Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Competent but lacking., December 18, 2008
This review is from: The Shadow Walker (Mass Market Paperback)
The Shadow Walker is a lean, competently written story, but it certainly lacks bite. Unlike those who wrote the blurbs on the book's cover, I would argue that the story within does not do justice to its setting. Readers who are looking for an inside look at the nuances of an exotic culture interspersed with a first rate mystery thriller would be best served with the likes of John Burdett's far superior Bangkok 8. The crime scenes and procedures are supposed to be brutal but even those descriptions cover tired ground - the head and the hands removed? Check. Placed on a table to be found later? Check. Corrupt cops? Check. Trying to trace a phone call before the mysterious caller disconnects? Triple check. Characterization also is lacking. Nergui's past is never explored but only hinted at, and he does nothing to separate himself from other more vibrant mystery characters from other novels. McLeish, the inspector from the UK, offers no theories that I can think of and seemingly exists just so he can be taken hostage later (this plot point is revealed on the book jacket FYI-no spoiler). At one point, Nergui ruminates that he had come to know McLeish as not only a fellow officer, " but also a friend." I don't know how they became friends because neither character offered any information to the other that would foster such a relationship. Plot locomotion is created by a series of scenes that take place at dinners, in offices, and in bars, none of which take advantage of the Mongolian environment or are described in much detail. Upon further review, the dialogue, while serviceable and not cumbersome, consists mostly of the two detectives agreeing with each other that this case, indeed, is difficult to solve. Thumbs down, also, to the clumsy finale, in which a main baddie supplies a several-page exposition speech without much prompting, before leading to a conclusion that we have seen thousands of times before. This review reads like a slam, but the novel isn't an amateurish groaner - it just doesn't really break any new ground. I would hope that if Nergui turns up again we will see what makes the guy tick, and get away from some of the clichés that make this novel very, very average.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good First Mystery Novel, September 16, 2008
This review is from: The Shadow Walker (Mass Market Paperback)
The Shadow Walker is the first novel by Britisher Michael Walters. It is an unusual piece of work in that the main character is a Mongolian detective named Nergui while the British character, Chief Inspector Drew McLeish, plays second fiddle. Also unusual is that the novel is set in Mongolia with much of the action occurring in the capital city of Ulan Bator.
This novel is well paced and manages to impart to the reader much interesting information about Mongolia today without getting dull. Both Nergui and McLeish are interesting characters and, along with the storyline, help to hold the reader's interest. However, the book's ending was abrupt and anticlimatic so much so that this novel does not merit a perfect 5 star review. Hopefully, Walters's next novel will have a more satisfying finish.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
strong police procedural, August 7, 2008
This review is from: The Shadow Walker (Mass Market Paperback)
In Ulan Bataar, Mongolia, the police are stymied as a silent serial killer stalks the streets. The unknown culprit has left behind his fourth mutilated corpse with a severed head and limbs this time in a luxurious hotel. Former Serious Crimes Chief Nergui is ordered back to lead the official investigation, but is frustrated having made no progress at all in catching the predator.
He needs specialized help as serial killers are outside his experience or any member of the department especially his younger replacement as section chief Doripalam. British CID Chief Inspector Drew McLeish is sent to assist Nergui on his quest to catch the killer before more people die, but he realizes that he knows nothing about the land or the people that he is to profile as he is five thousand miles from home. They work as a team with Nergui providing the insight to the city, the suburbs and the Gobi while Drew brings the profiling even as the body count mounts.
THE SHADOW WALKER is a strong police procedural with an exciting serial killer investigation, but it is the location that makes this tale standout. Nergui is a superb cop, but readers will appreciate even more his in-depth tour guide role as he escorts the audience and Drew around the city, the suburbs and beyond.
Harriet Klausner
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
