Wild Prey
An Inspector Lu Fei Mystery
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
"[A] taut thriller on a topical theme perfect for readers longing for an au courant successor to Eliot Pattison’s Inspector Shan Tao Yun mysteries" --Los Angeles Times
"The details are fascinating and the story fully engaging. Klingborg does an excellent job bringing to life many of the subtle details of Chinese life and culture" --Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
The search for a missing girl sends Inspector Lu Fei undercover into the wild corners of Myanmar, and the compound of the deadly and mysterious woman warlord responsible for the illegal trafficking of exotic animals and possibly more, in the next book from Brian Klingborg, Wild Prey.
Police Inspector Lu Fei has an unfortunate talent for getting himself into hot water with powerful and well-connected people. Which is why he’s been assigned to a backwater town in a rural area of Northern China and quietly warned to keep his head down. But while running a sting operation on the sale and consumption of rare and endangered animals, Lu comes across the curious case of a waitress who has gone missing. Her last known whereabouts: a restaurant frequented by local elites, owned by smooth-talking gangster, and known for its exotic -- and highly illegal -- delicacies.
As usual, Lu's investigation ruffles some feathers, resulting in his suspension from the police force. Lu figures he's reached a dead-end. Then he's contacted by a mysterious government official in Beijing who wants him to go undercover to track down the mastermind behind an illegal animal trafficking network -- and hopefully, the answer to the fate of the missing waitress. The mission will require Lu to travel deep into the lawless wilds of Myanmar, where he will risk his life to infiltrate the hidden compound of a mysterious and ruthless female warlord in a bloody and nearly hopeless quest for justice.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Klingborg's tense sequel to 2021's Thief of Souls finds Insp. Lu Fei, home in Raven Valley, a township near Harbin, where he's trying to advance his relationship with widow Yanyan. But Tan Meirong, a girl of 12 or 13, refuses to leave him alone until he agrees to look for her missing 15-year-old sister, Meixiang, who works at Wilson Fang's virility-enhancing game restaurant in Harbin. Lu goes to Harbin, where he immediately senses something off at the restaurant. His superiors brush aside his concerns and then suspend him when he disobeys and returns to Fang's business the evening before a shoot-out sends Fang into hiding. A government official later approaches Lu and offers him a deal: travel to Myanmar to locate Fang at an illegal animal breeding operation and the official will get answers about Meixiang's whereabouts. Filled with plenty of close calls, the well-paced plot takes some unpredictable turns, though Lu's behavior can be off-putting, as when he dismisses Yanyan's grief for her dead husband and is rude to Meirong. This exciting outing shows a writer at ease with thriller conventions.
