Silent Reading

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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.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Justice in the Dark [Live-Action Drama]
Mò Dú
Silent Reading
Đọc Thầm
Безмолвное Чтение
Мовчазне читання
ชาลาในอนธการ
默讀
默读
묵독
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Breaking Through the Clouds (8)
Sha Qing (5)
Imperfections (4)
Criminal Psychology (4)
First-Class Lawyer (4)
Swallowing the Seas (3)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Plot driven bl novels
  2. Criminal Danmei
  3. BEST MUST READ NOVELS
  4. It's 2024 and I still love you
  5. My treasures

Latest Release

Date Group Release
09/16/20 Ainushi Translations c68
09/15/20 Ainushi Translations c67
09/14/20 Ainushi Translations c66
09/13/20 Ainushi Translations c65
09/12/20 Ainushi Translations c64
09/11/20 Ainushi Translations c63
09/10/20 Ainushi Translations c62
09/09/20 Ainushi Translations c61
09/08/20 Ainushi Translations c60
09/07/20 Ainushi Translations c59
07/23/20 E. Danglars epilogue
07/23/20 E. Danglars v5
07/23/20 E. Danglars v4
07/23/20 E. Danglars v3
07/23/20 E. Danglars v2
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103 Reviews sorted by


Solivagant
Solivagant
July 29, 2020
Status: Completed
My God, it is such an intense read! I marathoned this in 2 days!!

Y'know a novel is really good if it can immerse the readers with the emotion in the story! This is one of the few novel that can make me feel the thrills and goosebumps all over from the cases. There are many novels that can make me laugh but rarely there is a novel that can make me pound worryingly at the action part, that can make me curse angrily at a certain villain, that can make... more>> my heart beat rapidly at suspense part like this!!

And the MC-ML pair in this story reminds me of the pair in Earth Is Online because both of this pair a smart & intelligent couples. And I love the ML-Captain Luo as much as I love Major Fu!! He is such an easy-going but reliable, dependable, smart and strong leader and partner!! <<less
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RiYueLingKong
RiYueLingKong rated it
March 28, 2019
Status: Completed
The starting works takes a lot of traction, the middle gets better, and the ending is best. As long as you have the attention span to get through at least the first arc, it'll be good XD.

Not for those looking for a light read, or looking to sleep at night...
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ilaalexei
ilaalexei rated it
September 7, 2023
Status: Completed
This series has to be one of my top fave books / series of all time. I legitimately think I could and would enjoy writing a lengthy thesis about it. It's a series that I enjoyed so much that I put off reading the last volume for MONTHS because I didn't want the series to end.

What kind of story is Silent Reading?
First and foremost this is a detective story. It involves police and politics, corruption and manipulation, wealthy overpowering the poor, and the list of potential trigger warnings for it is quite lengthy. There are some genuinely gruesome and upsetting content in the cases though most of it is seen afterwards and not experienced by the reader-- for example there's a scene where a girl encounters a killer but we don't see what happens and only find out about the aftermath as you read on.

This is also a story about love, friendship, trust, family, and relationships. The special investigation squad really feels like a found family and it is lovely to see them all working so hard to protect each other especially in the last volume when sh*t really hits the fan. There's positive and negative relationships of just about every kind. Some characters are close to their family and have a loving relationship while others despise or have trauma with theirs.

Finally it is a story covered and intertwined with theming and allusions. One of my favorite things about this series is how each book / volume is named after and related to another work of literature. I have not personally read all of them before but I admit I am curious to do so and return to Silent Reading and see how that changes my impression of things. Real quick here's a list of the novels in case you would like to look into them before starting Silent Reading;

  • The Red and the Black by Stendhal (1830)
  • Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)
  • Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1606)
  • Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1871)
  • The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1844)
Who are the main characters?
Without going into details here's a little bit about our main squad:

