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Silent Reading #4
Silent Reading (IV)
Childhood, upbringing, family background, social relations, traumatic experiences…
We keep reviewing and seeking out the motives of criminals, exploring the subtlest emotions driving them. It’s not to put ourselves in their shoes and sympathize, or even forgive them; it’s not to find some reasons to exculpate their crimes; it’s not to kneel down before the so-called “complexity of human nature”; nor to introspect social conflicts, much less to alienate ourselves into monsters.
We just want to have a fair trial – for ourselves and for those who still have hope for the world.
We keep reviewing and seeking out the motives of criminals, exploring the subtlest emotions driving them. It’s not to put ourselves in their shoes and sympathize, or even forgive them; it’s not to find some reasons to exculpate their crimes; it’s not to kneel down before the so-called “complexity of human nature”; nor to introspect social conflicts, much less to alienate ourselves into monsters.
We just want to have a fair trial – for ourselves and for those who still have hope for the world.
420 pages, ebook
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116 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 21, 2024
Format read: kindle
Reading time: A couple of months (it was on hiatus for way too long)
Tags: translation, trauma, lgbt (m/m, bi), crime, detective fiction, mystery, psychological
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 8/10
Review:
Omg, Priest is such a genius. I am, once again, reminded of why I'm a mega fan of her work.
Book 4 is, like the previous volumes, a high octane story featuring a complex murder case with a whole underground web of nefarious people. Luo Wenzhou and his team are sent to work on the gruesome murder of a high school boy. The only witness to the crime is a girl of the same age, utterly traumatized and unable to cooperate with the investigation. Luo Wenzhou soon discovers that the boy's murderer is one of the most wanted criminals for multiple murders some 15 years before this case. The more the team digs into this case, the more they uncover the ugliness of the student's school, severe bullying, murderers in hiding, and corporate entities handling all of it in the background.
This book also gives us a lot more information on Fei Du's horrible childhood and his current plans and obsessions with destroying his father's "legacy" through whichever means possible. As expected, Luo Wenzhou refuses to see him self-destruct, and so the pair have frequent heavy and loaded conversations about what Fei Du should and shouldn't do. Now that Luo Wenzhou is officially in his life, he has turned into a full-on mother hen and is in protective mode 24/7.
I found that the middle section of the book dragged, but all the complexities of the various characters involved in this story are, ultimately necessary to understand (and solve) the case. As always with Priest, the murder cases are more prominent in the story than the DuZhou dynamic, yet when she gives us moments between the two, they're stellar. Their chemistry is explosive, and things go from 0 to 100 so quickly, then back to 0 within the span of a couple of paragraphs. Following their relationship is like being on a rollercoaster (not on the level of The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (Novel) Vol. 1, but more like Guardian: Zhen Hun (Novel) Vol. 1, which makes sense).
Also, unrelated to the book's plot, but I keep thinking of the Justice in the dark LA that was tragically cut short. Zhang Xin Cheng as Fei Du and Fu Xin Bo as Luo Wenzhou live in my brain rent free, and every time they pop up in the book, which is basically on every page, I just picture the actors haha. Here's to hoping that the rest of the show will be released one day...
Onto book 5 for the grand finale!
Reading time: A couple of months (it was on hiatus for way too long)
Tags: translation, trauma, lgbt (m/m, bi), crime, detective fiction, mystery, psychological
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 8/10
Review:
Omg, Priest is such a genius. I am, once again, reminded of why I'm a mega fan of her work.
Book 4 is, like the previous volumes, a high octane story featuring a complex murder case with a whole underground web of nefarious people. Luo Wenzhou and his team are sent to work on the gruesome murder of a high school boy. The only witness to the crime is a girl of the same age, utterly traumatized and unable to cooperate with the investigation. Luo Wenzhou soon discovers that the boy's murderer is one of the most wanted criminals for multiple murders some 15 years before this case. The more the team digs into this case, the more they uncover the ugliness of the student's school, severe bullying, murderers in hiding, and corporate entities handling all of it in the background.
