Hong Kong Murders [Paperback]

Kate Whitehead (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0195914880 | ISBN-13: 978-0195914887

In this unique and engrossing story, Kate Whitehead shows how murders committed in Hong Kong reflect various aspects of its life. It will appeal to anyone with an interest in Hong Kong, Chinese culture and society, and psychology.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Freelance journalist, UK

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195914880
• ISBN-13: 978-0195914887
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,309,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars An honest book, but could have been better, February 16, 2011

By 

J. Parisse-brassens "Jerome Parisse" (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hong Kong Murders (Paperback)

I have finally finished reading Hong Kong Murders, by Kate Whitehead. It relates fourteen homicides that have taken place in Hong Kong over the years. Hong Kong is one of the safest places in the world, so I was interested to find out what these murders were. Also, it is part of research that I am currently conducting for my next novel. The murders described in the book were driven by money, sex or revenge. Some of them were linked to the famous Hong Kong triads, others to kidnapping, or even simple shootings. Whitehead goes through each case, describing the murder scene, then moving on to the inquiry, and sometimes the trials that followed. To be honest, it's not very exciting. Maybe the material itself is deficient, with Hong Kong being such a safe place, and the Chinese culture not being a violent one. Chinese will usually satisfy themselves with oral arguments and are reluctant to move on to physical fighting. One feature of Hong Kongers is that they don't like to "get involved" and don't like to mingle with other people's businesses. As a consequence of that, I was horrified to learn that an estimated forty people passed the body of a woman who had been raped and strangled before anyone called the police. Worse still, included in these forty passers-by were her neighbours! Whitehead does an okay job, but we don't really get into the murderer's heads or their families', and we often don't understand their real motives. The killings themselves are left in the dark and more emphasis is put on the inquiry. It left me with a feeling of wanting more, and not having learned enough. In fact, I feel Whitehead struggled to make the material interesting. It is obvious from the book that she has done an enormous amount of research and interviewed the protagonists, but this is not enough to make the book very exciting. Two stars.

3.0 out of 5 stars Hong Kong Murders, December 13, 2006

By 

Keroro - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hong Kong Murders (Paperback)

The book provided an interesting read, but I felt it was too short and lacked detail and depth. It would have been a more satisfying read if there was more detail for example - detailing the time and dates more precisely, more background information on the victims, the victims families and perpetrators. Overall, an interesting read, nice to take peak into the dark side of Hong Kong.