Citizen One [Paperback]

Andy Oakes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2010

Andy Oakes writes with style and verve, the plot crackles with intrigue and double-bluffs, the setting is a convincing amalgam of grubby realism and authentic detail, and the climax is suitably apocalyptic. Sun Piao is a superb creation - a flawed but heroic man dedicated beyond the call of duty to the rule of law in a society run by corrupt and amoral bureaucrats. The stifling control exercised by a totalitarian system pervades the book, adding emphasis to the tiny, fleeting areas of personal freedom that mavericks such as Sun manage to carve out. Citizen One combines cracking entertainment with a pinsharp analysis of the pressures building at the faultlines of Chinese society as the old guard of the communist system are challenged by a new generation eager for change and greedy for power." Peter Whittaker in Tribune 'There is no better way to examine a culture or a country than through the eyes of an honest homicide detective investigating a murder that no one but he wants solved. Andy Oakes has created a remarkable character in Chief Investigator Sun Piao, who would be just at home and competent in New York, London, Paris, or Moscow as he is in Shanghai. " Nelson De Mille ''Oakes' first novel, Dragon Eye, introduced the quick-thinking detective Sun Piao and was such a success it was translated into several other languages. This sequel continues at the same cracking pace, beginning with the gruesome murder, rape and encasing in concrete of a young girl. Oakes ably evokes the sights and sounds of a corrupt, claustrophobic Shanghai against the euphoric backdrop of the 2008 Olympic Games. Sun Piao returns from his incarceration in a high-security hospital for Chinese dissidents, "Ankang", a place that "punishes through the use of injections... injections that swell your tongue so that it bulges out of your mouth". He is demoted at work, joins the vice squad, and finds himself tackling not just the murder of local prostitutes but also the gradual butchering of his own colleagues. '' Vanessa Curtis in Scotland on Sunday

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Citizen One is an assault on the senses, violent and lyrical by turns as it pits a decent man against an omnipotent state." -- Joan Smith in The Sunday Times

"Taut writing, horrifying images, memorable characters. A totally absorbing read." -- Kathy Reichs

About the Author

Andy Oakes was born in 1952 and is the son of a professional soccer player and an academic. After High School he worked as an engineer in the defence industry. His work with young people, on a voluntary basis, led to him producing a photographic study of youth in the inner-city for the Gulbenkian Foundation and a career as a professional photographer. Having created a photographic retail franchise business with a staff of 12 and a turnover of over two million dollars, he trained to be a Youth Counsellor. He now works with young people, specialising in alcohol and substance abuse.

Product Details

• Paperback: 415 pages
• Publisher: Dedalus Limited (May 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903517494
• ISBN-13: 978-1903517499
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,805,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Writer / Great Book, September 12, 2009

By 

Mark Pastin "shank not" (DC Metro) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Citizen One (Paperback)

Andy Oakes is a writer who far exceeds even the highest expectations for his genre which is Asian noir. Firstly,
this book is fabulous, sleep-stealing entertainment. Mr. Oakes detective Piao is a terrific, complex literary
creation. True to genre, he is a man of principle in a corrupt world. But it is impossible to believe that this
world - contemporary Chinese bureaucracy and elitism - is a figment of Mr. Oakes imagination. So many parts of
this book ring true that it is hard to remain calm and collected at times. The writing is crisp, literate, fast.
This is a writer of great talent in some ways comparable to the superb James Church. Read this one; you will not
be disappointed from beginning to end.