Fate

Death Notice (English) #2

by 周浩晖 Zhou Haohui

A SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR.
A SUNDAY TIMES THE 100 BEST CRIME & THRILLER BOOKS, SINCE 1945.

'Serial killers turn up all the time in crime fiction, but few are as patient or as devious as the murderer in Zhou Haohui's Death Notice. This extraordinary novel is the first in a trilogy, and it is already China's bestselling crime series to date' Sunday Times .

The follow-up to Death Notice, the international crime-writing phenomenon, is a high-octane, high-concept cat-and-mouse thriller that adds an exhilarating new gear to the police procedural.

'Fiendishly inventive' Wall Street Journal.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, China, Crime, Audiobook, Detective

398 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Associated Names:
* Zhou Haohui
* 周浩晖 (Chinese Profile)
* โจวเฮ่าฮุย (Thai Profile)
* Chu Hạo Huy (Vietnamese Profile)

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in Zhou Haohui's Death Notice trilogy, a best selling book in China that has already been turned into a popular TV series. I have not read the first one, and immediately found myself feeling at a disadvantage, and whilst there is a brief summary at the beginning, it took me a little while to feel comfortable with what was going on, and slowly become familiar with the names of the characters and their roles. For that reason, I would recommend reading the first book, this would definitely put you at a greater advantage than me. The story focuses on a popular vigilante serial killer running rampant, known as Euminedes, named after the Ancient Greek spirits of vengeance, issuing Death Notices to individuals, murdering those deemed to be deserving of death, those that have evaded justice, acts that have built Euminides a popular following amongst the public.

It is now 2002, the original Euminides is now dead at the Jade Garden explosion, but he has spent years grooming a successor to take over. The Chengdu Police April 18 Task Force, led by the now transferred Captain Pei, assisted by Lieutenant Yin and supported by the technical surveillance officer, Zeng Rihua and the gifted psychologist, Ms Mu, now have the unenviable job of trying to identify the new Euminides who has begun issuing his own death notices, there are two students dead in a hotel suite, with a teacher who chopped off his hand to save the remaining student. It is clear he has no intention of stopping, as the police team go back to throw light on a hostage situation that arose in 1984 that culminated in a shooting, the grisly 1992 Bagman killing where the perpetrator was never identified, the disappearance of Captain Ding Ke, all events with connections to the present, along with further deaths at the Longyu Corporation after the killing of Mayor Deng.

Zhou Haohui's storytelling is tense, suspenseful and thrilling, there are twists galore, with the new Euminides always streets ahead of the police team, raising the strong possibility that he has an inside line to the April 18 police task force. Captain Pei and his team are strong and determined in the face of the obstacles they face in their inquiry, I was particularly impressed with the contributions made by Ms Mu. This is a hugely entertaining and engaging trilogy set in China that held my interest completely once I became immersed, if only I had read the first and hadn't experienced difficulties at the beginning, otherwise it would have been a 5 star read. Many thanks to Head of Zeus for an ARC.

[Майя Ставитская · Rating 3 out of 5]

For you who have not read the first part of the Chinese detective masterpiece from Zhou Haohui "Letters of death", I will explain. The name of Eumenides, aka Erinii, came from ancient Greek mythology, remember this story about Iphigenia in Aulis: when the Greeks were going to sail to storm Troy, calm reigned on the sea and there was nothing to fill the sails with. The oracle promised a fair wind in the stooped backs, in the case of the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia. The girl was sent for, tricked into believing that Achilles was going to marry her, killed on the spot, the promised wind appeared, the men sailed to war.

Agamemnon's wife and Iphigenia's mother Clytemnestra did not forgive her husband for the death of her daughter and killed him. A chance witness was the second daughter Elektra, who inspired Orestes' brother to take revenge on his mother. Orestes killed Clytemnestra, and the goddess of vengeance Erinia set off in pursuit of him. Fleeing from them, the matricide Orestes fled to Athens, where the Areopagus, thanks to the intervention of the goddess of the same name, acquitted him. To appease the violent, the Athenians called them Eumenides (the merciful), establishing a cult in their honor.

Isn't there too much cruelty? - you might have thought. - Not too much, - I answer, - Too much is when Eumenides is cosplayed in a Chinese detective. You didn't seriously think that the story of the self-proclaimed judge and executioner would end with the death of Yuan Zhibang, a former classmate and friend of the heroic policeman Luo Fei? That Zhibang. what was hiding under the guise of an infirm cripple in a stinking garbage dump, carrying out criminal projects worth hundreds of thousands of yuan?

You didn't think otherwise you're not a fan of detective series. The king is dead, long live the king, the criminal genius has a student brought up by him with all care, who will continue the work of the teacher. And the first thing he will do will be revenge on impudent teenagers for the humiliation of their elderly teacher, which the little bastards filmed and posted online. The scene in the scenery of a luxurious hotel room is cruel, dramatic and (to be honest) along with the horror, it causes a certain amount of sympathy.

Эвмениды возвращаются
Эвмениды - богини мщения и жестокого убийства, преследующих преступников в древнегреческой мифологии.
Для тех, кто не читал первую часть китайского детективного шедевра от Чжоу Хаохуэя "Писем счастья (зчркнт) смерти", объясню. Имя Эвмениды, они же Эринии пришло из древнегреческой мифологии, помните эту историю про Ифигению в Авлиде: когда греки собирались плыть на штурм Трои, на море воцарился штиль и нечем было наполнить паруса. Оракул обещал попутного ветра в сутулые спины, в случае принесения в жертву дочери Агамемнона Ифигении. За девушкой послали, обманом убедив, что на ней собирается жениться Ахилл, на месте убили, обещанный ветер явился, мужчины поплыли на войну.

Жена Агамемнона и мать Ифигении Клитемнестра не простила мужу смерти дочери и убила его. Случайной свидетельницей стала вторая дочь Электра, которая вдохновила брата Ореста отомстить матери. Орест убил Клитемнестру, в погоню за ним пустились богини мщения Эринии. Спасаясь от них, матереубийца Орест бежал в Афины, где ареопаг, благодаря вмешательству одноименной богини, оправдал его. Чтобы умаслить неистовых, афиняне назвали их Эвменидами (милостивыми), учредив в их честь культ.

Не слишком ли много жестокости? - могли вы подумать. - Не слишком, - отвечаю я, - Слишком - это когда эвменид косплеят в китайском детективе. Вы ведь не думали всерьез, что история самопровозглашенного судьи и палача закончится со смертью Юань Чжибана - бывшего однокурсника и друга геройского полицейского Ло Фэя? Того Чжибана. что скрывался под личиной немощного калеки на смрадной помойке, верша криминальные проекты, стоимостью в сотни тысяч юаней?

Не думали, иначе вы не поклонник детективных серий. Король умер, да не здравствует король У преступного гения остался воспитанный им со всем тщанием ученик, который продолжит дело учителя. И первым, что он сделает, будет месть наглым подросткам за унижение их пожилого учителя, которое мелкие ублюдки засняли на видео и выложили в сеть. Сцена в декорациях роскошного номера в отеле жестока, драматична и (что греха таить) вместе с ужасом вызывает некоторую долю сочувствия.

Так начнется новый виток эпопеи Эвменид, на котором мы встретимся с храбрым Ло Фэем, проницательной Мо Цзаньюнь - криминологом-психологом, еще несколькими персонажами, знакомыми по первой книге. И сведем знакомство со множеством новых. Кровь-кишки-доброта будут в изобилии, немыслимая изобретательность преступника, заранее объявляющего жертвам дату смерти, вкупе с его невыносимой жестокостью - тоже.

А еще невероятные сюжетные твисты, из которых самым крутым и достойным премии Дарвина окажется финальный. Все для вас, поклонники детектива.

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the Chinese city of Chengu, this is the second book in the Death Notices series. An assassin calling himself Eumenides (Greek goddess of vengeance) is dispensing judgment that the police cannot. While the original Eumenides died in the Jade Garden explosion, his successor has taken the mantle. The April 18 Police Task Force is now led by Captain Pei, assisted by Lieutenant Yin, technical surveillance officer, Zeng Rihua, and psychologist, Ms. Mu. The new Eumenides kills two students in a hotel suite, and compels their teacher to chop off his hand to save the one remaining student. Several cold cases loom large, a long ago hostage situation, a grisly slaughter and dismemberment of a university student are tied together along with the the mysterious disappearance of the famous Captain Ding Ke, who had solved all his previous cases as well as further deaths at the Longyu Corporation after the killing of its CEO, Mayor Deng. 3.5 stars.

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet again this series delivers real thrills and impressive twisty puzzles. Is this the best thriller series? It might be! I am ready for book 3.

Right now in the US, as far as I can tell, this book is only available on audio and ebook, which is a shame. As of yet I haven't seen any signs to publish the translation in print. (Scratch that! I see print versions available from B&N but Amazon doesn't have them. I have no idea why.) The audio suits me just fine, though it can make it a little harder to keep track of the extensive cast of characters.

As with DEATH NOTICE, the comparisons to Se7en still hold. This has some murders that are quite violent (though most of them aren't) but really the fun of the book is the big chases and riddles and setpieces that feel very cinematic and heart-pounding. Trailing a suspect through a complicated subway system, figuring out how a killer accessed a locked room, working through a profile on a cold case. This book understands that drawing these out and making them complex is a strength. And they really mix it up here, as we aren't always chasing the same killer, so it doesn't feel like there is one unbeatable villain.

There is some ableism and minor misogyny around a perfect and beautiful blind woman that of course has to be held up as more of an object who must not be damaged. It annoyed me but it didn't take over the narrative. (And the man doing it is not exactly a good guy.) It's a heavily male-dominated cast, but we do have our female psychologist in one of the largest roles so at least there's that.

When will we get book 3 translated and when will we get a movie franchise???

[Claire Chibi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series isn’t necessarily perfect but it’s still easily one of the best police thrillers I’ve ever read, and I have read a lot of police thrillers so that’s saying something!

The plot has various groups of clever characters all working against each other towards their own goals and it all fits together extremely well, this sort of thing is always more exciting to me compared to a simple serial killer vs police type story.

Funny enough, the more I think about it, the more this series reminds me of a non-supernatural version of Death Note, and I swear it’s not just because the names are so similar. The story structure of a serial killer with a twisted sense of justice going up against the police and ending up getting various other groups involved in the conflict is very reminiscent (but the rest of the plot is of course, very different).

It even has a bit of a Detective Conan-eqsue feel to it thanks to Eumenides’ clever setups and tricks used to perform his ‘assassinations’, which makes it even better in my eyes.

So basically this series is like Death Note crossed with Detective Conan, if you like either of those series, what are you waiting for? Go read this, it’s so freaking good!

[Pradnya Paramitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐️

Setelah Eumenides senior tewas dalam bom bunuh diri, kapten Luo Fei dkk harus berhadapan dengan penerus Eumenides yang mulai beraksi karena kemauan sendiri. Sejumlah pembunuhan terjadi, dan untuk melacak keberadaan Eumenides, Luo Fei dkk harus menyelidiki lagi dua kasus tak terpecahkan di masa lalu.

Pertama-tama, aku merasa lumayan bangga setelah baca buku ini. Wkwk. Ukuran buku ini besar (14x23) dan font-nya kecil, totalnya 600 halaman. Untukku yang belakangan numpuk buku "currently reading" karena bosan di tengah jalan, bisa menyelesaikan buku ini kurang dari seminggu jelas membanggakan 🤣

Ketika awal baca, kesanku langsung "ya ampun, aku kangen buku ini!". Sayangnya, aku lupa sebagian besar cerita di buku 1, padahal ceritanya sangat berkaitan. Mana nama-nama mandarin yang susah banget diingat. Alhasil, aku membaca ulang 50 halaman terakhir di buku pertama sebelum lanjut baca buku II ini. Itu juga tiap muncul nama tokoh di masa lalu yang disebut, aku harus ngintip di buku I. Macam buka kamus wkwk

Prosesku baca buku ini lancar jaya. Buku ini sangat informatif, dan konfliknya, ya Tuhan, berlapis-lapis sampe mumet. Identitas asli Eumenides dibongkar sebelum pertengahan buku, tapi anehnya, itu nggak bikin rasa penasaran surut. Plotnya tetap cepat dan menantang. Panas membara gitulah wkwkwk Ya karena banyak banget rahasia dan teka-teki di buku ini, bukan cuma siapa Eumenides gen 2 ini. Gemes banget. Perasaan polisi-polisinya udah cerdas banget, tapi selalu kalah selangkah dari Eumenides. Yang bagian Ding Ke itu aku jemawa karena bisa nebak dengan tepat. Lalu plot twist lain berhamburan di halaman-halaman akhir yang bikin aku langsung teriak, "Gila! Apa-apaan nih?!"

Eumenides generasi 2 ini terasa lebih melankolis dibanding gurunya. Yah, namanya juga beda orang, dan sekarang dia mikir sendiri. Mana lagi nyari jati diri dan asal-usulnya, plus jatuh cinta pula.

Typo lumayan banyak, tapi masih bisa dimaklumi. Hanya satu kekurangan buku ini yang cukup menggangu bagiku, yaitu seringnya informasi diulang-ulang. Salah satu contohnya, deskripsi tentang Luo Fei sebagai kapten baru di divisi kriminal kepolisian provinsi. Entah berapa kali itu diulang.

But so far, aku suka buku ini! Aku bahkan udah lumayan suka sama Mu Jiahyun yang nggak aku sukai di buku 1. Semoga buku III segera terbit, biar aku belum lupa alur cerita buku sebelumnya lagi.

P.S. covernya bagus banget siiih. Seneng banget lihat cover buku 1 dan 2 dijejer. Atraktif gitu.

[rie ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Selama baca aku cuma bisa:
“waahhh”
“gilaaa!!”
Ditambah lagi dengan bumbu plot twist yg bikin geleng-geleng kepala.

Meskipun identitas Eumenides gen 2 bentukan Yuan Zhibang langsung diungkap di bab 3, buku ini tetep bikin penasaran bgt!

Karena masih banyak teka-teki yg belum terpecahkan begitu juga hubungan antar tokoh yg saling terkait. Itulah yg buat aku gabisa lepas dan terus lanjutin baca bukunya yg setebel 600 halaman ini.

Takdir.
Semua ini terjadi karena takdir. Kalau si A tidak seperti ini, maka tidak akan terjadi kejadian ini. Kalau B tidak melakukan itu maka C tidak akan seperti ini, dst.

Kasusnya banyak, complicated dan saling berhubungan. Aku suka banget analisis2 polisi disini yg ngebahas mengenai psikologi pelaku. keren bgt pas mereka bisa nebak siapa pelaku pembunuhan mutilasi 10 tahun yg lalu hanya dengan diskusi selama 2 jam.
Namun tetep aja Eumenides selalu berada selangkah di depan polisi.

Sungguh seru bgt ngikutinnya.
Sempet ada konflik batin juga di pihak polisi. Di beberapa case ada yg bisa ketebak tp ada juga yg bikin aku kaya
“hah??” “Oh gitu, oke baiqlah”

Sampai akhir buku pun masih disertai plot twist yg “WOW, GILAA!!!”
Dan yah, masih ada lanjutan dari buku ini yg belum bisa kita temui di toko buku 😭😭
Aku ga sabar pengen baca buku ketiganyaa!!!

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It feels kind of ungenerous to review a book by listing all of the ways it manages to not screw up, but honestly, sometimes I just want to read a tight, complexly-plotted crime thriller where we don’t have to care about the detective’s troubled personal life, the gratuitous violence against women is kept to a minimum, and there’s a competent female colleague who isn’t there to be anyone’s love interest. These two books have delivered on that front so far and I’ve really enjoyed the escapism. Eumenides has been defeated, but Newmenides is just as dastardly and I’m looking forward to reading book 3 when it’s available in English.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Head of Zeus for an advance copy of Fate, the second novel in the Death Notice trilogy, set in Chengdu and featuring Captain Pei and the April 18th task force.

When Eumenides, a former friend of Pei, is exposed and commits suicide Pei disbands the task force and heads for home in Longzhou. He is stopped at the railway station with a transfer to Chengdu because his work isn’t over. Eumenides has left a protégé and he’s already started killing, meting out justice to those the courts can’t punish. The hunt is on for a clever killer who always seems one step ahead, so far ahead that he must be getting inside information.

I thoroughly enjoyed Fate which is a roller coaster of a read that seems to have it all, action, an incredibly clever plot, psychology and a duel between two equally smart contestants, Pei and Eumenides 2.0. Oh, did I mention the twists? Call me gullible, but the author caught me at every turn. I’d like to say that the plot is so absorbing and detailed that I lost my ability to think straight, but as I guessed one twist before the team, it’s because the author is the master of misdirection.

The plot covers a lot of ground as not only does the team have to identify and capture this new Eumenides, they have to solve several cold cases to get closer to him and his motive. It’s fascinating. There is great use of psychology in the case with team psychologist Ms Mu offering penetrating insights, although Pei is no slouch himself in the psychological warfare game. It adds to the practicality of the investigation and is all done matter of factly. The novel is set in 2002 so the technology is more rudimentary, there’s no mobile phone triangulation and the little CCTV footage is not very clear so it’s down to IP addresses, physical chases and psychology.

Fate is old fashioned to current Western crime fiction and much better for it in my eyes. The reader learns next to nothing about the personal life of the investigators or their thoughts outside the investigation, instead it concentrates on the plot, the perpetrator and the investigation. It had me hooked from the beginning which is a short recap of events from the first novel, Death Notice, and didn’t let go until the final page. It truly is a good read so I have no hesitation in recommending it.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

"did u get me a birthday cake, daddy?"
hanya krn 1 pertanyaan itu kasusnya sampe jadi trilogi

THIS IS THE CRAZIEST MYSTERY CRIME I EVER READ

buat yg suka buku2nya chan ho kei kayaknya bakal cocok juga sama buku ini. it's totally different but i got the same tense, same vibes with second sister while reading this. mungkin mirip dikit krn sama2 ada IT nya. tp kalo second sister IT nya dominan. kalo yg ini lebih ke balance dan nggak jadi solusi utama buat mecahin kasus.

konfliknya gila. jadi 1 kasus merembet kemana2 dan emang saling berhubungan. keliatannya ribet kek anjir banyak bener connecting the dotsnya tp tiap kasus amat sangat worth it buat diikuti makanya sampe kubelain ngebut krn emang penasaran banget akarnya ini apa 😭 tiap cabang kasusnya bukan kasus sepele yg ringan. semuanya kasus berat jadi nggak keliatan kayak kasus ini diada2in biar ceritanya panjang. tp juga nggak bikin ceritanya jadi jenuh krn kasusnya pada berat. dan pas ketauan akar masalahnya, ternyata sedih banget 😭

apalagi yg kasus mutilasi ini gila banget sih. dan alesan yg ngetrigger pelakunya sampe mutilasi itu ternyata bukan trigger ringan. bukan krn dia psikopat juga. tp sedih juga kalo tau alesan dibaliknya. mostly kasus2 di sini tuh pemicunya family matters jadi kalo tau tiap trigger atau alesan yg mendasari tingkahnya pelaku2 tuh aslinya ya berat juga traumanya mereka

dg polisi yg terlibat sebanyak itu, emang sih kadang bingung krn jadi banyak nama yg perlu diinget. apalagi kalo bacanya dari yg bahasa indonesia ke bahasa inggris bakal rada bingung krn penulisan namanya ada yg beda. kayak fei jadi pei. tp untungnya di buku ke 2 dijelasin tokoh2 di buku 1 jadi walau ada perubahan huruf di nama masih bisa ngenalin ini siapa itu siapa.

waktu baca endingnya buku 2, di akhir kalimat ada "the end of part two" NO WHAT DO U MEAN WITH THE END OF PART 2?! ternyata setelah baca belakangnya lagi, OH OKAY THE AUTHOR SAID TRILOGY 🤡 aku udah ubek2 libby tp kayaknya yg ketiga belum diterjemahkan. atau malah belum terbit?

[LeseMaus · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐

[Alan M · Rating 4 out of 5]

'It's your fate - it was set in motion eighteen years ago.'

Phew! This is the kind of fast-paced, edge-of-the-seat, 'what the heck is going on?' thriller that just sweeps you along. Most of the time it's a scramble to keep up with who is who, who was who, who might be who, and what they may or may not have done. But it's a crazy fun ride and it is the type of crime book that you can't quite decide if you want Eumenides caught or not.

If you haven't read book one in the series then you should. I guess this could read as a stand-alone, but there is so much background that it covers that it probably reveals more if you know what happened in 'Death Notice', although the basics are covered in flashbacks and recounting.

