Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of Snake Agent (Detective Inspector Chen, Bk 1)

Snake Agent (Detective Inspector Chen, Bk 1)
Spuddie avatar reviewed on + 412 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


First Detective Inspector Chen series in this genre-bending fantasy/mystery. Chen lives and works in a slightly futuristic Singapore as an investigator of paranormal crimes. He's been to Hell and back several times--literally--even marrying a demon and bringing her out of Hell, which is strictly forbidden. With Inaria comes a family retainer--a teakettle that morphs into a badger! (My favorite character! LOL) I loved the premise and the world Williams paints in this book. When he begins investigating why the ghost of a young girl never made it to Heaven, Chen ends up in working with one of Hell's investigators, a demon named Zhu Irzh, who is working on another case on the side for the Ministry of Wealth, trying to figure out what the devious Ministry of Epidemics is up to. Eventually the cases tie together and Chen and Zhu Irzh do a lot of working together. Hard to describe this book or to include all the crazy sub-plots; you really have to read it! Excellently written, fresh and different and very enjoyable. Looking for the next!