The Borrowed

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From award winning Hong Kong writer Chan Ho kei, The Borrowed tells the story of Kwan Chun dok, a Hong Kong detective who rises from constable to senior inspector over the span of several decades, from the 1960s to the present day, and becomes a legend in the force, nicknamed the Eye of Heaven by his amazed colleagues Divided into six sections told in reverse chronological order each of which covers an important case in Kwan s career and takes place at a pivotal moment in Hong Kong history the novel follows Kwan from his experiences during the Leftist Riot in 1967, when a bombing plot threatens many lives the conflict between the HK Police and ICAC Independent Commission Against Corruption in 1977 the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989 the Handover in 1997 and the present day of 2013, when Kwan is called on to solve his final case, the murder of a local billionaire, while Hong Kong increasingly resembles a police state Along the way we meet Communist rioters, ultraviolent gangsters, stallholders at the city s many covered markets, pop singers enmeshed in the high stakes machinery of star making, and a people always caught in the shifting balance of political power, whether in London or Beijing.The Borrowed reveals just how closely everything is connected, how history always repeats itself, and how we have come full circle to repeat the political upheaval and societal unrest of the past It is a gripping, brilliantly constructed novel from a talented new voice. Free Read [ The Borrowed ] author [ Chan Ho-Kei ] – kino-fada.fr Meet senior inspector Kwan Chun dok, the Hercule Poirot of Hong Kong You will get to know him by immersing yourself in a reversed journey throughthan 50 years of his successful career as a police officer in Hong Kong His deductive skills are like no other s, being nicknamed the Eye of Heaven Another trait that makes him such a successful investigator is that he is inclined to think outside the box and bend the law a little bit in order to deceive and catch criminals The book is structu Meet senior inspector Kwan Chun dok, the Hercule Poirot of Hong Kong You will get to know him by immersing yourself in a reversed journey throughthan 50 years of his successful career as a police officer in Hong Kong His deductive skills are like no other s, being nicknamed the Eye of Heaven Another trait that makes him such a successful investigator is that he is inclined to think outside the box and bend the law a little bit in order to deceive and catch criminals The book is structured in 6 novellas which start from the 2013, with Kwan Chun dok s last case solved while he lays in a coma Each novella goes back a few years in time in time until we reach the 60 when we meet the inspector at the beginning of his career Each case is unique and has its twists and turns Moreover, there are connections between the cases, locations and characters that after finishing the book I felt like the last part completed the circle started by the first one I com...LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THIS IS IT THIS IS IT.THIS IS FUCKING IT This is not a book SET in Hong Kong This IS Hong Kong Never before have I read a book that so clearly encapsulates what Hong Kong is all about with its gritty culture, the glamour, the gap between the rich and the poor, the fight for justice and the struggle for well being This is Hong Kong, with all of its glory and struggles, its troubled past and eventroubled future This is Hong Kong.This is not a book you would wa LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THIS IS IT THIS IS IT.THIS IS FUCKING IT This is not a book SET in Hong Kong This IS Hong Kong Never before have I read a book that so clearly encapsulates what Hong Kong is all about with its gritty culture, the glamour, the gap between the rich and the poor, the fight ...Interesting premise in that we re introduced to Kwan Chun dok, the Eye of Heaven He s a detective with the Hong Kong Police Force, an Asian Sherlock Holmes that has a 100% success rate But we meet him not only at the end of his career, but his life as well as he helps solve one last case The first story stretches believability a bit, but stick around because Chan Ho Kei recounts Kwan s 50 year career in reverse chronological order over the course of six separate stories Each story leaves sli Interesting premise in that we re introduced to Kwan Chun dok, the Eye of Heaven He s a detective with the Hong Kong Police Force, an Asian Sherlock Holmes that has a 100% success rate But we meet him not only at the end of his