I genuinely have no idea what to expect from the third book, but I can't wait.

[Aro~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the first book Eumenides have presence like a god who sent punishment toward sinner. No matter where and who the sinner, he give no mercy. As a god, no human can come close to him. Human know his name, but not him in person.

In the second book, Eumenides's identity start to reveal bit by bit. His perfect cover still absolute, but his greed start making him visible. There's a lot complicated case that mentioning in this book. Compared to the first one, the second one have a lot case that somehow have bridge that connect each other. Just like fate.

At some part, I got confused since there's feels like a lot happening at the moment and I can't follow it right away. But the ending still as great as the first one. It clean but tickling you to keep reading. The ending that also feels like a beginning.

[rahyani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku kedua dr Zhou Haohui, trilogi Surat Kematian. Cerita tentang pembunuhan berantai yg di kenal dgn sebutan Eumenides sesuai dgn nama dewi pembalasan dendam dlm mitologi Yunani. Surat kematian dikeluarkan kepada seseorang yg pantas mati karena kejatahatannya dan polisi tdk berhasil menghukumnya. Di buku pertama, Eumenides yg asli tewas karena ledakan di sebuah restoran, tetapi sebelum kematiannya selama bertahun-tahun dia mempersiapkan seseorang utk menjadi penerusnya yg disebut juga dengan Eumenides (juga). Seorang kepala polisi Liu Fei & asistennya Li Yin, seorang ahli dlm urusan teknologi Zeng Rihua & seorang ahli forensik psikologist Guru Mu mereka berusaha menemukan identitas Eumenides yg baru yg mulai menyebar 'surat kematian' nya sendiri - diawali dgn 2 murid laki-laki sekolah menengah yg tewas dgn seorang guru yg memotong jarinya sendiri utk menyelamatkan seorang murid perempuannya, dan jelas sekali Eumenides yg baru ini tdk berhenti sampe disini, ia terus menyebarkan surat kematian ke yg lainnya. Utk merunut siapa Eumenides yg baru, pihak kepolisian menyoroti kasus2 lama yg ditangani oleh Kapten Polisi sebelumnya hingga ia mengundurkan diri, hilangkan Kapten Ding Ke, kematian yg terus terjadi di Group Longyu setelah kematian seorang Walikota.

Kasusnya banyak dan rumit, dengan nama-nama Cina yg susah buat diingat ini jd tantangan pertama baca buku ini. Kisahnya penuh lika liku, Eumenides yg baru ini bener-bener sebuah misteri buat satuan kepolisian apalagi Eumenides selalu selangkah lebih maju dr tim polisi. Bener2 menghadirkan sensasi yg berliku dan penuh teka teki. Zhou Haohui genius sekali, ga sabar nunggu buku ketiganya.

[Anna Valeria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dynamische Fortsetzung, wenn auch vorhersehbare Twists

[Charlie Corn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Death Notice, which got me really excited about Chinese fiction again. It's great to see so much genre fiction coming out of China now. So I was very excited to see the sequel out, despite the somewhat less enticing title.

It’s a tangled web of a plot, full of double crossing, unmasking, surprise deaths and other twists, but Zhou keeps the narrative clear and pacey. Scenes open with highly precise and filmic locations and times (‘29 October, 8am, a conference room in Chengdu criminal police headquarters’) which remind me of the opening scene of Psycho (‘Phoenix Arizona, Friday December the Eleventh, Two Forty-Three pm’). The narrative is built around uncovering several mysteries – not just who is Eumenides, but unravelling a number of events that took place in the past and working out how they are related the current events. The shadow of the past – and its fatalistic imprint on the present – is always there. This is a murderer driven by vengeance, after all. But happily this doesn’t make it too talky - Zhou has mastered the art of the Hollywood set piece.
The plot mostly unfolds through a series of discrete contrivances at a distinct location or event (a football match, say), featuring distinctive new or familiar characters (a fruit seller, a blind violinist, a teacher); with high stakes, high drama and a splattering of shootings, car crashes and dismembering, even if it’s not immediately obvious how it fits in with the wider narrative. Zhou is fantastically and gruesomely inventive – the ‘body in the bag’ trope used in Fate is one of the (pleasingly) nastiest I’ve ever read. Zhou also maximises the crime fiction form: the set pieces rely heavily on mystery men doing mysterious things, so much of the action unfolds with ‘a man’ or ‘the stranger’ (‘From inside Room 2107 a man watched the stadium’). At its best, such as when Eumenides appears out of nowhere in a room on CCTV footage, there’s a real creepy horror edge to the writing. This is brilliantly creepy, grisly writing.

It’s a tangled web of a plot, full of double crossing, unmasking, surprise deaths and other twists, but Zhou keeps the narrative clear and pacey. Scenes open with highly precise and filmic locations and times (‘29 October, 8am, a conference room in Chengdu criminal police headquarters’) which remind me of the opening scene of Psycho (‘Phoenix Arizona, Friday December the Eleventh, Two Forty-Three pm’). The narrative is built around uncovering several mysteries – not just who is Eumenides, but unravelling a number of events that took place in the past and working out how they are related the current events. The shadow of the past – and its fatalistic imprint on the present – is always there. This is a murderer driven by vengeance, after all. But happily this doesn’t make it too talky - Zhou has mastered the art of the Hollywood set piece.
The plot mostly unfolds through a series of discrete contrivances at a distinct location or event (a football match, say), featuring distinctive new or familiar characters (a fruit seller, a blind violinist, a teacher); with high stakes, high drama and a splattering of shootings, car crashes and dismembering, even if it’s not immediately obvious how it fits in with the wider narrative. Zhou is fantastically and gruesomely inventive – the ‘body in the bag’ trope used in Fate is one of the (pleasingly) nastiest I’ve ever read. Zhou also maximises the crime fiction form: the set pieces rely heavily on mystery men doing mysterious things, so much of the action unfolds with ‘a man’ or ‘the stranger’ (‘From inside Room 2107 a man watched the stadium’). At its best, such as when Eumenides appears out of nowhere in a room on CCTV footage, there’s a real creepy horror edge to the writing. This is brilliantly creepy, grisly writing.

It’s not all on Zhou, of course – Haluza’s translation is one of those quietly effective translations you don’t notice. The dialogue is naturally hard-boiled, the descriptive language creative, and he keeps the pace up. It’s a no-nonsense translation that really works and builds on the strengths of the original. It’s also helpful that the focus in Death Notice is really on the crime, not the politics or bureaucracy which some other crime works have led on, which keeps it much tighter in translation. We also know that changes were made to the text for the English language version of Death Notice and I assume this is the same for Fate; I’d love to know more about what changes might have been made, but the effect leads me to think they were smart choices.