This book also gives us a lot more information on Fei Du's horrible childhood and his current plans and obsessions with destroying his father's "legacy" through whichever means possible. As expected, Luo Wenzhou refuses to see him self-destruct, and so the pair have frequent heavy and loaded conversations about what Fei Du should and shouldn't do. Now that Luo Wenzhou is officially in his life, he has turned into a full-on mother hen and is in protective mode 24/7.
I found that the middle section of the book dragged, but all the complexities of the various characters involved in this story are, ultimately necessary to understand (and solve) the case. As always with Priest, the murder cases are more prominent in the story than the DuZhou dynamic, yet when she gives us moments between the two, they're stellar. Their chemistry is explosive, and things go from 0 to 100 so quickly, then back to 0 within the span of a couple of paragraphs. Following their relationship is like being on a rollercoaster (not on the level of The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (Novel) Vol. 1, but more like Guardian: Zhen Hun (Novel) Vol. 1, which makes sense).
Also, unrelated to the book's plot, but I keep thinking of the Justice in the dark LA that was tragically cut short. Zhang Xin Cheng as Fei Du and Fu Xin Bo as Luo Wenzhou live in my brain rent free, and every time they pop up in the book, which is basically on every page, I just picture the actors haha. Here's to hoping that the rest of the show will be released one day...
Onto book 5 for the grand finale!
August 21, 2025
4.85 stars
And the plot thickens... **light spoilers**
This volume covers technically one case that devolves into something deeper, but in my mind, it splits into two definable halves: a group of runaway teens escaping academic and social pressures within their private school's insidious ecosystem that ends up with one of them brutally murdered; and a long-escaped near-forgotten serial murderer reappearing, not out of his own volition, but by contract.
All those thin threads that have been woven throughout each of the cases so far, those unanswered questions are finally coming together in this volume. Following the trail of just who hired this serial killer (who'd been hiding for fifteen years steeps Luo Wenzhou and his team at the investigation bureau even deeper into the web of the dark criminal underground plaguing Yan City.
This world is too complicated. Countless sordid things have been accumulating underground for a long time, like chronic illnesses that can never heal.
And the one who shines the most light on this dark conspiracy? Fei Du himself. Finally, Fei Du reveals the cards he's been holding, the secrets weighing him down ever since these interconnected cases began, opening up to Luo Wenzhou about both his traumatic past and his concealed feelings toward him.
While I found the first half of the case intriguing enough, as it shifts into the second half of the investigation focusing more on the serial killer and the organization that hired him, we sort of lose the characters and the events of the first half of the case--the horrific bullying and social pressures facing the students at the private school where the group of teenagers ran away from. Bigger fish to fry, certainly, but I felt that this part of the case gets dropped once Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du start tracking down the forces behind Lu Guosheng (the serial killer hired out by a larger assassination group). The second half of the case really picks up speed, and it's made even more suspenseful by the threat of a mole in the bureau that Luo Wenzhou and Tao Ran have been trying to discover since the previous volume.
What I loved about this volume is the growth for Fei Du. As soon as his cards are on the table, and he finds, to his great relief, that Luo Wenzhou has still chosen to trust him, we finally get to see Fei Du's behind-the-scenes dealings on the main stage. And boy oh boy does this man know how to pull his resources. For the second half of the case, Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du team up as the power couple we always knew they could be, with Fei Du's resources and Luo Wenzhou's fearless initiative combining to narrowly catch the killer and bring down a whole leg of the criminal organization they're finally closing in on.
Whereas the previous volume had leaps and bounds for the romantic development mostly on Luo Wenzhou's part, this volume finally FINALLY gives us the beautiful balance of both Luo Wenzhou's utter soft-heartedness toward Fei Du and Fei Du's long-withheld feelings for Luo Wenzhou. While things are still rocky as they navigate titles and boundaries, the open communication and tenderness that both parties exhibit in this volume are utterly heart-warming. This volume is beautifully decorated with small, domestic moments between the new lovers (and plenty of Luo Yiguo shenanigans).
With his arms crossed over his chest, Luo Wenzhou watched his master Fei and master cat. His heart....finally seemed to return to his body, slowly sinking into his chest, producing a flower, the scientific name of which was "calm."
There are so many of these little moments of Luo Wenzhou realizing how at peace and at home he feels with Fei Du in his life, but while we've seen so much of Luo Wenzhou's longing this whole time, Fei Du's inner emotions are finally opening up as well.
"I want you." This had originally been just a casual line of flirtation, but the instant he said it, it raised a mighty uproar in Fei Du's heart, as if an uninvited spring breeze had ruptured a vast field of snow, creating something out of nothing, sweeping everything away, the enormous echoes surging through his heart, quivering endlessly. As if he'd inadvertently spat up a bloody piece of his true heart.
The raw emotions in this volume, the baring of each others' chests, really drive home why this couple is one of my favorites in any Priest novel. They're both strong independent characters individually, but once they begin to open up to each other, constantly choosing each other, we still get major character development for both of them. So proud of these boys and the little home they're making together. Even if master cat #1 Luo Yiguo tries his best to ruin their intimate moments by breaking anything in sight. (Still love him.)
And the plot thickens... **light spoilers**
This volume covers technically one case that devolves into something deeper, but in my mind, it splits into two definable halves: a group of runaway teens escaping academic and social pressures within their private school's insidious ecosystem that ends up with one of them brutally murdered; and a long-escaped near-forgotten serial murderer reappearing, not out of his own volition, but by contract.
All those thin threads that have been woven throughout each of the cases so far, those unanswered questions are finally coming together in this volume. Following the trail of just who hired this serial killer (who'd been hiding for fifteen years steeps Luo Wenzhou and his team at the investigation bureau even deeper into the web of the dark criminal underground plaguing Yan City.
This world is too complicated. Countless sordid things have been accumulating underground for a long time, like chronic illnesses that can never heal.
And the one who shines the most light on this dark conspiracy? Fei Du himself. Finally, Fei Du reveals the cards he's been holding, the secrets weighing him down ever since these interconnected cases began, opening up to Luo Wenzhou about both his traumatic past and his concealed feelings toward him.
While I found the first half of the case intriguing enough, as it shifts into the second half of the investigation focusing more on the serial killer and the organization that hired him, we sort of lose the characters and the events of the first half of the case--the horrific bullying and social pressures facing the students at the private school where the group of teenagers ran away from. Bigger fish to fry, certainly, but I felt that this part of the case gets dropped once Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du start tracking down the forces behind Lu Guosheng (the serial killer hired out by a larger assassination group). The second half of the case really picks up speed, and it's made even more suspenseful by the threat of a mole in the bureau that Luo Wenzhou and Tao Ran have been trying to discover since the previous volume.
What I loved about this volume is the growth for Fei Du. As soon as his cards are on the table, and he finds, to his great relief, that Luo Wenzhou has still chosen to trust him, we finally get to see Fei Du's behind-the-scenes dealings on the main stage. And boy oh boy does this man know how to pull his resources. For the second half of the case, Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du team up as the power couple we always knew they could be, with Fei Du's resources and Luo Wenzhou's fearless initiative combining to narrowly catch the killer and bring down a whole leg of the criminal organization they're finally closing in on.
Whereas the previous volume had leaps and bounds for the romantic development mostly on Luo Wenzhou's part, this volume finally FINALLY gives us the beautiful balance of both Luo Wenzhou's utter soft-heartedness toward Fei Du and Fei Du's long-withheld feelings for Luo Wenzhou. While things are still rocky as they navigate titles and boundaries, the open communication and tenderness that both parties exhibit in this volume are utterly heart-warming. This volume is beautifully decorated with small, domestic moments between the new lovers (and plenty of Luo Yiguo shenanigans).
With his arms crossed over his chest, Luo Wenzhou watched his master Fei and master cat. His heart....finally seemed to return to his body, slowly sinking into his chest, producing a flower, the scientific name of which was "calm."