career, but his life as well as he helps solve one last case The first story stretches believability a bit, but stick around because Chan Ho Kei recounts Kwan s 50 year career in reverse chronological order over the course of six sep...This book is an excellent collection of six novellas, that take place in Hong Kong over a space of almost fifty years, 1967 2013 All of them center on one or both police officers, Sonny Lok and Kwan Chun dok Kwan is known as Eye of Heaven or Genius Detective because of his legendary ability to solve crimes Kwan solves crimes by deduction, ala Sherlock Holmes Each of the six novellas is an intricately crafted puzzle I did not realize who the culprits were until the end in each If you en This book is an excellent collection of six novellas, that take place in Hong Kong over a space of almost fifty years, 1967 2013 All of them center on one or both police officers, Sonny Lok and Kwan Chun dok Kwan is known as Eye of Heaven or Genius Detective because of his legendary ability to solve crimes Kwa...like a 3.8 rounded uplonger post here length of this book may seem daunting and potential readers may be wondering if a good mystery crime novel can actually sustain itself over nearly 500 pages I had the same concern myself, but the author s done something very different here that put my worries to rest Instead of one long narrative, he offers us six shorter ones all connected via the main character and Hong Kong itself, ranging from 2013 to 1967 N like a 3.8 rounded uplonger post here length of this book may seem daunting and potential readers may be wondering if a good mystery crime novel can actually sustain itself over nearly 500 pages I had the same concern myself, but the author s done something very different here that put my worries to rest Instead of one long narrative, he offers us six shorter ones all connected via the main character and Hong Kong itself, ranging from 2013 to 1967 No, I did not mean 1967 to 2013 this book runs chronologically backwards The Borrowed is a series of six crime puzzles to be solved, combined with a hefty dose of social realism it s also a page turner with lots of unexpected twists along the way At the end of this book the author explains that his original intention was to write a classic detective novel, but decided against a book solely focused on criminal cases Instead, he says, his idea was to write the story of a personality, a city, and an era This pivot culmi...13.67 6 2013 2003 1997 1989 1977 1967 2012 9 28ARC received from NetgalleyRating 5 One Sentence Summary A policeman in Hong Kong investigates different crimes over several decadesReview When I saw that this book was essentially a crime novel set in Hong Kong, I knew I had to read it It was cleverly structured, essentially made up of six short stories set at different times during Hong Kong s recent history and during different stages of the policeman Kwan Chun dok s career.The book draws you into the world of Hong Kong, showcasing diff ARC received from NetgalleyRating 5 One Sentence Summary A policeman in Hong Kong investigates different crimes over several decadesReview When I saw that this book was essentially a crime novel set in Hong Kong, I knew I had to read it It was cleverly structured, essentially made up of six short stories...Loved this interwoven mix of stories with one full focus from Chan Ho Kei Full review to follow. The Borrowed is a crime novel revolving around the character Kwan Chun dok, a Hong Kong detective forthan 50 years The book begins in 2013, with Kwan in the hospital and his prodigy, Sonny Lok, still using him to solve crimes The story then goes back in time and we learn about 5 different episodes in Kwan s career Each section sees a crime described and solved There are stories about kidnappings, bombings, acid attacks in the marketplace, and police corruption Each one kept me guessin The Borrowed is a crime novel revolving around the character Kwan Chun dok, a Hong Kong detective forthan 50 years The book begins in 2013, with Kwan in the hospital and his prodigy, Sonny Lok, still using him to solve crimes The story then goes back in time and we learn about 5 different episodes in Kwan s career Each section sees a crime described and solved There are stories about kidnappings, bombings, acid attacks in the marketplace, and police corruption Each one kept me guessing The last story takes place in 1967, and here we learn about Kwan s earliest motivations to join the police.I learned a lot about Hong Kong in this book, and ...

The Borrowed
  • 21 June 2017
  • Paperback
  • 496 pages
  • 148700060X
  • Chan Ho-Kei
  • The Borrowed