Bad Traffic: A Novel [Hardcover]

Simon Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 2008

In this "GREASED-LIGHTNING" crime debut (Kirkus Reviews), Simon Lewis has created two unforgettable characters and a critically acclaimed novel that will stay with you long after the final page is turned.

Inspector Jian is a corrupt Chinese cop who thinks he’s seen it all. But his search for his missing daughter takes him to the meanest streets he’s ever faced—in rural England.

Migrant worker Ding Ming is distressed—his gang master is making demands, he owes a lot of money to the snakeheads, and no one will tell him where his wife has been taken. Maybe England isn’t the Gold Mountain he was promised.

Two desperate men, lost in a baffling foreign land, are pitted against a ruthless band of human traffickers in this breath-taking thriller.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British author Lewis does a splendid job in this compelling thriller, his second novel (after Go), of dramatizing the challenges of strangers in a strange land. Inspector Ma Jian of the Chinese Public Security Bureau, whose wife died when the deeply flawed inspector was driving drunk, has let his only child, his daughter Wei Wei, attend Leeds University in England. When Jian receives a late-night phone call from a desperate-sounding Wei Wei that's interrupted, Jian travels to the U.K. At Leeds, Jian, who doesn't know English, learns that Wei Wei dropped out months before and her academic reports to him were lies. Eventually, he manages to ally himself with Ding Ming, an English-speaking illegal immigrant, whose wife was taken away by the human traffickers who got both of them to the U.K. A plot twist toward the end undermines the power of the book's earlier portions, but the corrupt and brutal Jian is an intriguing character many readers will want to see again. (Dec.)
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From Booklist

Chinese Police Inspector Jian is used to running rampant over his own domain and knows how to exploit a corrupt system to his own advantage, which comes in handy when his wayward daughter phones from England, begging for help. Attaching himself to a trade delegation, Jian arrives in England only hours after his daughter calls, speaking zero English and having no compunction about following the rules. Jian’s exploits lead him from one Chinese restaurant to another as he searches for translators and clues to help him find his daughter’s abductor, Chinese gangster Black Fort. Lots of action, a couple of interesting twists, and short cliff-hanger chapters make this a fast-paced read. Jian’s unwilling sidekick, illegal immigrant Ding Ming, provides a comic touch (with his opinions of Westerners and his frequent bouts of histrionics), which lends a lighter tone to what would otherwise be a fairly dark tale. A good choice for crime collections. --Jessica Moyer

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 1 edition (December 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416593535
• ISBN-13: 978-1416593539
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,298,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining read with an interesting style, July 8, 2009

By 

Sebastian Fernandez (Tampa, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bad Traffic: A Novel (Hardcover)

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The author's idea of writing a thriller in which the main characters do not speak / have trouble with the language of the place where the action develops is interesting. Especially when considering the tools used to convey this factor: a combination of broken English sentences, even when referring to some of the descriptions, and a need for translation help by other characters. This in turn leads to some funny situations but also to some frustrating ones.

That said, it is clear that some readers will find the style more annoying than rewarding. In my case, there were a couple of instances in which I started to get a little frustrated (this is the main reason why I took away a star) but luckily, the story has several good traits that allowed me to pull out of this state pretty quickly.

Those readers that enjoy fast-paced thrillers, with a combination of mystery, suspense and action will be right at home with this novel. The plot is not overly complex, and some of the surprises are not that hard to anticipate, but the experience is definitely enjoyable. Human trafficking is not a novel topic, but in this book the author uses a particular perspective to make it "taste fresh". Also, the two main characters, a Chinese inspector looking for her daughter and a hopeful peasant coming illegally into the UK, present a nice set of contrasts, which I found helped the story quite a bit.

As mentioned, the only potential drawback has to do with the writing style. However, I am confident that most people will like it or at least be OK with it, and therefore will have a very good time with Lewis' work.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So Very Good, I Can't Wait for the Next Inspector Ma Jian Story, July 7, 2010

By 

Ruthie Ramirez (San Diego) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bad Traffic: A Novel (Inspector Jian) (Paperback)

Inspector Ma Jian is an influential Chinese policeman who is also a bit corrupt. One night when he's about to bed his current young mistress he gets a call from his daughter, who he believes is going to college in England. "Help me!" she says, then the line goes dead. Jian doesn't think twice, he gets on a plan and heads to England, even though he doesn't speak a word of English.

Ding Ming is Chinese as well. He wanted to be an English teacher, but somebody who wasn't qualified but was much better connected got the job, So Ding and his wife sell themselves as indentured servants and suffer through a long, arduous journey to England.

When Jian gets to London he's like a fish out of water, but he does manage to get up to Leeds where he finds his daughter had been lying to him, she hadn't been attending school, instead she was working as a waitress and hanging out with a Chinese gangster called Black Fort.

Ding Ming and his wife arrive in England to find it's not the golden mountain they'd been led to believe. They are separated by a snakehead called Black Fort (yes the same Black Fort) and Ding isn't happy. He wants to please his captors, but he want to see his wife, too.

Jian's investigation leads him to Ding and he forces the young man to help him, because he needs his English skills. Ding doesn't want to go along and often tries to thwart Jian, because he thinks if he gives him up to the gangsters, they'll look favorably on him and let him see his wife. Little does he know what's in store for his wife and without Jian he has no hope of ever seeing her again.

Jian and his reluctant sidekick make a great pair as they race through this novel at breakneck speed to an explosive conclusion you won't want to miss. Somehow I got the impression from the story and especially the ending that this is the first of many Inspector Jian novels to come. I hope that's true.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Easy read ... good story, June 24, 2010

By 

robert johnston (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bad Traffic: A Novel (Hardcover)

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This novel is well reviewed by other readers. I won't bore you with repetition.

BEST PART - The short chapters are appreciated. The chapters break cleanly making it a book that can be read on the run. The writing style is different enough to be interesting.