Wild prey An Inspector Lu Fei mystery

The killing of exotic and endangered animals, sold for their supposed healing properties to restaurants and pharmacies throughout China, is the focus of this high-octane thriller, the second in the Inspector Lu Fei series. Lu Fei has been stationed in a rural outpost in northern China as punishment for running afoul of a corrupt homicide detective in the city of Hardin. Thwarted by his superiors at every turn, the lowly inspector uncovers a thriving black-market business that specializes in animal and even human body parts. When a waitress at a high-end restaurant goes missing and her sister keeps pestering Lu Fei to investigate (his superiors want him to ignore such a common occurrence), Lu Fei visits the restaurant undercover. Even one visit, with the "secret menu" and clientele of older men groping waitresses, is enough to raise suspicions. The mystery quickly deepens, as Lu Fei is attacked, two murders are committed at the restaurant, and the sketchy owner disappears. This thriller delivers on heart-stopping action, an in-depth characterization of a very persistent man, and wonderfully realized settings. Lu Fei's move from operating as a cop to working undercover as a buyer of exotic meats (with no official backup) is especially fascinating. A stunner.

Klingborg's tense sequel to 2021's Thief of Souls finds Insp. Lu Fei, home in Raven Valley, a township near Harbin, where he's trying to advance his relationship with widow Yanyan. But Tan Meirong, a girl of 12 or 13, refuses to leave him alone until he agrees to look for her missing 15-year-old sister, Meixiang, who works at Wilson Fang's virility-enhancing game restaurant in Harbin. Lu goes to Harbin, where he immediately senses something off at the restaurant. His superiors brush aside his concerns and then suspend him when he disobeys and returns to Fang's business the evening before a shoot-out sends Fang into hiding. A government official later approaches Lu and offers him a deal: travel to Myanmar to locate Fang at an illegal animal breeding operation and the official will get answers about Meixiang's whereabouts. Filled with plenty of close calls, the well-paced plot takes some unpredictable turns, though Lu's behavior can be off-putting, as when he dismisses Yanyan's grief for her dead husband and is rude to Meirong. This exciting outing shows a writer at ease with thriller conventions. Agent: Bob Diforio, D4EO Literary. (May)