Brian Klingborg (Thief of Souls) excels in Wild Prey, his second hard-as-nails novel featuring Inspector Lu Fei. This thriller is an intriguing exploration of a police inspector devoted to serving justice, while being hampered by the rules of the Chinese Communist Party.
A thoughtful detective, Lu often is at odds with those in power, including his supervisors. He will not let go of an investigation--one reason he has been assigned to Raven Valley, a rural township near Harbin, in northeast China. Lu tries to dismiss 15-year-old Tan Meirong, who claims her 19-year-old sister, Meixiang, is missing. Meixiang works in a Harbin restaurant famous for its exotic, virility-enhancing dishes but had kept in daily contact with her sister. Lu tries to convince Meirong that her sister merely left for a vacation, but the girl refuses to leave the police station, staying overnight until Lu takes her seriously. A visit to the restaurant with its elite and politically connected clientele raises Lu's suspicions--and results in a suspension when he refuses his supervisor's demands to drop the case. Acting on his own, Lu continues the investigation, which involves an illegal animal trafficking operation, the harvesting of endangered species for exotic delicacies and allegedly medicinal use, and the compound of a violent female warlord in remote Myanmar.
Klingborg unflinchingly depicts the illegal animal trade and the insatiable appetites of those who exploit the vulnerable. Violence propels the narrative, but Klingborg doesn't resort to gratuitous brutality. Well-placed bits of humor add levity, especially showing how the police work around government rules, while references to Chinese culture, both past and present, give readers insight. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer