An elite police squad hunts a manipulative mastermind out to publically execute criminals the law cannot reach. A wild thriller and deadly game of cat-and-mouse from one of China's most popular authors. For fans of Jo Nesbo, Se7en, and Hong Kong police cinema.
The brutal murder of respected police officer Sergeant Zheng Haoming sends shock waves through Chengdu, a modern metropolis in the heart of China's stunning Sichuan province. He had been obsessed by an unsolved, eighteen-year-old murder case until an entity calling itself Eumenides (after the Greek goddess of vengeance and retribution) releases a terrifying manifesto. Is the manifesto a sick joke, or something more sinister? Soon, the public starts nominating worthy targets for Eumenides to kill, and, two days later, Sergeant Zheng is dead.
Eumenides' cunning game is only getting started. The police receive a "death notice," a chilling note announcing the killer's next target, the crimes they have committed, and the date of their execution. The note is both a challenge and a taunt to the police. When the first victim dies in public, under their complete protection, the police are left stunned. More death notices are coming. The chase is on.
Death Notice is an explosive, page-turning thriller filtered through a vibrant cultural lens. Zhou Haohui expertly adds an exhilarating new perspective to the twists and tropes of the genre all fans love, making for a uniquely propulsive and entertaining read.
"A perfect cat-and-mouse thriller where Eumenides, a vigilante, is toying with the police as he exacts revenge on those he feels need punishing. The stakes are always high involving at least one person’s life as the police race to stop Eumenides’s vengeance, but he’s always a few steps ahead…The perfect balance of mystery, thriller, tension, and twists."
--BookRiot, "The Best 2018 Beach Reads"
"This procedural, the first novel in China’s most popular suspense trilogy, boasts the rich cultural immersion, the bird’s-eye view of procedural technique in an international police force, and the complex mysteries that have long driven the popularity of Scandinavian crime fiction."
--Booklist, starred review
"After an ending as satisfyingly twisty as a cursive ideogram, we are ditched on the mean streets of Chengdu, ready for the sequel."
--NPR.org
"An elaborately plotted thriller that explores the limitations of justice."
--Kirkus
"A sadistic murderer inspired by Greek mythology goes after a series of victims he believes to be deserving of their fate, for a plot that has enjoyed comparisons to that twisted classic of retribution, Se7en."
--10 Crime Books to Read in June, CrimeReads
"A word of warning, though: the book is a real page turner and the intricately woven plot and the suspense of the story makes it nigh on impossible to put down. Be prepared to lose hours of your day without realizing it."
--China Daily
"The cliff-hanger ending will leave readers shocked and clamoring for the next installment. VERDICT Recommended for hard-boiled crime fiction fans and anyone who enjoys a good mystery with an international flavor."
--Library Journal
"A perfect cat-and-mouse thriller...The perfect balance of mystery, thriller, tension, and twists."
--BookRiot, "Diverse Mysteries and Thrillers"
"Death Notice has a cinematic feel and a frenetic pace...it is pulsating, rollicking entertainment from a country that doesn’t appear all that frequently in our geography of crime fiction."
--CrimeFictionLover.com
"Death Notice is a gritty, hard-hitting page turner set on the mean streets of a China you’ve never seen before. A first rate tale of criminal intrigue right up there with the best of Michael Connelly and Jo Nesbo . . . but with a tang all its own. Highly recommended!"
--Christopher Reich, New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Deception
“A splendid hall of mirrors that lures you headlong down its twisting passageways with a bounty of literary trap doors, hidden stairways, and hairpin turns. You’ll emerge breathless and eager for more.”
—Dan Fesperman, author of Safe Houses
"Riveting and dynamic, Zhou's novel is also topical [and] Zac Haluza's translation is accessible and dynamic. It makes Chengdu society seem dynamic. Finally, the reader of DEATH NOTICE should prepare to be hooked."
--ReviewingTheEvidence.com
"This high-octane thriller blends a vibrant setting with a page-turning premise from one of China’s most popular authors."
--B&N Reads: June's Best New Mysteries
"An elusive figure with a twisted sense of justice takes matters into his own hands in this gritty and agile thriller from China."
--Shelf Awareness
