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Detective Johnny Mann #2

by Lee Weeks

De rebelse inspecteur Johnny Mann krijgt van zijn baas de opdracht de verdwijning van Amy Tang te onderzoeken in Hongkong. Amy is de buitenechtelijke dochter van triadelid CK Leung. Mann had al eens een akkefietje met CK en heeft eigenlijk geen zin om nogmaals de degens met hem te kruisen. Het onderzoek voert Johnny Mann naar Londen, waar vlak voor zijn aankomst de vermoorde lichamen van twaalf vrouwen en kinderen worden gevonden. Is er een link tussen deze gruwelijke vondst en de ontvoering van Amy in Hongkong? Kan Mann de waarheid achterhalen voordat het te laat is?

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Thriller

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

I was born in Devon of Welsh parents. My father was a detective, my mother a nurse. I left school with just one O level in Art and by seventeen I was living in Sweden.

I loved reading Henry Miller whilst listening to Neil Young. I travelled in France and settled in Germany at twenty-one, where I worked in a bar. I came back to the UK to study for a year or two and then went to live in Hong Kong. There I fell into the hands of triads.

A detective once told me to go home and I really should have listened him, I would have saved myself a near-death experience, but then I would never have had the material for my books.

Years later, one marriage down and two children fledged, I am writing my stories. Some are based on my life, all carry a part of me and my experiences.

Taken from Author's Amazon page

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 1 out of 5]

Detective Johnny Mann 2: A child goes missing and kicks off a race against time. .. A race against time. Mann expecting to be demoted instead finds himself investigating the possible kidnap. A formulaic Triad and child trafficking crime thriller set in the UK, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Feels like one of those books writing for a publishing house trying to replicate the James Patterson approach. 2 out of 12.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly this book did not win me over. I'm a fan of detective novels & thrillers and for me this failed on both counts.

The main protagonist, Detective Mann, didn't actually deduce ANYTHING throughout the entire book. He knew a large number of the villain from page 1. He was propelled from place to place not because he'd found new evidence but because he just felt he should go.

As for being a thriller, it sadly didn't work for me on that score either. Because the main character wasn't really piecing the case together, it was impossible for me to be invested in the outcome. Too much plot-vital action happens off the page and is covered in a phone call or similar "Did you do the thing I asked you to do?" Deliberately keeping the reader in the dark.

Frustrating because the premise of the book is amazing.

[Jane Woodcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have read a couple of Lee Weeks' books. They say she is the female version of James Patterson. I enjoyed this although it was quite brutal in places and very disturbing, so it's not for the faint hearted.

[Lainy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blurb From Goodreads

Summoned to meet his boss, rebellious Detective Johnny Mann expects to be told that he is being demoted. Instead he is ordered to lead the investigation into the kidnapping of Amy Tang - the illegitimate daughter of a major player in the skin trade, CK Leung. Mann is reluctant to help - he has crossed paths with CK before- but he has no choice. Nine-year-old Amy is the third child to be kidnapped and held for a vast sum of money, but while the other two children were released after the vast ransom was paid, Amy is still being held captive. Mann's investigation takes him to London, where he teams up with DC Becky Stamp. Within days of his arrival, an arson attack kills twelve women and children. The charred bodies of the victims are found chained to their beds - their injuries rendering them identifiable! What is the link between the kidnapping of Amy in Hong Kong and the deaths of these women and children and can Mann discover the truth before it's too late.


My Review

A young girl goes missing from school, kidnapped and she isn't the first. The difference this time is she is the daughter of CK Leung, head of the Triads. Children have been going missing from different countries and being sold into sex trafficking business, could this be what has happened to Amy or is there something more. Detective Johnny Mann is pulled from vacation to investigate and is soon caught up in a dangerous tangle of lies, deceit and murder.

I do love Lee Weeks books however they do get under your skin and usually leave you pondering on them long after your finished, this book is one of them. Because it involves children being abused and sold for sex (and as usual she paints a pretty graphic picture) it is a bit harder to stay with it, not because it isn't engaging or full on but more because you can picture exactly what is happening.

Detective Mann is his same trade mark character we seen in the first book but we also have insight into why he is the way he is and see his character in a different light. The story is engaging, good paced, filled with drama (and some hardcore scenes that may offend or upset people not used to her work or even those who are because children are involved). The chapters vary in length but all are fairly short which I find helped race through the book. Another good read, 4/5 for me, I read it in 2 days.

[Fiona (Titch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book for 3 years and it's been 3 years since I've read her 1st book The Trophy Taker.

Detective Johnny Mann is on the case of a missing Triad's Daughter. There is a turf war going on in the middle of this storyline. There are some things in this story that will make you cringe, turn away from the book and think what is the world coming to.

I can't wait to see what else Detective Mann does in the next book.

[Alsjem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Week's does a really great job of building interesting characters which ultimately drive this story.

The plot is well constructed but the content is difficult to read (human trafficking) and sometimes shocking. I'm not normally one to shy away from gruesome, gritty books but I found this one difficult.