It’s atypical from a Western genre perspective in terms of structure and character, but it works just as well. And while Pei Tao as a hero doesn’t seem to resonate on another level, Fate works best when it’s just straight police action and grisly murders. The musing on ‘fate’ itself towards the end, which tries to bring all the strands together, is a bit unconvincing, as is some of the cod psychology (particularly an odd excursion into heavy metal lyrics which feels like none of the characters has ever listened to heavy metal). And given the pat and icky way Zhou tackles the one sex scene, where a character has cold and gratuitous sex with his secretary while thinking about the time he saw his mother naked (he then kills himself, but not because of the sex), I’m quite pleased there’s not much in the way of sex or a romantic subplot for Pei Tao. A final criticism is that while it’s set in Chengdu, there’s almost no sense of place. It could be set anywhere, unless a lot of crime fiction that is deeply rooted in location. But that’s easily explained – it’s only set in Chengdu in the English version, a deliberate change for the translation. It’s a shame, as the hard-boiled feel should work perfectly with a Sichuan-spiced noir tone.

But I enjoyed Fate as much as I enjoyed Death Notice- it’s fun, creative and nasty, which is just what I want from a bit of crime fiction, and I can’t wait for the next one.

[Sebastian · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Der Pfad des Rächers”, der zweite Band der “18/4”-Trilogie des chinesischen Autors Zhou Haohui, sammelt bereits die ersten Pluspunkte, noch bevor die Handlung überhaupt beginnt, denn: er liefert vorab eine kurze Zusammenfassung der Geschehnisse des Auftaktromans. Das ist nicht nur eine nette Aufmerksamkeit gegenüber den Leser:innen, sondern auch sehr hilfreich, denn “18/4: Der Hauptmann und der Mörder” erzählte eine Geschichte, die nicht nur ungemein spannend und raffiniert konstruiert war, sondern zudem auch insgesamt sehr komplex ausfiel.

Das Vermächtnis des Serienmörders “Eumenides”

Darüber hinaus schließt die Fortsetzung auch noch unmittelbar an das Finale des ersten Buches an, indem der berüchtigte Killer “Eumenides” in einer selbst herbeigeführten Explosion ums Leben gekommen ist. Doch der trickreiche Mörder hatte für sein Ableben vorgesorgt und sein tödliches Lebenswerk frühzeitig in die Hände eines jungen Nachfolgers übergeben. So können sich der Hauptmann Pei Tao und seine Sondereinheit “18/4” nicht auf dem vermeintlichen Erfolg ihrer Ermittlungen ausruhen, sondern werden ohne Verschnaufpause mit der Fortsetzung der perfiden “Eumenides”-Mordserie konfrontiert. Die Handschrift des verstorbenen Täters wird dabei von seinem Nachfolger fortgeführt, denn auch die nächsten Opfer erhalten vor ihrem Tod wieder Todesanzeigen mit dem genauen Datum ihrer Ermordung.

Wenig Neues und dennoch voller Überraschungen

Nun klingt diese Ausgangslage oberflächlich wie ein Neuaufguss der Geschehnisse des ersten “18/4”-Bandes und da der Autor diesmal auch um die Identität des zweiten “Eumenides” kein großes Geheimnis macht, könnte man zur Annahme gelangen, dass bei “Der Pfad des Rächers” früh die Luft raus ist. Doch das Gegenteil ist der Fall, denn Zhou Haohui schafft es dennoch erneut, eine fesselnde Geschichte zu entwickeln, bei der die Spannung auf zwei Ebenen erzeugt wird. Zum einen hält die neuerliche Mordserie Ermittler und Leser:innen gleichermaßen in Atem, vor allem weil der Killer auch diesmal wieder scheinbar Unmögliches vollbringt und selbst in ausweglosen Situationen reüssiert. Zum anderen aber auch, weil Pei Tao und sein Team unter Hochdruck versuchen, die Hintergründe der Morde und die Beweggründe des Täters zu verstehen und ihn dadurch stoppen zu können. Hier gelingen Zhou Haohui wieder einige unvorhergesehene Wendungen und Enthüllungen, welche eine ähnliche Sogwirkung wie beim Auftaktband erzeugen.

Steht dem ersten Band der “18/4”-Trilogie in nichts nach

Eine kleine Warnung muss man aber auch diesmal wieder aussprechen, denn “Der Pfad des Rächers” ist wie schon der Vorgänger kein Thriller, von dem man sich mal eben nebenbei berieseln lassen kann. Dafür ist die Handlung zu verflochten und zusammen mit den Geschehnissen des ersten Romans zu komplex, sodass man schon am Ball bleiben muss, um bei dem vielschichtigen Gesamtbild den Überblick zu behalten. An dieser Stelle kommt auch wieder erschwerend hinzu, dass die Namen der Beteiligten für westliche Gewohnheiten nicht ganz einfach ausfallen und sich häufig auch stark ähneln, was es manchmal etwas knifflig macht, die Protagonist:innen auseinanderzuhalten oder richtig zuzuordnen. Mit ein wenig Konzentration ist aber auch dies keine unüberwindbare Hürde und man wird für den Aufwand mit einem weiteren raffinierten Pageturner belohnt, der nach etwas ruhigem Beginn mit zunehmender Dauer immer mehr Fahrt aufnimmt und in einem furiosen Showdown mündet – der aber immer noch nicht das Ende der Geschichte bedeutet, da mit “Die blinde Tochter” noch das große Finale der “18/4”-Trilogie wartet. Und wenn dieses qualitativ an die beiden ersten Teile der “Eumenides”-Story anknüpfen kann, dürfte man sich wohl auf einen spektakulären Abschluss freuen.

[SH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 stars

The second book of the Death Notice series, the book picks up where the predecessor left off. Captain Pei Tao leads the 4/18 investigation team after Captain Han Hao's disgrace. His investigation of the case focuses on two historical cases - a hostage case when a destitute man is pushed to hold his conniving debtor hostage, and a murder case where a girl is found gruesomely dismembered. Shadowing these elements is the mysterious and legendary former Captain Ding Ke, who is intimately connected to these cases. Eventually, the captain manages to apprehend the killer, but is unable to pin the full murders on him after a moment of carelessness allows the killer to destroy crucial evidence.

In general, this novel was in my opinion less successful than the first one because it attempts to bring together more plot threads but does so less successfully. Many threads contribute to an exciting pace full of twists and turns, but are more emotionally stifled and sometimes seem to arise out of convenience.

Comments:
The novel reminded me of a suspense C-drama. The quality is a bit uneven. Some parts are very cleverly plotted, but other elements are (imo) a bit disappointing. I thought the core conflict - about how the law is not always able to enact justice was brought out well

Things I liked:
- The fake killings orchestrated by Brother Hua: The most well plotted mystery in the novel. This is a locked room mystery with a clever solution. It also establishes Brother Hua as an important regent to the Deng fortune, a move which reminds one of imperial political dramas.
- The moral theme about the temptation towards vigilante justice when the law and institutions like the police fail you. The plot to discourage the killer by removing his raison d'etre was interesting. I also found the death of Chen pretty satisfying although it is out of character for the killer to strike when he must know that the police will know that Chen is a likely target.
- The conflict between Capt Pei Tao and the killer is well characterised - they are well-matched adversaries who are sharp and dangerous, and in some ways very similar.

