Set in North Korea but written before it was demonised. A simple crime procedural set in the background of the shifting power play. Nothing special, just well written, intriguing, slightly opaque, and very readable. ( )

I started this series over Christmas (2017), and this was my summer (2018) installment. Church's novels focus on a (now-retired) North Korean police inspector who previously served in the North Korean intelligence service. If you enjoyed Martin Cruz Smith's novels about Soviet-era detective Arkady Renko, you just may enjoy this series. In the Man with the Baltic Stare, Inspector O leaves North Korea for the first time since prior to the first novel. This novel was clearly written with the transition from Kim Jong-il to Kim Jong-un in mind. Wikipedia says that Church's (his name is a pseudonym--the author served in the Western intelligence service) "Inspector O" novels have been well-received by Asia specialists for offering "an unusually nuanced and detailed portrait" of North Korean society. Other critics praise Church for his ability to convey "the suffocating atmosphere of a totalitarian state," and for providing "a vivid window into a mysterious country." He's not Solzhenitsyn (see my review of "In the First Circle," which I also read this summer), but these are definitely a worthwhile read. Book 5 is on my pile of library books to read in the next month or so. ( )

I started this series over Christmas (2017), and this was my summer (2018) installment. Church's novels focus on a (now-retired) North Korean police inspector who previously served in the North Korean intelligence service. If you enjoyed Martin Cruz Smith's novels about Soviet-era detective Arkady Renko, you just may enjoy this series. In the Man with the Baltic Stare, Inspector O leaves North Korea for the first time since prior to the first novel. This novel was clearly written with the transition from Kim Jong-il to Kim Jong-un in mind. Wikipedia says that Church's (his name is a pseudonym--the author served in the Western intelligence service) "Inspector O" novels have been well-received by Asia specialists for offering "an unusually nuanced and detailed portrait" of North Korean society. Other critics praise Church for his ability to convey "the suffocating atmosphere of a totalitarian state," and for providing "a vivid window into a mysterious country." He's not Solzhenitsyn (see my review of "In the First Circle," which I also read this summer), but these are definitely a worthwhile read. Book 5 is on my pile of library books to read in the next month or so. ( )