provincial China, several air hours from Beijing. Since local stations don't usually experience anything more dire than a stolen pig or a malfunctioning traffic light (or the occasional request by an elder regarding malfunctioning Internet connection), resources are limited, so when a particularly grisly murder is discovered, it is necessary to have a big city squad fly in.

Each chapter in Thief of Souls starts out with a quote from Chairman Mao, but is then followed by deconstruction of that ideology, providing a clear picture of life in today's China complete with whatever traditions (usually based on the theology of Dao) survive. Interaction between the police force and the townspeople has moments of high hilarity, and Brian Klingborg, well versed in martial arts, provides action scenes that resonate off the page. I am hoping that this is the first of what will prove to be a long series.

I really enjoyed this book. Lu is a man of integrity and has an old soul which seems to put him at odds against others in the Public Security Bureau. Amongst the corruption and rushed judicial processes, Lu is fighting an uphill battle.
As the story progressed, I liked how Lu seemed to gain confidence in himself and step outside of his own boundaries in defense of himself and others.
Yanyan is a beautiful counterpart for Lu and I enjoy the romantic mystery surrounding these two.
This police procedural is well done and gave some very interesting insight into the Chinese government and public officials. The addition of the Chinese philosophies and traditions provided the necessary backstory without bogging down the mystery.
There are some editing issues: typos and missing words (minimal); the segue between characters, events, timelines, etc. I found myself having to back up and check again for names, especially in the last 15% as the character point of view shifted back and forth rapidly. The layout could use some paragraph or chapter breaks to help the story move along more fluidly.
Overall, I enjoyed this very much. I sincerely hope to see more of Lu, Song, and Yanyan,

Thank you for allowing me to read this in advance!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I enjoyed reading this mystery based in northern China; the unique location made the book appealing to me. I appreciated learning about life in this locale rather than the typical urban crime. That said, the background information (which I appreciated) sometimes disrupted the flow of the book. It was interesting to read about the cultural differences between China and the United States, assuming it's been accurately depicted by the author who is a foreigner, both regarding everyday life and police investigations. This book was a nice change of pace from others of its type largely because of the locale and its politics. I'm glad to have been able to read it.

Thief of Souls is not my usual favorite type of murder mystery book.
While the ending had the satisfying quickness and skillful enthralling ending, the rest of the book was just to boring and didn’t have the excitement and action I crave.

What a pleasant surprise Thief of Souls proved to be! A dazzling debut to the Lu Fei series by Brian Klingborg. It's the perfect example of a riveting read you simply can't put down. Klingborg crafts a clever mystery populated by colorful characters. He adds a healthy dose of history, humor, and philosophy to this splendid tale. How can you not like an Inspector who quotes Master Kong? Seriously, this is a well-written mystery that will delight everyone fortunate enough to read it. I expect to see Thief of Souls on a plethora of Top 10 lists this year. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy. I can't begin to describe how much I enjoyed this one. #ThiefofSouls #NetGalley

Thief of Souls: An Inspector Lu Fei Mystery
By Brian Klingborg
Published by Minotaur Books (4 May 2021)


Book blurb:

The brutal murder of a young woman in a rural village in Northern China sends shockwaves all the way to Beijing--but seemingly only Inspector Lu Fei, living in exile in the small town, is interested in justice for the victim.

Lu Fei is a graduate of China's top police college but he's been assigned to a sleepy backwater town in northern China, where almost nothing happens and the theft of a few chickens represents a major crime wave. That is until a young woman is found dead, her organs removed, and joss paper stuffed in her mouth. The CID in Beijing--headed by a rising political star--is on the case but in an increasingly authoritarian China, prosperity and political stability are far more important than solving the murder of an insignificant village girl. As such, the CID head is interested in pinning the crime on the first available suspect rather than wading into uncomfortable truths, leaving Lu Fei on his own.

As Lu digs deeper into the gruesome murder, he finds himself facing old enemies and creating new ones in the form of local Communist Party bosses and corrupt business interests. Despite these rising obstacles, Lu remains determined to find the real killer, especially after he links the murder to other unsolved homicides. But the closer he gets to the heart of the mystery, the more he puts himself and his loved ones in danger.

My thoughts:

“On the night the young woman’s corpse is discovered, hollowed out like a birchbark canoe, Inspector Lu Fei sits alone in the Red Louts bar, determined to get gloriously drunk.”

And so begins Thief of Souls. I was immediately taken with this book and with Inspector Lu Fei. He is intelligent, handsome, and sarcastic and wants more than anything to solve the murder of a young woman in Raven Valley Township. The murderer is arrested fairly quickly and the crime solved. Or is it?

Politics somewhat hinder his investigation, but Inspector Fei is dogged in insisting that the case be fully explored. He has to face danger, tread carefully through a political minefield, and fight an old enemy if he is to find the killer. He is aided by an unlikely friendship and alliance with Deputy Director Song from Beijing. Song comes with political baggage of his own, but is nonetheless willing to aid Inspector Fei, even if the investigation leads to violence.

The author explains the Chinese criminal system, comparing offices to their US counterparts for context, which I found interesting and helpful. The narrative had me immersed in the biting cold of a northern China winter near Harbin City. I was there, with Inspector Fei, shivering in the cold. I was in the Red Lotus bar with him as he flirted with the owner and dodged questions from locals about the case. This book was an entertaining, immersive experience with engaging characters and fascinating setting. I’m hopeful that this is just the first in a series and we will hear more from Inspector Lu Fei.

My favorite quotes: “The nail that sticks up gets hammered down” and “A man made of mud fears the rain.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press for the free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.



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When a woman is found dead and her organs removed in a rural village in Northern China, Inspector Lu looks into the murder and finds old enemies. He wants justice for the victim but is thwarted by enemies and corrupt interests and puts himself in danger. I enjoyed the story with an intriguing plot and interesting setting. A downside: Every ten pages or so, I bumped into what felt like a lecture on Chinese politics and history, taking me out of the story. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thief of Souls is an enjoyable novel. I liked reading about the small town where Inspector Lu is exiled, and the politics of the police and local government. The whole subplot about the party chief Mao seemed a bad distraction and very unnecessary to have him be gay.Also, the murderer was rather obvious once introduced.
But, as a whole the novel has charm and intrigue to spare.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I'm conflicted on this one--much to like, but sooo many cultural details that need to be given (and are, although they are not woven in so skillfully as to not detract.. I also had issues with the MC--did not really like him or buy his need to fall in love --backstory was a bit choppy. I did enjoy the bits of quotes from Mao and the philosophers that pepper the book.
As a mystery, it was well crafted, although I did correctly guess the villain pretty much as soon as he was introduced.
Place was supposed to add to the story and I did feel the gritty nature of the place but frankly, it could have been anywhere in the world that is gritty. I am giving it four stars but would I read another-- only a maybe.

I really liked Thief Of Souls. I thought it was very well done, deep character development and a very good storyline that I didn’t guess until the very end right before it was revealed. The only think I have to say is the ending was a tiny bit rushed once the killer and motive was revealed. But otherwise this was a really good book.