Things I did not like:
- I thought some elements of the plot were not necessarily very logical. A major plot point is how the killer is able to access police information; this turns out to be because he manages to bug a member of the team's phone. As a member of a top team of investigators, I would imagine it is just common sense to not let anyone get their hands on your phone. Given how sharp the novel is about other plot points, this seems like a major omission.
- The Bagman murder: This case was a major plot point in the book. A horrific murder took place when the flesh of a woman are found sliced into thin pieces and her innards were found boiled. However, this case did not really connect to the emotional core of the book and merely served as a way for the team to link to a top investigator from the previous generation.
- The blind girl who serves as the main love interest: A major plot point is how the plot by the police to discourage the killer fails because Yuan (the antagonist's mentor from the previous book) had prepared a failsafe, which he gives to the love interest. Apparently he predicts that Wen will fall for this blind singer in this particular restaurant. And for whatever reason she does not find this weird and does as she is told. This feels very deux ex machina.

[Day Nella · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Inilah yang dinamakan hukum. Hukum hanya memandang sistem, bukan perasaan manusia." Hal 322
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Surat Kematian II Takdir
Zhao Haohui
Penerbit Gramedia, 2023
Alih Bahasa: Lingliana
Tebal 600 Halaman
Personal rate 5⭐
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Buku ini lanjutan dari Surat Kematian jadi nggak bisa dibaca secara random. Pada Surat Kematian sebelumnya diceritakan kalau banyak sekali pembunuhan yang terjadi karena Eumenides yang memiliki menegakkan hukum sendiri. Hukum begitu lemah, para pelaku kejahatan harus diberikan hukuman. Pihak kepolisian akhirnya membuat satuan tugas 418 demi menangkap Eumenides yang amat meresahkan. Karena semua orang lebih percaya pada eksekusi yang sangat algojo lakukan daripada pihak penegak hukum.
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Di buku kedua ini. Lebih seru lagi dari yang sebelumnya. Kapten Lou Fei pada akhirnya diangkat sebagai Kapten sementara untuk satuan tugas 418 demi menyelesaikan tugas yang nyatanya banyak sekali nyawa aparat penegak hukum tewas begitu saja yang berakhir lebih mengenaskan.
Eumenides selalu satu langkah lebih maju dari Lou Fei dan para tim satuan tugasnya. Membuat sang kapten mencari banyak cara untuk membuat umpan. Nyatanya kekalahan harus diterima ketika banyak Surat Kematian yang muncul dan menyebabkan satuan tugas harus berpikir lebih cerdik dari sang algojo. Yang pada akhirnya mengungkapkan hal-hal mengejutkan dan semua terungkap dan amat mengerikan. Semua hal terjadi dalam badan aparat hukum.
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Suka banget sama konflik-konflik. Misteri yang terpecahkan satu per satu dan begitu mencengangkan bagiku. Penulis luar biasa apik. Meski banyak sekali narasi akan semua tindakan para tokoh. Aku merasa memang penulis menginginkan pembaca menikmati semua teka-teki yang dilemparkan. Menelaah lebih dalam kalau semua opsi yang mereka pertimbangkan sangat masuk akal. Poin sebab akibat atau efek kecil yang mengakibatkan kehancuran besar jadi hal paling kuat dalam pengungkapan Eumenides. Pertarungan Luo Fei dan Generasi Eumenides sangat kuat.
Keseluruhan karakter dalam buku kedua ini jauh lebih padat dan kokoh. Termasuk anggota satuan tugas 418 dan pasukan taktik khusus. Oemji aku sukaaaa. Kalau boleh jujur, aku suka dengan karakter Eumenides dan keseluruhan pilihannya, bak pahlawan dalam kegelapan yang tak terjangkau hukum. Luo Fei sang kapten pun memiliki insting yang akurat dan kebiasaan yang tak biasa, hingga bisa menyamai setiap tindakan Eumenides. Bahkan twist-twist kecil mengerucutkan pada plot twist yang bikin speechless. Aku ketawa sendiri karena nggak kepikiran kok bisaaa. Serasa dijebak sama penulis. Bagian penyelesaiannya pun paling aku suka karena begitu realistis dan setuju dengan yang dia lakukan. Kok jadi pro musuh sih 🤣
Buku yang masuk kategori juara di tahun 2025. Menantikan buku ketiganya. Semoga Gramedia segera menerjemahkannya 😍
Buat kalian yang penyuka thriller penuh misteri dan teka-teki. Ini amat sangat recommended. Berasa nonton film padahal lagi baca buku. Daebak.

[Kern Amalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

** spoiler alert **




𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:

1. Sejujurnya aku lebih suka buku pertama dibanding buku kedua ini.

Tapi bukan ga suka sama sekali yah. 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮 ada 1 part di buku kedua ini yang ga ada di buku pertama dan itu sukses bikin series ini makin kutunggu tunggu kelanjutannya ✨😍😍

2. Aku agak kecewa dgn plot ceritanya yang jadi bercabang😞 Klo di buku 1, cerita di fokusin ke pencarian & penghentian killer kita, Eumenides.

Klo di buku 2 ini, ceritanya bercabang jd ke pencarian Han Hao yg kabur dr lapas, pencarian Ding ke, perseteruan internal grup Longyu😑
Jadi penyelidikannya tuh kemana mana dan ga fokus. Lumayan ngebosenin😅

3. Terus nih yah..si penerus Eumenides menurutku kurang cerdik. Mon maap nih..Eumenides tuh tokoh yang 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 kusuka karna kecerdikan, ketelitian dan kematangan rencananya.

Kalo penerusnya tuh Dia kurang elegan dalam membunuh. Caranya kasar dan ga indah kayak gurunya (agak aneh yak kalo bilang ini in real life 😂)

Bahkan doi ga bisa ngendaliin situasi 🥲kayak bocah banget gitu 😅 trus di sini dia lebih fokus ke cerita dirinya sendiri. Kyak bukan Eumenides aja🥲

✨Tapi tentu ada poin2 yang kusuka di buku ini ✨😗🫶

1. Penyelidikan di cerita ini ga perlu dipungkiri menarik banget buat diikutin, apalagi ada tokoh ahli yang bisa ngedeskripsin penyelidikan mereka.

Walau yah kali ini tim ahli nya udah berkurang dibanding buku 1 (iykwim🥲)

2. Tema yg disorot menarik banget. Yaitu teori kegelapan Nietzsche
"Jika kamu menatap ke dalam kegelapan, kegelapan juga akan balas menatapmu"

3. 𝗡𝗮𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘆𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗸𝘂 𝘀𝘂𝗸𝗮😌🫶

Di buku ini diperlihatkan detektif Luo fei kita yg pinternya naudjubillah akhirnya mulai ada ketertarikan dgn Guru Mu (ahli psikologi)

Terakhir:

Seprti yg kubilang tokoh fav ku justru si Yuan zhibang aka Eumenides sbelumnya.