There are so many of these little moments of Luo Wenzhou realizing how at peace and at home he feels with Fei Du in his life, but while we've seen so much of Luo Wenzhou's longing this whole time, Fei Du's inner emotions are finally opening up as well.
"I want you." This had originally been just a casual line of flirtation, but the instant he said it, it raised a mighty uproar in Fei Du's heart, as if an uninvited spring breeze had ruptured a vast field of snow, creating something out of nothing, sweeping everything away, the enormous echoes surging through his heart, quivering endlessly. As if he'd inadvertently spat up a bloody piece of his true heart.
The raw emotions in this volume, the baring of each others' chests, really drive home why this couple is one of my favorites in any Priest novel. They're both strong independent characters individually, but once they begin to open up to each other, constantly choosing each other, we still get major character development for both of them. So proud of these boys and the little home they're making together. Even if master cat #1 Luo Yiguo tries his best to ruin their intimate moments by breaking anything in sight. (Still love him.)
June 25, 2024
✰*ੈ✩‧₊˚ three ✰’s
the way priest weaves together plot is immaculate which is why i’m so bummed that i didn’t like this book in the series as much as i liked the others. with the other volumes in this series it did take me awhile to get into each new case but once i did i was speeding through the pages trying to connect each and every dot.
that never happened with this case, which sucks, because zhoudu still makes me want to scream (in a good day), luo yiguo still is my (second favorite only because da qing from guardian exists) cat in danmei, the side characters are entertaining and the writing is always 🤌🏻
there’s still one more book left to go in mo du so i’m crossing my fingers that the case there will pull me in better than this one did!!!
the way priest weaves together plot is immaculate which is why i’m so bummed that i didn’t like this book in the series as much as i liked the others. with the other volumes in this series it did take me awhile to get into each new case but once i did i was speeding through the pages trying to connect each and every dot.
that never happened with this case, which sucks, because zhoudu still makes me want to scream (in a good day), luo yiguo still is my (second favorite only because da qing from guardian exists) cat in danmei, the side characters are entertaining and the writing is always 🤌🏻
there’s still one more book left to go in mo du so i’m crossing my fingers that the case there will pull me in better than this one did!!!
May 12, 2023
Book 4 ZhouDu is just something else. Aside from the very complex case that Priest had concocted; their relationship here is really intricate. The way the two move and communicate as a couple is so good. Especially with their dynamic. Fei Du is detached and likes to run away, so Luo Wenzhou would always do things to run towards Fei Du without scaring his person entirely and try to communicate patiently with him. He loves and cares for Fei Du so much, and so does Fei Du to him.
Looking forward for more. I won't talk about the case so it won't spoil anything. But it's very moving, and I love how it helped us take a glimpse inside Fei Du's mind and history.
Looking forward for more. I won't talk about the case so it won't spoil anything. But it's very moving, and I love how it helped us take a glimpse inside Fei Du's mind and history.
August 15, 2023
holy shit priest is a genius. how did they come up with something this complicated?
February 17, 2025
and when you say that priest can't top the previous story she goes above and beyond.
May 15, 2025
"The human-shaped monster’s footsteps were already right behind them; as they cried out to heaven and earth in the empty streets, neither heaven nor earth answered.".
So... When I started this volume rereading, the live action wasn't even halfway through the last one, and I honestly expected to wait until this one was fully adapted to read it. However, with that ending from vol. 3 there was absolutely no way I could just wait so long to continue, so I decided to read only the first chapters to relieve a bit of my anxiety, the thing is, when I realized I did not only finish the entire thing, but even started the next one 🤡 (jokes on me).
"Sometimes, a person’s thoughts aren’t free, because external forces are constantly trying to mold you. They force you to accept mainstream tastes, force you to listen to whoever has the loudest voice—even if it doesn’t accord with your logic or your character, even if it’s entirely against your interests. But as long as the real you still has one last gasp left in her, she’ll always be trying to make a weak noise.".
I'm sincerely mostly impressed at how much of this volume I had completely forgotten, I remember that I was like "wtf is going on!!??" and "this happened!!??" for most of it. I said before that it was surprising how many details from the first 3 volumes I didn't remember, but this time, nevermind the details, I completely forgot THE ENTIRE PLOT!!? I couldn't even remember what it was about, it was like reading it for the first time (which I loved I need to admit) 😅, I started to remember a few things halfway through the book, mostly like "deja vus", but yeah, I'm still shocked with my own memory.
“Dear Mom and Dad, I’m leaving you this letter because I worry every day, pondering in pain what I was born for.”.
The case starts with a group of high school kids from an elite school running away during the holidays because of the "pressure". However when one of those kids gets killed in an horrifying way that results being the same as a series of murders from 15 years ago, the team starts digging up on things and discovers that the case is quite a bit more complicated and disturbing than they once thought.
"This person had killed and robbed. He was cruel and ruthless. He made no distinction between a human life and a dog’s life—they were both a joke to him.
Towards parents or siblings, relatives or friends, he was without exception unfeeling, without exception indifferent. He only cared about [...], this daughter he’d never met—because in his eyes, she wasn’t a person; she was a “family line,” a family treasure of the sort that was very precious, even if you didn’t know what use it had.".
This case touches a lot on economic differences, bullying, marginalization (specially among teenagers at school), abuse of power and decades old conspiracies from big corporations, including public servants and killers for rent.
Our little comrade Xiao Haiyang also gets a bit of spotlight and development in this arc, he's such a nice kid, I would like to give him a hug (even though sometimes he desperate me a bit). This case is quite a bit personal to him, since someone he loved was involved in it, we learn a bit about his past and about how he decided to become a cop, it's quite heartwarming and bittersweet at the same time.
"She finally demonstrated for me that if you couldn’t be free, it was better to die.".
From an outlooker point of view the happenings of this case might seem quite absurd, and even exaggerated, because most people wouldn't imagine kids being capable of such kind of doing, but reality is very different, specially if those kids are used to doing what they want without suffering consequences . I currently live in a city that holds a lot of elite schools, no simple private schools, ELITE schools, and news about creepy stuff happening there aren't really rare, the terrible treatment students from more humble backgrounds suffer (from both the school and their colleagues), in particular if they are not white or are there on scholarships is frankly deshumanising, everything usually gets weeped under the rug and there are rarely legal consequences.
The funny thing is that this second time reading the novel this one is, at least for now, my favorite case, I really have no idea how I even forgot about it.
"Luo Wenzhou was human; sometimes a human couldn’t avoid being covetous, couldn’t avoid being endlessly greedy.".
In this volume the relationship between Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du starts to deepen and evolve to... "more", they finally admit their true feelings for each other and work on a lot of the tension there was around them, by being honest and trusting each other their feelings and their secrets. Especially regarding Fei Du's childhood and relationship with his parents (and between his parents), a lot of questions finally get answered (as inevitably numerous others arise), and some things regarding the entire character start to make sense. I admit that sometimes I really want to get into the book and give that pr1ck Fei Du a nice beating, like really, only Luo Wenzhou to be so patient with him (because, again, LWZ is always goals). I need FD to suffer a little bit for LWZ, honestly that man deserves the world.
"In the beginning Fei Du had been like a dangerous plant emitting a rare perfume, indiscriminately attracting everyone who passed by. The more Luo Wenzhou’s intellect had flashed warning signals, the more attracted he had been. All the so-called “seductive” people and things on earth were probably like this—you knew they were poisonous, but you wanted to go take poison.".
Ps: I'd love to have Captain Luo as my boss, like really, seems like so much fun, I would like to be his bestie honestly 🤭
Ps2: Considering the nature of this case it actually makes quite some sense they decided to age up the kids a few years, however in the few chapters I already watched they sadly also removed pretty important scenes 😓.
So... When I started this volume rereading, the live action wasn't even halfway through the last one, and I honestly expected to wait until this one was fully adapted to read it. However, with that ending from vol. 3 there was absolutely no way I could just wait so long to continue, so I decided to read only the first chapters to relieve a bit of my anxiety, the thing is, when I realized I did not only finish the entire thing, but even started the next one 🤡 (jokes on me).