  • Fei Du - a rich young man with a traumatic past who is interested in psychology and has a keen analytical mind. He is incredibly intelligent and determined to figure everything out (from the cases to his repressed memories) with all he has even if it hurts himself in the process. He acts cold and calculating and is determined not to trust or let others too close.
  • Luo Wenzhou - the head of the special investigation squad, he appears carefree and lighthearted but cares so deeply. He wants to protect his little family of investigators no matter what. (He also has a cat named Luo Yiguo who is hilarious every time he shows up).
  • Tao Ran - deputy captain of the squad, he has strong big brother vibes. He's serious and kind and a good foil to the flippant and brash Luo Wenzhou. He's constantly shaking his head and hoping everyone can get along (at least for a little while).
  • Lang Qiao - part of the special investigation squad, she may not be as quick on analyzing the clues but she makes up for it by being decisive and taking action. (I really appreciated her not being fridged or a damsel -- in fact she often would rush into action and saved Xiao Haiyang a few times).
  • Xiao Haiyang -he starts out in another unit but gets transferred into the special investigation squad in the second book after having worked with them closely during the first book. He's new and has a lot to learn but his incredible memory helps him pick up on some clues that others have missed. His sense of righteousness is strong but his self preservation is weak.
What is the plot of Silent Reading?
Each volume revolves around a certain case that the special investigation squad and Fei Du find themselves wrapped up in. The characters and cases that they work on are complicated and nuanced, I felt a little like a detective myself as I would take notes while reading and try to piece together clues. This includes not only the current case but the little tidbits we would get about the main character's dark past and puzzling how it has affected him into who he is today as well as hints at a large scale conspiracy manipulated by some shadowy force that was directing the characters around to their whim. After reading each volume I would have a list of questions that I had generated that still remained and I hoped I would get more clues to in the next volume.

I also appreciated that the cases seemed to become more complicated and tangled as the series continued. Suspects and victims were not mutually exclusive, What seemed simple at first glance would be revealed to be a cover-up and the characters would pursue the loose strings and uncover what really happened.

Here's a bit more info about potential triggers in the series;
Spoiler

tw -- please note that all of these warnings ALSO APPLY TOWARDS MINORS AND CHILDREN: s*xual abuse and assault, brutal violence and physical abuse, mental and psychological abuse, animal abuse, death, mu*der, drug use, torture, dismemberment, neglect, human trafficking, cult-like brainwashing, manipulation, conspiracy, corruption, police, politics, trauma, cycle of abuse, social standing as an excuse to treat people as lesser (rich targeting the poor, strong targeting the weak, men targeting women, women targeting children, etc.)

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I'm unsure if this would be considered a trigger but just in case;
Spoiler

There's a few times where FD acts cheekily towards LWZ and LWZ alludes to 'punishing' FD with s*x. I believe both characters are aware that this is meant as a form of teasing and play between them and if FD did not consent LWZ would not continue. They both know if FD teases LWZ to this extent that he's egging LWZ on purposefully and is consenting (sometimes this is an attempt to distract LWZ from asking FD questions that FD does not want to answer). Ultimately we know that LWZ wouldn't harm FD but I felt it was worth a mention. This series also unfortunately falls into the trope of one male character always tops and the other always bottoms -- to the extent that when the bottom complains or suggests switching roles the top acts offended or like he doesn't hear the other. It's like some bullsh*t pride thing that pops up from time to time in gay media that the bottom is less masculine because he's on the receiving end. Personally I think LWZ would thoroughly enjoy any type of act with FD as long as FD was doing it with him. And that's not to say a person can't have preferences-- I just get frustrated when the tops act insulted at the mere thought or implication of being the one on the receiving end.

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HiddenHermit
HiddenHermit rated it
March 25, 2023
Status: Completed
Very good novel. There is layer upon layer of intrigue. Not for the faint hearted reader. In fact, even though there is a happy ending for the main couple... I still felt gloomy afterwards. Author is creative in portraying the vileness of humans.
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aelin12
aelin12 rated it
November 18, 2022
Status: Completed
Really brilliant. Every character is well thought out and doesn't serve as just props or plot points. Realistic narrative and keeps you engaged. Really loved ML and MC. If you like reading psychological thrillers with romance mixed and not have a plot full of plotholes, definitely go for it. Give it some time, it grows on you
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Spoilerlove
Spoilerlove
August 31, 2022
Status: Completed
The review will make more sense if u read after finishing the novel.

Regardless of that, this ones a very good investigation thriller.