Di buku ini kehadiran dia masih ADA dan kalian masih bisa liat Betapa rapihnya planning dia. Walau udah mati, dia masih bisa ngendaliin situasi. Ajigile ni orang🥲🥲👍

Kenapa suka? Krn aku akhirnya bisa ngeliat sehebat Luo Fei pun bisa lengah😌
Ini yg terjadi ke Luo Fei di buku ini. Seru banget parahh!! 🔥🔥

[Lelita P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

CRAZY. ABSOLUTELY CRAZY.

Okay, so I was on around page 380 and I started to think to give this book 4 stars because I felt like so many coincidences and a lot of things seem too easy. But then! Revelation of the Bagman Killer. And then!!! The climax twist!!! So jawdropping. I was surprised; unlike the first book, I didn't expect those twists at all. And the ending made me shiver. By the time I closed this book, 5 stars it is. The author really prepared big bombs in the last pages.

The atmosphere in this second book is quite different with the first. Maybe because we could see Eumenides' side here. Of course he is still as twisted as ever, but this book shows the other side of him. We can understand him better--why he and his mentor turned out like that. Doesn't mean all their killings are justified, though.

There are many plot devices here that--like I said--make many things become "too easy". That's what I think during reading. But, after finishing the book, I realize that it has to be that way because it is how the author arranging all the plot. I have to complete the reading journey first so I can see the whole plot as a bigger picture... why character A has to get rid of, why character B emerges, why character C doesn't make appearance anymore. In the end, I have to salute the author because his plot is so tight, with many hints hidden tidily here and there. It's all for the story build-up; everything comes full circle in the end.

Well, one thing that disturb my mind: I read the Indonesian translation for the first book, and English translation for the second book. In the Indonesian edition, the main character's name is Luo Fei, but in the English translation, it's Pei Tao. I'm so curious about those differences. Why? Do pinyin alphabets have more than one reading? But it's a character name--it shouldn't have been different. I don't understand... and now I don't know how to address the captain. :)))

Wish to read the third book, immediately!

[Husna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

I can’t believe how this book’s ending played out! We took a downhill slide from the brilliance of the first book, and it’s hard to wrap my head around it. Seriously, if only they had listened to the police, so much could have been avoided! Brother Hwa should have known better. Three people lost their lives under his watch, and yet he still believes he can take on Eumenides? Talk about misplaced confidence!

Qin Zhao is honestly such an annoying character! Seriously, no backbone whatsoever. Why would he kill Han just because he asked him to? It’s absolutely bewildering. And to make matters worse, Brother Hwa wasn’t even arrested afterwards. It just doesn’t make sense, honestly.

However, amidst all the frustrations, One of the few aspects I appreciated in this book was Eumenides’ storyline about the father figures in his life. It was truly intriguing to witness his descent into chaos after realizing the cruelty of his fate. On the other hand, I found his relationship with one of the female leads to be quite off-putting. Nevertheless, I was still curious to see how it would all unfold. I must admit, it was interesting to see how Dr. Lang seemed to anticipate every possible outcome if Eumenides were to spiral. Impressive, indeed! However, I did have an issue with the fact that she was still referred to as “Ms.” despite being one of the lead investigators who contributed significantly to solving numerous cases while every other male investigator was addressed by their titles. A bit of respect is in order, I believe.

And let’s not forget about Captain Pei Tao—what happened to his brilliance all of a sudden? It’s all just so hard to comprehend and, it’s truly quite disappointing.

Overall, this book left me with mixed feelings. It couldn’t quite live up to the brilliance of its predecessor, but there were still some intriguing storylines and character dynamics i enjoyed.

[Tyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku kedua ini nyaris dua kali lipat lebih tebal daripada buku pertama, padahal ukuran halamannya sendiri cukup besar dengan huruf-huruf yang tersusun rapat di setiap halaman. Alias, isi buku ini memang 'gemuk' sekali. Butuh waktu sekian ratus hari bagi saya untuk menyelesaikannya. Bukan karena ceritanya tidak menarik, sih. Karena keinginan DNF itu justru sama sekali tidak ada. Hanya saja pada awalnya membaca, ada saja hal yang membuat saya tidak sempat ataupun merasa tidak sanggup melanjutkan. Kadang-kadang saya baca 1-2 bab, lalu jeda beberapa minggu, baru melanjutkan lagi membaca. Orang-orang rumah sampai 'gemas', "Itu buku kok ada di tempat tidur melulu, sih? Itu buku kok ada di mana-mana, sih?" Ya, maaf... Soalnya bukunya memang masih dibaca, tapi sedikit demi sedikit.

Akan tetapi, begitu memasuki tiga ratus halaman terakhir, kecepatan baca saya naik karena semakin penasaran dengan segala macam hal yang terjadi. Pelik betul, memang. Bukan sekadar melibatkan banyak karakter, tetapi cerita kali ini melibatkan banyak kasus, baik di zaman sekarang maupun belasan tahun silam, dan kelindan antara semuanya tidak langsung terbaca pada awalnya. Namun, ketika satu per satu kasus-kasus itu terpecahkan dan ditemukan saling keterhubungannya, wuah! Rasanya ingin menjabat tangan penulis sambil memuji, "Mantaap, mantaaap."

Hanya saja, beberapa bagian ada yang membuat saya tertawa, sih. Misalnya, saya tidak tahu apakah penulis sungguh-sungguh berpikir hal ini benar, atau apakah ia hanya menuliskan apa yang menjadi anggapan umum di antara polisi dan psikolog di China zaman itu, tetapi menyimpulkan pelaku punya kelainan jiwa karena suka mendengarkan musik heavy metal itu ya... mau tidak mau saya jadi ngakak.

Yang paling penting, setelah usai membaca buku ke-2 ini, jeritan saya adalah: MANA BUKU KETIGA????

[Denis Wheller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the second in a trilogy of police procedurals set in the Chinese city of Chengdu. Much of it is linked to incidents in the first book, but these are fully explained as required so the book stands alone. Unsolved crimes from these previous events are essentially treated as cold case investigations but also provide motivation for those dealt with here. The primary link is the serial killer known as Eumenides, a former police officer who had become an ‘executioner’ of those people who, in his view, had committed crimes for which they had not been punished – regardless of any reason for the latter. The original Eumenides is dead, but had spent 18 years inculcating and training an heir to his mission.
Pei Tao, who had been a rookie at the beginning of the original murders, is now the new Captain of Police, tasked with ending the reign of terror. He knew the original murder and knows who the new one is but has no idea of his identity, appearance or Forensic characteristics. A cat and mouse game between them forms the core of the book. Various other crime fiction tropes are woven in: a locked room puzzle, a retired police officer with information who can’t be found, a crooked international company, and internet and security camera ‘spoofing, etc. The plot, as you can imagine is tortuous. It does all weave together logically but it is an intellectual challenge to maintain the different strands.
The book was originally published in China and has been translated very effectively, although there is a tendency to use tried and trusted phrases – such as the few that I have sprinkled into this review – which gives it a rather overwrought feel at times.

