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City on Fire: A Novel of Hong Kong
A police detective in Hong Kong races to solve a vicious murder, while the city around him teeters on the brink of destruction.
Hong Kong is a city ablaze—its streets filled with protesters, its government in crisis, its people torn between rage and fear of what defiance might cost. At the center stands Superintendent Killian Tong, once a rising star in the police, now disgraced and haunted by a tragic accident at a protest. Exiled to a remote post, Killian is called back when a dismembered body is uncovered in a landfill. The gruesome murder could be his path to redemption—if he can withstand mounting pressure from superiors desperate to bury the truth, and the even more dangerous fractures within his own family.
His beloved younger sister Jun refuses to speak to him, devoting herself to the protest movement. Once inseparable, the siblings now face each other across barricades, Jun’s fierce commitment pulling her closer to arrest and ruin.
As Killian follows the murder trail into Hong Kong’s highest corridors of power, he must confront not only the city’s corruption, but the searing question at his When politics ignites a family war, can love survive the flames?
City on Fire is both a taut thriller and a deeply human story of loyalty, betrayal, and the search for redemption in a city under siege.
Hong Kong is a city ablaze—its streets filled with protesters, its government in crisis, its people torn between rage and fear of what defiance might cost. At the center stands Superintendent Killian Tong, once a rising star in the police, now disgraced and haunted by a tragic accident at a protest. Exiled to a remote post, Killian is called back when a dismembered body is uncovered in a landfill. The gruesome murder could be his path to redemption—if he can withstand mounting pressure from superiors desperate to bury the truth, and the even more dangerous fractures within his own family.
His beloved younger sister Jun refuses to speak to him, devoting herself to the protest movement. Once inseparable, the siblings now face each other across barricades, Jun’s fierce commitment pulling her closer to arrest and ruin.
As Killian follows the murder trail into Hong Kong’s highest corridors of power, he must confront not only the city’s corruption, but the searing question at his When politics ignites a family war, can love survive the flames?
City on Fire is both a taut thriller and a deeply human story of loyalty, betrayal, and the search for redemption in a city under siege.
- GenresCrime
288 pages, Hardcover
Published May 5, 2026
About the author
Simon Elegant
5 books1 followerSimon Elegant is an award-winning journalist, novelist, and screenwriter with an extensive career covering Asia. He served as Bureau Chief for TIME magazine in both Southeast Asia and China and worked as an editor and correspondent for the Far Eastern Economic Review. His journalism provided in-depth insights into the region’s political, social, and economic landscapes, earning him a distinguished reputation in the field.
As a novelist, he has written A Chinese Wedding, which explores the cultural complexities faced by an American woman marrying into a Hong Kong family, and A Floating Life, a historical novel centered on the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai. The latter was praised by The New York Times for its evocative portrayal of both the legendary poet and the world he inhabited, offering readers a blend of rich historical detail and universal human experiences.
Beyond writing, Elegant is also a founding partner of the acclaimed Temple Restaurant Beijing, a venture that merges fine dining with a deep appreciation for Chinese heritage.
As a novelist, he has written A Chinese Wedding, which explores the cultural complexities faced by an American woman marrying into a Hong Kong family, and A Floating Life, a historical novel centered on the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai. The latter was praised by The New York Times for its evocative portrayal of both the legendary poet and the world he inhabited, offering readers a blend of rich historical detail and universal human experiences.
Beyond writing, Elegant is also a founding partner of the acclaimed Temple Restaurant Beijing, a venture that merges fine dining with a deep appreciation for Chinese heritage.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Hong Kong's portrayal in the 2024 TV adaption of The Expatriates was filmed there during the pandemic yet remains unavailable in the Chinese city due to an episode focused on the 2014 protests. It's hard to imagine Simon Elegant's detective thriller even being allowed to film in the new Hong Kong that has emerged from the 2020 political turmoil during which his story is set.
Just as well then that his writing evokes the city's textures as cinematically as a Christopher Doyle movie, moving from a remote northern district where Chinese refugees/immigrants used to land to the elite apartments of the island's Peak. The arcs of City on Fire: A Novel of Hong Kong's troubled principal and his idealistic younger sister are drawn in sparse lean prose, grounded by authoritative detail on everything from police procedures to Telegram-based protest organizing.
I confess this is the first novel I've read for a while, and I'd forgotten how a character's stream of consciousness can paint a vivid picture far more effectively than a string of adjectives. While filled with local colour and brisk historical context that makes this a nostalgic experience for anyone who lived in Hong Kong in the last years of globalisation, readers will be reminded of how Gorky Park once transported them into a Soviet Union they could not have visited.
Killian Tong may not be portrayed soon on screen like Arkady Renko was, but this book -- accelerating to a crescendo of a conclusion -- deserves a next installment. What Tong, his sister and the Hongkongers of this novel do next may be more clarifyingly and better portrayed in fiction than the real world we live in now.
Just as well then that his writing evokes the city's textures as cinematically as a Christopher Doyle movie, moving from a remote northern district where Chinese refugees/immigrants used to land to the elite apartments of the island's Peak. The arcs of City on Fire: A Novel of Hong Kong's troubled principal and his idealistic younger sister are drawn in sparse lean prose, grounded by authoritative detail on everything from police procedures to Telegram-based protest organizing.
I confess this is the first novel I've read for a while, and I'd forgotten how a character's stream of consciousness can paint a vivid picture far more effectively than a string of adjectives. While filled with local colour and brisk historical context that makes this a nostalgic experience for anyone who lived in Hong Kong in the last years of globalisation, readers will be reminded of how Gorky Park once transported them into a Soviet Union they could not have visited.