The chase scenes felt very live, I wish I could see a live action version of this!!!
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Amz
Amz rated it
March 15, 2024
Status: Completed
Woww... that was a wonderful ride of many emotions... highly recommended novel..i loved it..

Even though it has so many characters, and so many events occuring... everything connected so well in the end.

The relationship between the main leads were so freaking good.. and I loved that each and every characters are so multilayered and deep... it's an engaging and thrilling novel.

Definitely worth it to read..
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rebel_rebel
rebel_rebel rated it
September 2, 2023
Status: Completed
This novel has me shaken. I finished it today and I'm still reeling. I genuinely don't remember a time when a book left such an impression on me that I wanted to cry by the end, and not because the ending was unhappy, but because it's over and I'm not ready to say goodbye to these characters.

In a fantasy world where police are actually good guys, the ML Luo Wenzhou and his team would've been the best of their kind. Luo Wenzhou is like an imaginary friend you'd create for... more>> yourself in your childhood. He's selfless, funny and caring, he loves his team and his terrible cat, he is genuinely a good person. His team is unquestioningly loyal to him for a very good reason. They remind me of old-school police dramas like Inspector Rex, where the cops were portrayed as paragons of justice who wanted to help people.

The MC Fei Du is also an amazing character. He's just the right combination of cool, intelligent, powerful, traumatized, lovable and vulnerable. He may not be the most realistic, but he's the type of character you want to read about and root for, and also maybe wrap in a blanket and hide from the world forever. The more you learn about him, the more complex and multi-dimensional he gets.

The author took care to develop the side characters as well. By the end of the novel you can't help but love Tao Ran, Lang Qiao and especially Xiao Haiyang, who goes through a tremendous amount of character growth. In general, there are so many characters in this novel, some are monsters, some are tragic, some are tragic monsters and some are irredeemable psychopaths, but none are boring or flat.

The love between Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du is masterfully woven into the plot, balancing out the main story while at the same time remaining at the heart of it. Their relationship dynamic is simply wonderful, it's extremely touching and really shows how powerful love can be. This love changes them both, especially Fei Du, bringing his character arc to its conclusion in the most satisfying way.

The detective plot is a solid 4. It requires some suspension of disbelief, especially by the end where all the cases are coming together into a single thread, but honestly? Who cares! Crime/mystery novels are rarely the most realistic anyway, and this novel's plot is interesting enough to keep you engaged and questioning who the actual villains are and what their motives could be.

I also want to praise the way the author creates the atmosphere. It's done in such a skillful way that you can almost feel what the characters are feeling, which is a very rare find. I will definitely re-read this novel and check out other novels by the author! <<less
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username51217002
username51217002
July 30, 2023
Status: Completed
If you like detective/Police novels with good written characters and a thought of plot with some really nice power couple romance give it a try.
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goobsjie
goobsjie rated it
July 10, 2023
Status: --
Well-written leads, CP chemistry, and exploration of generational abuse & trauma. Unfortunately Priest's overly ambitious plot suffers from too much "tell and no show" and an overload of characters (QJJ was nowhere near this confusing) which made the last book rather unenjoyable. Overall a 4/5 but the ending is a 3/5 and takes away from the enjoyability of the story.
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EmperorsSmile
EmperorsSmile rated it
May 4, 2023
Status: epilogue
LOVE IT! Both the novel and Zhoudu, it was so satisfying from the beginning to the ending!! I wish Pipi would write more extras T.T It went up to the top in my novel list and for now it's my favorite priest work. I'm so glad the LA dropped, it made me put the novel I was reading back then on hold and try this, I regret so much for not trying it any sooner. It was written so soo well! And the amount of research and hard work PiPi... more>> spent on this.. I even tried most of those referred works while reading, it helped understand each case better, how the plot flows, etc. Because of that I really took my time to read it compared to other novels, I even kept referring to MTL and got help from a CN friend because some details are not delivered right in fan TL (no offense, I respect and am grateful towards all the translators out there for their hard work and time, I just happened to love this novel a lot so I wanted exact and perfect details and it's also my first time going this far OTL) and Fei Du I love you sm!!!