[Faraz Siddiqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel gave me the jitters..its about the seedy underworld business of child prostitution spanning from Europe to the corrupt islands of Phillipines.Its a hard hitting novel and the author succeeded in creating a movie like imagery of the plot that left me with a lot of unanswered questions. Kudos to Lee Weeks for writing such a brilliant novel. ..

[Gemma]

I actually left this book on the train for some other poor unsuspecting sod. It could have been much more affecting and powerful if the author hadn't felt the need to add in so much detail. No wonder it was half price.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stonking thriller, although found the subject matter very disturbing. That said, Lee Weeks only gave enough detail to make it obvious how horrible, she didn't make it so horrible that you had to stop reading. Hope that makes sense.

[Nathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started reading this, then ended up having three months off work. Which is where I read mostly. Couldn't get back into it so abandoned it midway through.

[Jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

BORING

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have no idea how I obtained this book but after seeing it sit in my bookshelf for sometime I finally decided to bring it to Spain with me. Now if any of you have ever role played on the game Popmundo this is about the level of literature you are going to get with this book.

Disconnected, badly written, ridiculous crime ideas with very little realistic emotion about the actual supposedly horrific crimes going on. Now I get it detective's are supposed to have a thick skin but this was just more like 'See Johnny run, see Johnny trip and fall and skin his knee. Johnny had surgery, Johnny died, oh well next scene.'

It wasn't shocking, it wasn't well written it was just comical for the most part. The ending is wrapped up so very neatly with a perfect bow that I actually left this book in a toilet in Barcelona.

Please don't spend your money, pick up an older book because this was just terrible, so terrible I read it within a span of a few days. Little Red Riding Hood is a longer read than this.

[Paul Bolton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit difficult this one, as I really enjoyed the first one of the series that I read (Kiss and Die), but this one...... it was ok. Though I have to agree with some of the other reviews which commented on the very jumpy storyline, and the fact that you feel a lot is happening, but not many things are connected. I guess it is just the author’s style - although I think that I was just bowled over by the violence last time. Here, it kind of the same, the subject matter is a ugly one and really gets to you, however because it does make your toes curl so much in think that this is a sign of a really good writer. So, on the good side - it all feels very real, but on the bad side it is written in a bit of a scattergun approach and the plot lines are easily lost in the mayhem.

[Shiva Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trafficked by Lee Weeks is a fantastic thriller. This is a new author to me and I’m impressed.

Detective Johnny Mann is called to help an investigation in the UK of a missing schoolgirl, Amy Tang. Her father is a powerful triad leader in Hong Kong.
Johnny is paired up with DC Becky Stamp. She has read his file and is aware of his impressive background. Johnny will fight tirelessly to the end in his own way.
Becky and Johnny get to know the key players involved in the trafficking of young women for sex industry. They have to travel to Hong Kong and the Philippines to find out more.
Gripping thriller which keeps going until the end!

[Rustybooklove · Rating 1 out of 5]

The one star is for Amy who was the only character who did not make me cringe. And she played a very small part.

I am disappointed that this was authored by a woman. The characters, especially the women, were 2 dimensional despite the author's obvious desire to over complicate them. I finished the book as I really hoped it would not be predictable but it was.

[Shirley Eason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brutal look at child trafficking that is not for the faint heated. Found out difficult to follow and the big reveal was as I had suspected though felt contrived. Also felt the final chapter was weak.

[Tien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trigger warning: child prostitution & very violent scenes

I read a lot of crime novels and this series seems to be on the extreme side of violent; not surprising noting the triad connections

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Chromatic Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the Johnny Mann series, great story, lots of adventure and travel, could not put it down.

[Alex Lobo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the ending a little too rushed.

[Paul King · Rating 2 out of 5]

Amazed that this was even published. A difficult subject that needed highlighting, but the graphic child pornography just wasn't needed. It could be just implied.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit dark for my taste. I found myself confused about the writing. It wasn't so much of a "who did it" crime book but also any kind of tension that was written into the story was either quickly resolved or ended up not having any real implications I.e. the outcome was fine.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another really GRIPPING read from Lee Weeks, Johnny Mann is a tough uncompromising cop, who has come to dispensing Natural Justice in the seedy world of People / Sex Trafficking, and don't be a part of his life, because those who do, Don't usually have a great time of it, If they even survive,

This is no cosy family book to read with the kids, in fact this one includes the kidnap,rape, torture and murder of very young children, Not to be read if you have a tummy upset, or weak bowels,

But if you want a really absorbing, revealing story of life in a world alien to most of us, well then this might be the book for you,

Brilliant, Couldn't put it down !

[Theweebarrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second of her books and enjoyed it as much as the first , looking forward to the next one coming out

[Laura Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

QUITE GORYBUT A GOOD READ

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but subject matter very distressing.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read with some potent description of a Philipines slum.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one better than the first book.Hopefully as the series progresses it will get even better.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great subject matter and not quite to my taste. I found it somewhat unsavoury and would not recommend it as a good read.

[Jamie Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very shocking themes, but a good book.