Monday, May 16, 2022

Wild Prey by Brian Klingborg

 
First Line: Myanmar. The man and the boy wait until dark-- then they go in search of something to kill.
 
There's nothing for it. The only way he's going to rid the police station of the presence of teenage Meirong is to go out and find her sister. Trouble is, no one in any of the other police stations in northern China can be bothered to help him. He's been trying to run a sting operation on the sale and consumption of rare and endangered animals, and when he learns that Meirong's sister was a waitress in a restaurant owned by a gangster and frequented by powerful men from all walks of life for its exotic-- and highly illegal-- delicacies, the lead turns into a brick wall. No one wants to upset any of the men who are regulars at the restaurant.
 
Then he gets a phone call from a mysterious government official in Beijing who wants him to go undercover to track down an illegal animal trafficking network. No matter how dangerous, this is the perfect opportunity for him to get results for both of his investigations. All he's got to do is travel deep into the lawless wilds of Myanmar into the hidden compound of a ruthless female warlord. What could possibly go wrong?
 
~
 
Author Brian Klingborg mined all the potential from his first Lu Fei mystery, Thief of Souls, and created a standout in Wild Prey-- even though the treatment of animals and most of the listed cuisine is stomach-churning. From flashes of laugh-out-loud humor to learning Chinese slang to the mind-boggling fact that there are 200 million surveillance cameras in China to the story itself, I was engrossed. Even though there is still the age-old problem of the rich and powerful insisting on being above the law, it is good to learn that China is finally bowing to international pressure and the coronavirus to crack down on the illegal wildlife trade. 
 
Inspector Lu Fei still finds almost no help from his fellow police officers, but at least he does have one friend in a high place-- and two fellow characters to help him carry the load. One, the teenage Meirong, is alternately funny and endearing as she camps out in the police station to shame Lu Fei into finding her sister. Little does she know, he is working on the case, he's just not telling her everything he's doing. The second character helping to carry the story load is the female warlord in Myanmar. She's not your typical thug even though you'd be a fool to turn your back on her. And at least Lu Fei has one person who's not involved in his work. It's the bar owner Yanyan with whom he's passionately in love, although she still seems to be in love with her dead husband. Watching that relationship unfold is interesting, to say the least. Will Lu Fei win Yanyan over? We shall see.

For those of you worried about those animal trafficking scenes and the descriptions of the dishes made from the animals, Klingborg does not go overboard. He knows that a light touch is the best way to proceed and although those scenes are few and of short duration, they still resonate and show the importance of why this trade must stop. We humans have to be intelligent enough to devise new ways to show off immense wealth and to cure erectile dysfunction. Don't we? In Wild Prey, Brian Klingborg shows that there are people willing to put their lives on the line to put a stop to one of the more disgusting ways to prove you're a big shot.    

Wild Prey by Brian Klingborg
eISBN: 9781250779083
Minotaur Books © 2022
eBook, 304 pages
 
Police Procedural, #2 Inspector Lu Fei mystery
Rating: A
Source: Net Galley

10 comments:

  1. I agree on the campaign to end animal trafficking. But then I also abhor big game hunting so rich people can show they killed a beautiful lion or tiger or antelope. It disgusts me. I don't know about the details in this book about this trade or the dishes you mention. It sounds like a good book, but I don't know if I can read it.

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    1. Knowing your tender heart, Kathy, if I were you, I'd give it a miss.

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  2. This sounds absolutely fascinating, Cathy! I'd love to learn more about China and life, there, and the characters do sound interesting. I'll have to see if I can gear myself up to get past that animal treatment, even if it does suit the plot...

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    1. At least the author doesn't go overboard, if you know what I mean.

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  3. I love the sound of the setting and the characters. Combine that with tackling a difficult issue and it sounds like one I might want to try.

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  4. My heart just will not stand books about the mistreatment of animals so I would have to give this one a miss, even though, as you say, the author treats those scenes with a light touch.

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  5. I enjoyed the first Lu Fei mystery, so I'm glad there's no sophomore slump for this second installment. And a female warlord in that region adds intrigue, too.

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