Killian Tong may not be portrayed soon on screen like Arkady Renko was, but this book -- accelerating to a crescendo of a conclusion -- deserves a next installment. What Tong, his sister and the Hongkongers of this novel do next may be more clarifyingly and better portrayed in fiction than the real world we live in now.
May 7, 2026
This book reminded me of watching TVB police dramas at 9:30 at night. It was entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time. The author does a fantastic job of weaving many Hong Kong cultural subtleties together into one cohesive story.
I particularly resonated with the question of identity that plagued our main character, Killian Tong. He is a superintendent who accidentally shot a protester. Adding to the already complicated feelings Hong Kongers have toward police officers in the current political climate, Killian is also of foreign ethnicity. Even though Hong Kong is his home through and through, because of his physical appearance as a gwailo, a foreigner, people may not trust his loyalties. The fact that he dons a police officer uniform makes it even more complicated for him. But the book is clever in how it delves into the question of identity and belonging. Just because a person looks a certain way does not make their identity so obvious.
The narrator, Mike Chamberlain, did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life. I was impressed by his impeccable pronunciation of Cantonese words and names and by his ability to capture the nuances of the different characters.
Thank you to both the author and the narrator for bringing me home to Hong Kong—albeit in a gruesome way—but it is home nonetheless.
Thank you, Simon Elegant, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing an audio ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I particularly resonated with the question of identity that plagued our main character, Killian Tong. He is a superintendent who accidentally shot a protester. Adding to the already complicated feelings Hong Kongers have toward police officers in the current political climate, Killian is also of foreign ethnicity. Even though Hong Kong is his home through and through, because of his physical appearance as a gwailo, a foreigner, people may not trust his loyalties. The fact that he dons a police officer uniform makes it even more complicated for him. But the book is clever in how it delves into the question of identity and belonging. Just because a person looks a certain way does not make their identity so obvious.
The narrator, Mike Chamberlain, did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life. I was impressed by his impeccable pronunciation of Cantonese words and names and by his ability to capture the nuances of the different characters.
Thank you to both the author and the narrator for bringing me home to Hong Kong—albeit in a gruesome way—but it is home nonetheless.
Thank you, Simon Elegant, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing an audio ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 stars
City on Fire by Simon Elegant delivers a gripping, fast-paced story that keeps you engaged from start to finish. The tightly woven plot moves with purpose, balancing multiple threads without losing clarity or momentum. It’s an ambitious novel that takes on a range of complex social and political issues, yet never feels weighed down by them.
The audiobook experience adds another layer of enjoyment, thanks to a narrator who brings energy and nuance to the story, making the already vivid scenes even more immersive. Characters feel distinct and the tension carries through effectively in audio form.
Overall, it’s a compelling and thought-provoking read being well-structured, sharply paced, and rich in themes.
Thank you Simon Elegant, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
City on Fire by Simon Elegant delivers a gripping, fast-paced story that keeps you engaged from start to finish. The tightly woven plot moves with purpose, balancing multiple threads without losing clarity or momentum. It’s an ambitious novel that takes on a range of complex social and political issues, yet never feels weighed down by them.
The audiobook experience adds another layer of enjoyment, thanks to a narrator who brings energy and nuance to the story, making the already vivid scenes even more immersive. Characters feel distinct and the tension carries through effectively in audio form.
Overall, it’s a compelling and thought-provoking read being well-structured, sharply paced, and rich in themes.
Thank you Simon Elegant, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Protests are taking place all over Hong Kong. At one an accident resulted in Superintendent Killian Tong shooting a protester. He has been banished to a remote area whilst under investigation. He is ordered to assist in a murder enquiry after a dismembered body is found. He will be put under pressure and also blocked. Who does not want him solving the case and finding the killer.
Very well written and very well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Excellent characters in a fast paced, complex novel, covering the topics of family, love of home, China’s take over of Hong Kong, arrests of protesters, child abuse and child murder, Catholic Church coverup and murder. Can Killian keep his job, protect his sister and find a killer? Great novel, enjoy.
Very well written and very well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Excellent characters in a fast paced, complex novel, covering the topics of family, love of home, China’s take over of Hong Kong, arrests of protesters, child abuse and child murder, Catholic Church coverup and murder. Can Killian keep his job, protect his sister and find a killer? Great novel, enjoy.
May 1, 2026
Hong Kong of the verge of being absorbed into China. Protestors face off against the police who must decide if they will stay under China’s rule or leave. For DS Killian Tong, half Irish and half Chinese, it’s personal. His sister is one of the protestors and isn’t speaking to him. KIllian is brought in on a brutal murder and dismemberment case, yet the authorities want the case buried before there’s a change of leadership. Lots of atmospheric writing and the audiobook is well narrated. 4.5 rounded up.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @DreamscapeMedia, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #CityonFire for review purposes. Publication date: 5 May 2026.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @DreamscapeMedia, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #CityonFire for review purposes. Publication date: 5 May 2026.
May 12, 2026
Simon Elegant’s City on Fire is a thriller with a soul. As the emotionally bruised Superintendent (detective) Killian Tong chases clues to a murder that nobody in power seems to want solved, the novel pulls back the cover on Hong Kong past and present. Like Martin Cruz Smith’s Arkady Renko in Gorky Park, Killian Tong begins to realize that this murder is mired in layers of political intrigue and chicanery. As the reader turns the pages as fast as Tong uncovers clues, with the backdrop of the protests against the heavy handed meddling of Beijing, it becomes clear what’s at stake: truth or cover up, redemption or compromise, and finally loyalty to truth or to power.
May 24, 2026
Interesting look at Hong Kong with a clever mystery woven in.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews