Hidden Moon: An Inspector O Novel (Inspector O Novels) (Hardcover)

by James Church (Author)
Key Phrases: ash club, Miss Chon, Club Blue, Miss Pyon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. The former U.S. intelligence agent writing as James Church offers a unique perspective on North Korea in his standout second Inspector O mystery, following 2006's acclaimed A Corpse in the Koryo. Series hero O, an inspector with the ministry of public security, is determined to maintain some moral and professional standards while toiling in an inefficient bureaucracy where competing intelligence services spend significant time spying on each other to detect the slightest trace of ideological impurity. His assignment this time is a classic no-win: his superior directs him to investigate a bank robbery, an unheard-of crime in Pyongyang, but no one is cooperating, suggesting that the truth is not something the government actually wants discovered. O is further taxed when a visiting British dignitary's arrival apparently triggers an assassination plot that could have ramifications for the current regime. With wit and efficiency, Church masterfully evokes the challenges of enforcing the law in an authoritarian society and weds the intriguing atmosphere to a fast-moving and engaging plot. (Nov.)
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From Booklist
Following up his exciting A Corpse in the Koryo (2006), which introduced the likable North Korean police officer Inspector O, Church (a former intelligence officer writing under a pseudonym) offers up a mystery involving a rarity in Korean society: a bank robbery. Men in silk stockings (also very rare) have held up the Gold Star Bank in broad daylight, and, frankly, the authorities have no idea how to handle it. So they give the case to Inspector O, hoping that his expertise with offbeat cases will help. Little do they or he expect the treachery that lies down the road. Like its predecessor, the novel relies heavily on its setting, which the author brings vividly to life, and on its characters, the witty, wily Inspector O and the various colleagues, witnesses, and suspects he encounters. While the first novel invited comparisons to Martin Cruz Smith and Robert Janes, this second in the series makes it clear no comparisons are necessary: this series stands on its own. Pitt, David

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (October 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312352093
• ISBN-13: 978-0312352097
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #568,386 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The Inspector O Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fair writing, interesting characters, poor plot, November 25, 2007

By	Michael P. Maslanka (dallas, texas United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I was looking forward to a good read after a sterling Wall Street Journal review. Sad to write, it did not measure up. Inspector O is a good character---a Marlowe type seeking truth at all costs in a society, North Korea, which hides it at all costs. But the plot is disjointed. There are three or four threads(fair enough, a typical scheme) but they never get pulled together. An important character is not even introduced until mid-way through the novel. The writing is sometimes more than decent, hitting lyrical notes from time to time. I will give any third effort a look(or maybe try the first) but there is too much good noir out there to take a Korean side trip.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too Mysterious, June 14, 2008

By	Michael Gunther (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I expected to enjoy this book, based on good print reviews and its being set in the little-known country of North Korea. However, on reading it there were many negatives. First, there isn't much local color. The author's description of Pyongyang, where the action takes place, is so generic that its sense of place is very weak.

Second, the plot was hard to understand. I've read a fair number of mysteries, but this one was more mysterious than most. I found myself scratching my head, even after finishing the book; there was no "aha!" moment when it all came together.

Third, the characters and their interactions were truly inscrutable. Typically after reading a page of dialogue, I had little or no idea what the character (or author) was even trying to say.

If you like mysteries set in Asia there are lots of great authors like Laura Joh Rowland, Dale Furutani, Ingrid J. Parker, John Burdett, Elliot Pattison, Colin Cotterill, David Rotenberg, many others. This one just didn't measure up.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Challenging, demanding, disjointed with purpose, and darkling bright, December 4, 2007

By	Russ Brown (Idaho Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews

Like "A Corpse in the Koryo", "Hidden Moon" creates more questions than it answers. It may not satisfy a reader's need for clarity and closure. Comfort must be found elsewhere. The opening line is a gem: "The afternoon lay strangled in a gloom of Chinese dust." Later, with only the slightest context, "Native to Korea is one venomous snake, whose bite is lethal but which is not aggressive. The tigers left long ago. New bears have been seen." Gentle humor blossoms: "There was an old monk that lived at the temple after the war. No one bothered him. A couple of political types came up that first September and asked him a few questions. When they were leaving, they told me it was my job to watch him. It was funny and we all laughed. Setting a blind man to watch a monk."