"Sometimes, a person’s thoughts aren’t free, because external forces are constantly trying to mold you. They force you to accept mainstream tastes, force you to listen to whoever has the loudest voice—even if it doesn’t accord with your logic or your character, even if it’s entirely against your interests. But as long as the real you still has one last gasp left in her, she’ll always be trying to make a weak noise.".
I'm sincerely mostly impressed at how much of this volume I had completely forgotten, I remember that I was like "wtf is going on!!??" and "this happened!!??" for most of it. I said before that it was surprising how many details from the first 3 volumes I didn't remember, but this time, nevermind the details, I completely forgot THE ENTIRE PLOT!!? I couldn't even remember what it was about, it was like reading it for the first time (which I loved I need to admit) 😅, I started to remember a few things halfway through the book, mostly like "deja vus", but yeah, I'm still shocked with my own memory.
“Dear Mom and Dad, I’m leaving you this letter because I worry every day, pondering in pain what I was born for.”.
The case starts with a group of high school kids from an elite school running away during the holidays because of the "pressure". However when one of those kids gets killed in an horrifying way that results being the same as a series of murders from 15 years ago, the team starts digging up on things and discovers that the case is quite a bit more complicated and disturbing than they once thought.
"This person had killed and robbed. He was cruel and ruthless. He made no distinction between a human life and a dog’s life—they were both a joke to him.
Towards parents or siblings, relatives or friends, he was without exception unfeeling, without exception indifferent. He only cared about [...], this daughter he’d never met—because in his eyes, she wasn’t a person; she was a “family line,” a family treasure of the sort that was very precious, even if you didn’t know what use it had.".
This case touches a lot on economic differences, bullying, marginalization (specially among teenagers at school), abuse of power and decades old conspiracies from big corporations, including public servants and killers for rent.
Our little comrade Xiao Haiyang also gets a bit of spotlight and development in this arc, he's such a nice kid, I would like to give him a hug (even though sometimes he desperate me a bit). This case is quite a bit personal to him, since someone he loved was involved in it, we learn a bit about his past and about how he decided to become a cop, it's quite heartwarming and bittersweet at the same time.
"She finally demonstrated for me that if you couldn’t be free, it was better to die.".
From an outlooker point of view the happenings of this case might seem quite absurd, and even exaggerated, because most people wouldn't imagine kids being capable of such kind of doing, but reality is very different, specially if those kids are used to doing what they want without suffering consequences . I currently live in a city that holds a lot of elite schools, no simple private schools, ELITE schools, and news about creepy stuff happening there aren't really rare, the terrible treatment students from more humble backgrounds suffer (from both the school and their colleagues), in particular if they are not white or are there on scholarships is frankly deshumanising, everything usually gets weeped under the rug and there are rarely legal consequences.
The funny thing is that this second time reading the novel this one is, at least for now, my favorite case, I really have no idea how I even forgot about it.
"Luo Wenzhou was human; sometimes a human couldn’t avoid being covetous, couldn’t avoid being endlessly greedy.".
In this volume the relationship between Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du starts to deepen and evolve to... "more", they finally admit their true feelings for each other and work on a lot of the tension there was around them, by being honest and trusting each other their feelings and their secrets. Especially regarding Fei Du's childhood and relationship with his parents (and between his parents), a lot of questions finally get answered (as inevitably numerous others arise), and some things regarding the entire character start to make sense. I admit that sometimes I really want to get into the book and give that pr1ck Fei Du a nice beating, like really, only Luo Wenzhou to be so patient with him (because, again, LWZ is always goals). I need FD to suffer a little bit for LWZ, honestly that man deserves the world.
"In the beginning Fei Du had been like a dangerous plant emitting a rare perfume, indiscriminately attracting everyone who passed by. The more Luo Wenzhou’s intellect had flashed warning signals, the more attracted he had been. All the so-called “seductive” people and things on earth were probably like this—you knew they were poisonous, but you wanted to go take poison.".
