Tag: crime

#BookReview Second Sister by Chan Ho-Kei, trans. by Jeremy Tiang

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About the Book

Wun Wah Tower, Kwun Tong district, Hong Kong. When Siu-Man jumped from her window on the twenty-second floor, everyone assumed it was suicide. But Sui-Man’s sister, Nga-Yee, a quiet and unassuming librarian, is determined to prove it was murder. The police aren’t interested in re-opening a solved case so she contacts a man known only as N – a hacker, and an expert in cybersecurity and manipulating human behaviour.

What follows is a cat-and-mouse game through the vibrant city of Hong Kong. The pair’s investigation takes them from creepy commuter-train gropers to Siu-Man’s gossipy friends to the dark corners of the city’s digital underground – where online bullies, sexual predators and shady tech businesses stalk their prey…

Format: ebook (528 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 18th February 2020 Genre: Crime, Thriller, Literature in Translation

Find Second Sister on Goodreads

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My Review

Second Sister is an incredibly clever high-tech thriller set in Hong Kong. If you are at all concerned about the invasiveness of technology, its potential for misuse or worry we are becoming a surveillence society then you may be alarmed at the extent to which the enigmatic N – part detective, part hacker – is able to insinuate himself into the lives of others. And bear in mind, the book was written in 2020 so technology has progressed (if that is the right word) since then. It may well make you want to move off-grid, grow your own food, communicate only by letter and adopt a disguise whenever you go out in public. Some of the tech stuff I’ll admit went over my head but I wasn’t alone there as Nga-Yee struggles with it too, much to N’s impatience. By the way, kudos to Jeremy Tiang for being able to translate all the tech stuff from Cantonese into something understandable by English-speaking readers.

The book definitely immerses the reader in the fast-paced environment of Hong Kong with its high-rise apartments, shopping malls, karaoke bars and noodle shops. For the more affluent Hongkongers it’s all about having the latest phone, looking the part and achieving your career aspirations. I think it would definitely be an advantage to have an idea of the geography of Hong Kong as the plot takes the reader to many different districts of the region, many of which have their own distinct economic and social characteristics.

The book exposes some of the darker features of modern day society including sexual harassment, online bullying and teenage suicide. It also explores the desire for revenge and whether this can ever be justified or even bring happiness if finally exacted.

My main criticism of the book is it’s about 150 pages too long and, at times, it does get bogged down in the technology stuff. Having said that, the increasingly frequent twists and reveals make it difficult to stop reading. It is incredibly well-plotted with the two main storylines coming together very cleverly in the final chapters.

I received a digital review copy courtesy of Head of Zeus via NetGalley.

In three words: Complex, ingenious, immersive

Try something similar: No Place To Hide by J. S. Monroe

About the Author

Chan Ho-Kei was born and raised in Hong Kong. He has won the Mystery Writers of Taiwan Award for his short stories, and In 2011 he won the Soji Shimada, the biggest mystery award in the Chinese world. He lives in Taiwan. (Photo: Goodreads author page)

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#BookReview The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou by Eleni Kyriacou @HoZ_Books @AriesFiction @elenikwriter #UnspeakableActsOfZinaP

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Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou by Eleni Kyriacou. My thanks to Andrew at Head of Zeus for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my review copy. Do check out the post by my tour buddy for today, Wendy at wendyreadsbooks.

About the Book

THEY HAVE TOLD SO MANY LIES ABOUT ME…

London, 1954. Zina Pavlou, a Cypriot grandmother, waits quietly in the custody of the Metropolitan police. She can’t speak their language, but she understands what their wary looks mean: she has been accused of the brutal murder of her daughter-in-law.

Eva Georgiou, Greek interpreter for the Met, knows how it feels to be voiceless as an immigrant woman. While she works as Zina’s translator, her obsession with the case deepens, and so too does her bond with the accused murderer.

Zina can’t speak for herself. She can’t clear her own name. All she can do is wait for the world to decide…

IS SHE A VICTIM? OR IS SHE A KILLER?

Format: Hardback (384 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 9th November 2023 Genre: Historical Fiction, Crime

Find The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou on Goodreads

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My Review

The savage killing of Hedy Pavlou is an unspeakable act. The woman charged with her murder, her mother-in-law Zina Pavlou, protests her innocence but since she speaks almost no English she cannot be understood and is effectively silenced. She feels powerless but that’s a situation she’s experienced before in her life.

For Eva, the translator assigned to Zina’s case, initially the job is just some useful extra income. But increasingly she finds herself moved by Zina’s plight, abandoned by her son and her family back in Cyprus. Because Eva knows what it is to feel alone. Soon, merely translating the questions Zina is asked and Zina’s responses to them doesn’t seem enough, particularly as it becomes clear that Zina doesn’t really understand the consequences of being found guilty of the crime. Zina believes she is innocent and all the evidence to the contrary isn’t going to change her mind. So much so, that when offered a possible way out, she rejects it. Her sole wish is to be reunited with her granddaughter, Anna, the only person who has shown her any affection since she came to England.

Given Eva’s role is to speak on behalf of another, it’s ironic that her relationship with her husband, Jimmy, has descended into one in which thoughts and feelings are no longer expressed. Their long walks talking over plans for the future have fallen by the wayside and given way to meals eaten in virtual silence. Because of their different working patterns, they’ve become like ships that pass in the night with no opportunity to talk – to really talk – about the significant thing that has happened in their life. This is increasingly so as Eva becomes progressively more involved in Zina’s case. I found I became just as much invested in Eva’s and Jimmy’s story as I did in Zina’s.

The way the story unfolds means I found myself constantly revisiting the question posed in the book: is Zina a victim or a killer? Could it be possible for both to be true? When we eventually discover what happened on the night of the murder, I think I found my own answer to that question. Even when events earlier in Zina’s life are revealed, I believe you would have to possess a heart of stone not to be moved by the final chapters of the book.

Such is the gripping nature of the story, The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou is a book I could have easily devoured in a day if it weren’t for annoying things like having to eat and sleep. The fact that it’s inspired by a true story made it even more compelling, and ultimately tragic. Expect to hear a lot more about The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou because it’s been selected as one of the books to feature in the new series of BBC2’s Between the Covers.

In three words: Compelling, authentic, moving

Try something similar: The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohammed

About the Author

Credit: Jon Cartwright

Eleni Kyriacou is an award-winning editor and journalist. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, Grazia, and Red, among others. She’s the daughter of Greek Cypriot immigrant parents, and her debut novel, She Came to Stay, was published in 2020. The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou is inspired by the true-crime story of the penultimate woman to be executed in Britain.

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