[Arutala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Menakjubkan dan berhasil membuat terperangah karena jalinan alur dan sub alurnya yang membelit dengan berbagai kejutan di sana sini. Apa yang dilakukan Kapten Luo Fei adalah buah dari kecurigaan dan naluri dasar sebagai seorang polisi yang harus mengendus jejak penerus Eumenides sampai tertangkap.

Menarik mengikuti proses berpikir dari para anggota Satuan Tugas 418 dalam memecahkan misteri pelaku terutama saat membahas kasus penyanderaan 130 dan mutilasi yang menggegerkan delapan belas tahun lalu. Ditambah plot twist yang berlapis-lapis makin menambah seru dan tegangnya kisah pengejaran Eumenides.

Penelusuran Kapten Luo Fei ke berbagai tempat mulai dari pencarian mantan komandan Ding Ke, mendekati putranya yang bernama Ding Zhen, terbunuhnya dua petinggi Grup Longyu yang tidak masuk akal, penemuan jejak pelaku mutilasi pada akhirnya mengantarkannya langsung pada kesimpulan bahwa ada orang asing yang menyelusup dan mengetahui semua informasi dari kepolisian.

Pengarangnya sukses memaksa saya untuk terus mengikuti alur cerita tanpa menyadari kalau di sana sini banyak tokoh yang menjadi 'kunci' dan salah satunya akan menjelma sebagai si penerus Eumenides. Tulisannya bikin berdecak kagum karena berhasil meramu jalinan rumit dengan mengandalkan kasus yang telah dipeti eskan dan gejolak emosi dari si anak yang menaruh dendam kesumat.

Cerita dunia kepolisian yang biasa namun menjadi istimewa karena antara drama, teka-teki dan adegan serunya bikin kita terhenyak sesaat terutama pada adegan kejar-kejaran anak buah Luo Fei yang ingin meringkus mantan kapten Han Hao di sebuah kereta bawah tanah. Membayangkannya saja sudah deg-degan banget.

[Syahra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top tier.

I honestly forgot all of the details from the first book, but I keep reading nonetheless. From my previous experience, small scenes will appear here and there to complete the puzzle. There are too many names mentioned inside the book, so I know I won't put them in my memories and just keep reading to make them alive again once more. Also, I could be wrong, but the plot for this one is a bit faster than the last book.

I love how "busy" the book is—it's almost like watching a Korean drama that had twist inside twist inside twist. Luo Fei's calmness and consistency are admirable. What happened with the professor was too grim even to my preferences. The description of what happened was too vivid and too unfortunate. Everything is intertwined, yet everything is disconnected and drawn to certain individual actions. I am proven wrong every time I try to guess the suspect for every cases, and it's making me in love with the book even more.

About Zheng Jia, though, it's too bad. I don't think she doesn't want to be a carrier for that message. I hope the next book will reveal the vicious truth behind the messages she forwarded on that day, and show her psychological impact in detail. Who knows, maybe this time she finally could see both the world and the truth.

I found several typos inside the book (3 to be exact), but it's understandable since it's 600 pages long.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/three-books-set-in-chengdu-death-notice-and-fate-by-zhao-haohui-and-leave-me-alone-by-murong-xuecun/

There is a certain genre about killers who are superbly able to outwit the forces of law and order – The Silence of the Lambs is the most obvious, but I also recently read Thirteen by Steve Cavanaugh – and there were several scenes where I found it very difficult to suspend my disbelief – though a couple of these are in fact fairly well grounded in local scenery, a murder carried out in full view of the police in front of the Deye Building in Citizens’ Square, and another historical gruesome death at Mount Twin Deer Park, none of which are locations that I have been able to identify on the map. The series is a good enough example of its kind, the tensions between cops from the city and periphery, university graduates and non-graduates, and men and women, all well portrayed against a somewhat implausible backdrop; the means and motivation of their opposition remaining unclear.

[Neneng Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

[SPOILER] Review super lengkap di IG @ntarienovrizal

Gimana seorang penulis yang jago bikin plot twits dan trik yang cakep, tapi gagal dalam pembentukan alur waktu dan karakter. Ada timpang tindih yang sangat maksa sekali harus di cocok-cocokin sama alur yang udah ada.

Aku bacanya sampai, hah, hah, hah 🫠

Nggak mau banyak ngomong. Baca aja slide demi slide hasil isi pikiranku yang kacau wkwkwk

Tapi harus aku akui, trik eumenides termasuk di luar nalar, sekaligus keren. Mungkin ini alasan aku masih pengen baca buku ke #3 nanti pas udah rilis

Akhir kata,

Manusia tidak pernah bisa menciptakan keadilan yang di terima semua orang. Apalagi keadilan versi Eumenides yang tidak memperhatikan dampak psikologis orang lain. Itu bukan adil, tapi egois berbalut kesombongan.

Jika Eumenides punya kemampuan sehebat itu, harusnya target dia bukan recehan seperti anak SMA, tapi orang-orang kaya (konglomerat) tidak tersentuh hukum.

Jadi sekali lagi, aku tidak bisa menerima pengertian keadilan versi Eumwnides. Dia hanyalah bocah yang sok bermain sebagai Hukum

#Eumenides #SuratKematian #Takdir #ZhouHaohui #Crime #Mysteri #thriller #thrillerbooks #ReviewBuku #BacaBuku

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the arc of Fate by Zhou Haohui.

4 star read- This is the second installment in the Death Notice series, which is a best seller book in China and which has already been turned into a tv series. I felt a bit daunted and uncomfortable at first due to the fact I have not read the first book but i think you would be much of much greater advantage if you read the first in the series. This follows a popular vigilante serial killer whom is on a rampage... whom is known as Eumindes which is named after the Ancient Greek Spirits who gives out what he calls Death Notices to people whom deserving of death, or those who have escaped Justice... so Eumindes have got himself a popular following. the original Eumindes is death but there is another one at the mix..

This is such a thrilling storytelling like wow this was so intense and thrilling recommend to all

4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Raihanah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melanjutkan ketegangan dari buku pertama, Surat Kematian 2: Takdir masih berkutat pada perburuan terhadap Eumenides, sosok misterius yang mengirim "surat kematian" kepada orang-orang yang dianggap bersalah. Kepolisian terus berusaha mengungkap identitas asli di balik eksekutor kejam ini, tetapi semakin mereka mendekat, semakin banyak rahasia yang terbuka dan jebakan yang menghadang.

Buku ini tetap menghadirkan ketegangan khas Zhou Haohui dengan plot yang penuh intrik dan teka-teki. Jika buku pertama lebih banyak membangun dasar cerita dan memperkenalkan karakter, sekuelnya ini terasa lebih intens dengan banyak kejutan yang sulit ditebak.

Karena belum selesai membaca, saya belum bisa memberikan ulasan penuh. Namun, sejauh ini, buku ini masih layak untuk diikuti bagi yang suka thriller kriminal dengan plot yang penuh misteri. Mungkin nanti kalau saya lanjut baca, bisa saya update lagi!