Ps: I'd love to have Captain Luo as my boss, like really, seems like so much fun, I would like to be his bestie honestly 🤭
Ps2: Considering the nature of this case it actually makes quite some sense they decided to age up the kids a few years, however in the few chapters I already watched they sadly also removed pretty important scenes 😓.
September 11, 2024
There is something so satisfying about a hard earned slow burn and Priest delivers again and again. In addition to having a great plot and characters, the subtle humor had me laughing out loud throughout the book. And I don't even know where to begin with how much I loved Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du’s relationship ❤️ The cute, sweet, and flirty moments between them are what made the book for me.
LW: super caring (in an almost aggressive way 😂) , protective, fiercely loyal and devoted. The unwavering love and support he has for FD is EVERYTHING.
FD: charismatic with a brilliant mind, sassy but definitely hiding a lot due to a very traumatic past.
This is broken up into five books, each focusing on a different crime with them all being interconnected in some way by the end of the book. Crime/thriller/mystery is not my go-to genre so by the end of the book I was ready for it to end- I feel like that is definitely a me problem though.
While I really enjoyed this novel, Can Ci Pin is still #1 for me for Priest's novels (might change when I finish Sha Po Lang and Guardian). This is a much tighter story but was just a little longer than my attention span could handle.
LW: super caring (in an almost aggressive way 😂) , protective, fiercely loyal and devoted. The unwavering love and support he has for FD is EVERYTHING.
FD: charismatic with a brilliant mind, sassy but definitely hiding a lot due to a very traumatic past.
This is broken up into five books, each focusing on a different crime with them all being interconnected in some way by the end of the book. Crime/thriller/mystery is not my go-to genre so by the end of the book I was ready for it to end- I feel like that is definitely a me problem though.
While I really enjoyed this novel, Can Ci Pin is still #1 for me for Priest's novels (might change when I finish Sha Po Lang and Guardian). This is a much tighter story but was just a little longer than my attention span could handle.
November 5, 2025
”All his life, he’d constantly dodged, constantly struggled, and constantly broken away; there had never been any person or thing he’d been reluctant to leave. This was the first time he had been seized by a strange longing, invisible waves rising in his calm chest, submerging his keen senses.”
Actually baffled it took me seven months to finish this. I got through half and then there wasn’t anything on this earth that could make me get through more than a couple of pages at a time. There’s nothing wrong with the story, it was wrapped up much better than the previous ones. Details were woven together better and we got a conclusion that made sense without too many plot holes. To top that off we also got to know our main characters better and their relationship played a bigger part. I think I’m maybe just getting a bit bored overall, the old case that’s being solved parallel to the new cases in every book feels blown out of proportion, and if the conclusion isn’t grand as hell, it definitely feels like this could have been shorter overall. But! We’re getting closer to finding out the truth and I’m invested enough to stay seated.
Actually baffled it took me seven months to finish this. I got through half and then there wasn’t anything on this earth that could make me get through more than a couple of pages at a time. There’s nothing wrong with the story, it was wrapped up much better than the previous ones. Details were woven together better and we got a conclusion that made sense without too many plot holes. To top that off we also got to know our main characters better and their relationship played a bigger part. I think I’m maybe just getting a bit bored overall, the old case that’s being solved parallel to the new cases in every book feels blown out of proportion, and if the conclusion isn’t grand as hell, it definitely feels like this could have been shorter overall. But! We’re getting closer to finding out the truth and I’m invested enough to stay seated.
November 17, 2023
Còn gây cấn hơn cả phần trước ạ uầy không ngờ thủ phạm từ 15 năm trước đã xuất hiện và g.i.ế.t một học sinh nam học sinh nữ bên cạnh đã chứng kiến toàn bộ chuyện này.
Mới phát hiện ra một việc là vụ của bố mẹ chủ tịch Phí với LVC liên quan tới nhau quá khứ của chủ tịch Phí vẫn là một bí ẩn chưa được giải đáp. Tập này hai người thả thính quá trời quá đất luôn.
