A Corpse in the Koryo

Starred review from July 31, 2006
In an impressive debut that calls to mind such mystery thrillers as Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park
, the pseudonymous Church, a former intelligence officer, provides a rare look into one of the world's most closed societies, North Korea. When Inspector O, a state security officer, is called on the carpet for botching a sensitive surveillance assignment, O soon realizes that competing forces in the military and intelligence hierarchies set him up to fail and that his personal and professional well-being depend on his walking a tightrope. The detective's pragmatic if unwavering commitment to the ideals of pursuing justice in the face of serious obstacles makes him a heroic figure who's well suited to carry future entries in what one hopes will be a long-lived series. Despite the exotic setting, Hammett and Chandler would have had no problem appreciating this hard-boiled narrative.

Set in North Korea, this novel combines detective fiction with a glimpse into a society and culture that will be unfamiliar to many listeners. When the main character, Inspector O, botches an assignment, he finds himself drawn into a feud between conflicting intelligence units. Narrator Feodor Chin successfully voices the rich cast of Korean characters using subtle inflections, giving an accent only to the Irish character. He delivers equal weight to the characters who are essential to the plot and the lesser players whose appearance helps create an authentic atmosphere. Chin's pace is perfectly pitched, and his soft delivery style allows the plot to gently unfold. K.J.P. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine