A great who-did-it tale and boy was I wrong! I was captivated the entire time and the narration on this audiobook kept me engaged. There’s action, suspense, shock and revelations. I never would have guessed the reveal and I’m here for it! Definitely recommend this book!

London, the UK, 1924. Dead bodies and the famous judge Dee.
While I like the modern fusion movies adding the new elements to the stories of the detectives of old (like Sherlock Holmes), I can not for the live of myself understand WHY the Robert van Gulik´s famous character of Judge Dee was involved in this story! Because Judge Dee in this story if a totally different character from the traditional figure as we know it. So totally different that if you call him Johnny or Tommy or another unrelated character, you would maybe have more fresh effect. But, of course, the promotional effect would be lost.
Anyways, this is not a bad read and it contains quite interesting information about the lives of Chinese people in London in a given time frame.

The narration was fine.

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I found the characters interesting, although perhaps not as well fleshed-out as I perhaps would have liked. I enjoyed the story, but found what I think were supposed to be plot twists to be fairly predictable. I had already worked out who the killer was in the first few chapters for example. But it was still enjoyable.

Really appreciated this take on Sherlock Holmes and Watson as well as the setting and historical timeline. I hope the author will bring out another on the in the future. I also enjoyed the narrator and appreciated what he brought to the story.

I could not finish this book due to technical issues through netgalley. Vut i was not hooked regardless

Something about the writing style made it seem super slow and uninteresting. I found myself zoning out a lot

The description of this novel mentions “for fans of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films” (those are the ones with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law). I’m personally more of a BBC (Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman) fan, but it’s an apt description. Without any direct mentions to Sherlock Holmes, the authors managed to include familiar Holmes references while still telling an original story. I appreciated the historical perspective included throughout (the treatment of Asians broadly, and Chinese specifically, in England during the first half of the 20th century), since it’s something I was not familiar with prior to this book. The plot of the novel was twisty enough to keep me engaged– there were very few times that I thought the story was dragging– but not so convoluted as to include too many characters or sub-plots to keep track of. I listened to this on audio and thought the narrator did a fantastic job– the story was mostly told from the perspective of Watson…err.. Lao She, which helped with character voices, etc.

Take half a dozen of Chinese men, drop them in London, and you'll end up with lots of tea! Green tea, black tea, herbal tea, tea for opium withdrawal symptoms, tea for your nerves. One has the impression that all the characters do is drink tea and fight. The mystery plot is intriguing, the historical background is quite unique (never heard of the Chinese Labour Corps before), and the fighting scenes may work very well in a film, but they just didn't in a book. To me at least. Yet, I'm looking forward to seeing how this pair of strange friends keep on sleuthing in the next book.

Great for fans of Sherlock Holmes! The story is action-packed, historical, and captivating. I was completely engrossed in solving the mystery alongside the characters.

I love how the story combines elements of mystery, history, and adventure in a unique and engaging way. The dynamic between Judge Dee Ren Jie and Lao She is intriguing and adds depth to the investigation.

I listened to the Netgally audiobook, which was read by Daniel York Loh, who did an incredible job! This narration truly brought the characters to life.

Overall, "The Murder of Mr. Ma" is a thrilling and immersive read that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good historical mystery.

3.5 If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes and all the modern adaptations, this is a good twist on the series. I think my favorite part though was the definitely all the little details about Chinese life and the atmosphere of London at the time this was taking place. For anyone familiar with the influence of opium on China during this time and England's role in that will appreciate the weaving of it into this story.

I did find the action scenes a bit hard to follow on audio, which is why I'm rounding down my rating, but it's a solid mystery and I would certainly be willing to pick up book 2 in the series and give it a shot.

***Thank you to RB Media for providing me with the Audiobook for free via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

(3.5, rounded up) In a nutshell, this book is another remix of Sherlock Holmes, but make the protagonists Chinese and make it set in London, 1924. The biggest value of this book is that it shows the underrepresented perspective of Chinese men who were very much part of the London fabric back in the day.

It is insinuated that Judge Dee (the Sherlock Holmes of this series) is a master of deduction, and while this quality is explored, it is not very consequential to the story. If anything, there is less emphasis on mental deductions and more emphasis on martial arts fist fights, catering toward an audience who prefers action.

My biggest feedback: This book is written in the 1st perspective of Lao She (the Watson of this series), and he often recounts Judge Dee's perspective as a story that was later relayed to him. Therefore, this book might benefit from just being entirely in the 3rd person, or switching between different 1st person perspectives.

Since I enjoyed this book as an audiobook ARC, I would like to note that the narrator, Daniel York Loh, did a fantastic job. Thank you for selecting a narrator who seems to authentically understand the various accents as well.

⟡ ⟡ ⟡

Thank you to RB Media who provided this audiobook ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A murder-y romp through early twentieth-century London with an eclectic and lovable duo. The Murder of Mr. Ma was an absolute delight. A special shout-out to wickedly funny cameos of Bertrand Russell and "Spring-Heeled Jack" himself. On a more serious note, this novel does admirable work spotlighting themes of racism, xenophobia, exoticism, addiction, and trauma that Chinese people in Britain (particularly Chinese veterans of the first World War) experienced during this period in history. A must-read for fans of Arthur Conan Doyle!

The publisher’s blurb for The Murder of Mr. Ma by John Shen Yen Nee and SJ Rozan recommends it for fans of Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes and I can’t disagree. But I would go further and recommend it for fans of Sherlock Holmes regardless of print, film, or audio or, well, really anyone who enjoys well-written and entertaining historical mysteries.

Set in 1924 London, someone is killing Chinese nationals and academic Lau She plays Watson to Judge Dee Ren Jie’s Holmes complete with amazing action moves, disguises, and a bit of a drug problem as they search for the killer. This is the first in a series and it is one rollicking tale of derring-do. The main characters are well-rounded and make for a very likeable duo. As to the mystery, it is complex and kept me guessing right to the big reveal at the end. And for us history buffs, there is some real history mixed in with the fiction. Definitely a fun beginning to the new series and I look forward to future adventures of Lao and Dee. I received an audioversion of this book from Netgalley and RB Media narrated by Daniel York Loh who does an amazing job especially with all the different London accents.

A re-telling of The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle. The sleuthing duo are Chinese in this case, place of the action is London in the 1920s. Bertrand Russel and Ezra Pound make an appearance. The narrative tone and style are very close to the original.

Watson‘s name in this world is Lao She and his Holmes is Judge Dee Ren Jie. Lao She is a lecturer at the university. He boards with an English widow and her daughter Mary. His world collides with that of Dee and you know the rest, if you‘re a Sherlock Holmes fan.

Dee has come to London to investigate the murder of someone he knew during World War I, when they both served in the Chinese Labour Corps in France. It won‘t be the only murder Dee and Lao She stumble upon.

I knew that this would be a Sherlock Holmes story of some sort, but didn‘t know it would be inspired by The Sign of the Four. My favourite Holmes novella! Sadly, Toby is missing in this re-imagining. The murder story is deftly done, but didn‘t excite me much. Dee stayed a little bland for me. I liked the look at PTSD after WWI and how Chinese were treated and depicted by the West at that time (and unfortunately far into the 20th century).

Dee, similarly to Holmes, is no stranger to drug use. It showed me again how generally bad my historical knowledge of the Far East is. I did some reading on the Opium Wars.

Bottom line, this was nice. I would probably pick up a sequel. Recommended for Sherlock Holmes fans and readers of historical mysteries.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. 🕵️🕵️‍♀️🕵️‍♂️½

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher or author through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to give a positive review.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to read and review this book and was intrigued by the concept. Unfortunately I'm not sure how I feel about it, even after giving myself some time afterwards to think about it. It certainly wasn't badly written or boring, but I did just plain struggle to get into it. The technical difficulties I was having with the NG app may have played a role in the disconnect, but that's no fault of the book. I think this is one I will come back to another time because of how much I wanted to like this book and my current inability to pinpoint why I didn't love it.

Thanks to RB Media & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you like your mysteries chock full of historical fact & cultural nuance, this one is for you. I, for one, knew nothing about the history of Chinese immigrants in England in the '20s, and it was pretty fascinating stuff. The tone of the story is very formal, as it is presented from the POV of the quiet, unassuming Lao She, standing in as the "Dr. Watson" in this story to Judge Dee Ren Jie's "Sherlock." But that makes it no less entertaining, as this reimagined classic pairing is itself in the style of the Guy Ritchie Sherlock movies - plenty of narrow escapes, fistfights, elbow rubbing with the hoi polloi, and opium.

The mystery itself is complex, and a bit daunting, as the two are in a race against time to save a group of Dee's former fellow infantrymen from the war, who seem to be getting killed one by one in similar fashion. They employ the assistance of a Chinese herbalist/shopkeeper named Hoong, who assists Dee with recovery from his bouts with opium use to keep his PTSD at bay.

The whole thing is quite rollicking, but does anyone enjoy descriptions of fights? I do not, and I'm sure I'm not alone - save that shit for the series adaptation, won't you, John Shen Yen Nee?

Daniel York Loh provides a very measured, calm presence in the VA that suits the shy Lao She well.

Overall, an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars rounded up

I simply could not get into this one. I love a good mystery, but I think that I might need the physical book for this novel.

The Murder of Mr. Ma is a historical mystery following Chinese academic Lao She as he is roped into helping a famous judge figure out who is killing Chinese immigrants in post World War I London. This story is an adventure and a half. The many action movie fight scenes and witty one liners move the narrative forward, while the issues of racism and opium abuse ground it in reality. Anyone looking for a unique take on a classic murder mystery will like this read.

It’s rare these days that a book actually lives up to its marketing, but the Murder of Mr. Ma delivered on its promise as a swashbuckling, martial arts Sherlock Holmes. While those things might not seem like they go together, Nee and Rozan pulled it off spectacularly. The star of the show might just be Loh’s narration though. Each character had their own voice which added to the theatrics and made it easy to follow who was speaking.

This was not only a lot of fun, but I also learned about the WWI Chinese Labour Corps and how Chinese immigrants were treated in 1920s London (spoiler - it wasn’t great). As if solving a murder wasn’t hard enough, the dynamic duo of Judge Dee and Lao had to also navigate constant racism and negative stereotypes to bring the murderer to justice.

The mystery aspect was well done. I had an idea of who the killer was, but not the mechanics so there were still plenty of surprises to hold my attention. The characters were flawed, but lovable (if a bit exasperating - looking at you Lao). The ending seems to set this up as a series, and I’m looking forward to seeing what hijinks Lao and Dee get up to next time!

I would definitely recommend this to any Sherlock Holmes and/or historical mystery fans, especially those that aren’t afraid to have a little fun with the classics.

This unique whodunit set in 1920s London is a murder mystery infused with racial and social themes and packed full of action. The characters are interesting and the writing is quick witted and engaging. I really enjoyed the narration, too.

An extremely charming novel set in post world war I, that explores the intricate relationships between the British and Chinese cultures. The wonderfully woven tale gives the reader a true sense of the smells and senses of the lesser London boroughs giving you a feeling of being fully immersed. Crime and the east end are synonymous so the characters are gently assisted by the likes of the local ruffians!
Enjoy this detective book of note.