Vì phấn khích quá nên làm trước một cái review phần này quá ư là tuyệt vời luôn….Thật không ngờ những em học sinh đó có thể nghĩ ra những trò như vậy!
Ồ hoá ra Tiêu Hải Dương là quân của Cố Chiêu gửi gắm để phá giải vụ án năm xưa, uầy vậy là ông Chiêu vẫn còn chấp niệm vụ án 15 năm trước nên Tiêu Hải Dương muốn trở thành cảnh sát để giúp đỡ người hàng xóm đã chăm sóc mình. Nói đến Cố Chiêu thì đó là đồng nghiệp của sư phụ của Lạc Văn Chu….
Đoán đúng là Tiêu Hải Dương một tay Chiêu Dương chăm sóc từ bé nhưng mà không phải ông Cố gửi gắm mà là THD muốn trả thù…. Oà hoá ra là một tổ chức lớn triệu tập những kẻ giết người sao. Vô tình lại biết thêm là bố của một học sinh đang dính đến cái trò chơi quái quỷ đó.
P/s : Tiếp tục thôi phần sau là phần cuối rồi làm nốt
Mới phát hiện ra một việc là vụ của bố mẹ chủ tịch Phí với LVC liên quan tới nhau quá khứ của chủ tịch Phí vẫn là một bí ẩn chưa được giải đáp. Tập này hai người thả thính quá trời quá đất luôn.
Vì phấn khích quá nên làm trước một cái review phần này quá ư là tuyệt vời luôn….Thật không ngờ những em học sinh đó có thể nghĩ ra những trò như vậy!
Ồ hoá ra Tiêu Hải Dương là quân của Cố Chiêu gửi gắm để phá giải vụ án năm xưa, uầy vậy là ông Chiêu vẫn còn chấp niệm vụ án 15 năm trước nên Tiêu Hải Dương muốn trở thành cảnh sát để giúp đỡ người hàng xóm đã chăm sóc mình. Nói đến Cố Chiêu thì đó là đồng nghiệp của sư phụ của Lạc Văn Chu….
Đoán đúng là Tiêu Hải Dương một tay Chiêu Dương chăm sóc từ bé nhưng mà không phải ông Cố gửi gắm mà là THD muốn trả thù…. Oà hoá ra là một tổ chức lớn triệu tập những kẻ giết người sao. Vô tình lại biết thêm là bố của một học sinh đang dính đến cái trò chơi quái quỷ đó.
P/s : Tiếp tục thôi phần sau là phần cuối rồi làm nốt
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2025
book 4 has my favourite case so far. something about deconstructing the dark underbelly of elitist institutions is really entertaining for me... and this plays a big role in this arc. not only from the angle of the school, where the kids of the rich and powerful were emboldened to actual murder. but also with said rich and powerful old money folk buying and selling lives.
last book we learnt more about fei du. things are finally laid bare (not everything of course - he still is fei du). but we do learn more about his past, his father, and the role the two of them have respectively played in all the plots so far. book 3 also has the most relationship and character development for fei du. him opening up, however reluctantly, to luo wenzhou. i also loved his relationship with xiao haiyang. they're not friends, but i think fei du recognises the things that pushed xiao haiyang with this case. he's able to interact with xiao haiyang without any pretenses.
last book we learnt more about fei du. things are finally laid bare (not everything of course - he still is fei du). but we do learn more about his past, his father, and the role the two of them have respectively played in all the plots so far. book 3 also has the most relationship and character development for fei du. him opening up, however reluctantly, to luo wenzhou. i also loved his relationship with xiao haiyang. they're not friends, but i think fei du recognises the things that pushed xiao haiyang with this case. he's able to interact with xiao haiyang without any pretenses.
July 12, 2024
My first review
I hope one day i can see the rest of the drama😭
I hope one day i can see the rest of the drama😭
Read
February 19, 2025So much suspense.
December 5, 2025
wow este caso ha sido una fumada increíble, me encanta
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