Romance is slow burn and for some people it may be inadequate, but that's given for this kinda detective, thriller, mystery novel and imo romance is included in the right amount, any more of it would be disturbing. If you are looking for something of heavy romance I suggest you not to try and give low ratings. <<less
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Michelle-08
Michelle-08 rated it
April 21, 2023
Status: Completed
A very nice novel. The plot is good and it's like a massive spider web, everyone and everything's connected!

I feel sad for the innocent victims, truly my heart hurts for them and their back stories. I love the interaction between the main couple. It's just that, I feel that FD's character is very OP, you'll know what I mean once you're done reading the story. The also love the side characters, I think they at least were actually part of the story instead of being a "decoration" or suddely forgotten.

It's... more>> worth reading if you love crime stories with a little romance. I love fatty cat the most! Hahaha! <<less
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AnnaChoi
AnnaChoi rated it
April 4, 2023
Status: Completed
Re-reading it again since the drama being suspended because of Blackpink member edited photo. I see disgruntle review about why Fei Du and Luo Wenzhou are OP Male leads. Before I started why the leads are OP I'm going to list why this book need to be choose among Priest book to read.
    1. All the characters have an absolute background stories what and why their current habit, way of thinking shape them into. Details are given to them for us to understand and portraying them in our mind.
    1. The plot is way smoother than another Priest books. It will lead you voluntary fall into the world of "Silent Reading", imagining it and give you knowledge without preaching.
    1. As a branch family of police force, I applaud Priest for write how should be a police work. Luo Wenzhou is powerful as a young master and his old man also in the force, didnt make him exert his "power" to overlord. Keeping structure how policeman work by submit to their leader about the cases they handled, how leader should do and keep in line investigative process based on evidences not blindly shot a blank. I love the sentence said by Luo Wenzhou "We should believe our comrade since we put our back to them to keep" giving a benefit of doubt when they suspected there was a "moles" in the forces.
The Reasons Why The Leads way more OP in my humble opinion.

Spoiler

From all the characters Priest write Luo Wenzhou and Fei Du are human so their human characteristic is the reason why they are so OP.

Lets begin with Luo Wenzhou from the flash look of his description he was portrayed as sloppy team leader, lazy and untidy, harsh mouth but if you further analyzing him. Luo Wenzhou is a just leader, compassionate, highly capacitated EQ and IQ and more importantly he trust his subordinate and protect them when they were suspected and in doubt of their own capability.

If you ask me what scene to describe it, I pick when Luo Wenzhou is suspended bacause the cases is stuck, Lu Jia and Zhou Huajin being pursue by two forces Zhang's Family (black force; criminal syndicate) and Fan's group (gray force; vigilantes). When Lu Jia and Zhou Huajin really desperate to survive from attack, Luo Wenzhou came with forces gathered by his teammate which he called his children and acquaintance which he build for years when doing cases. Not so s*upidly came alone doing an hero act for boosting his false bravado. Likes what he said to Big-Eyed Lan "If the sky is fall, your Imperial Father will hold them for you" and after the rescue act he also said "His children is his children after all" because they could gather larger forces.

Meanwhile for Fei Du his mind so intricated, the villains force only to a step but Fei Du walk thousand Li for beautify his traps. Even all his kindness look like a supplementary tools for his revenge but he treat those victim more appropriate (giving them shelter, jobs and protection) but all the victim treat him like a spark of light and will sacrifice themself for Fei Du safety.

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Aiya I almost forget if you want to heightened your reading, I will put a playlist when I re-read this

  1. Dangerous Woman - Ariana Grande: Fei Du seduce Luo Wenzhou for his revenge plot but instead he trapped himself into Luo Wenzhou.
  2. LeftRight - XG: When Luo Wenzhou doing investigation but Fei Du keep involve in it.
  3. OMG - NewJeans: Fei Du know all Luo Wenzhou did for him and when their PDA shown to us by Priest.
  4. Hype Boy - NewJeans: Luo Wenzhou's caring act especially for Fei Du.
  5. Shooting Star - XG: Investigation, action scene like Lu Jia and Zhou-dage's car chase and Big-Eyed Lan Qiao's fighting scene. It will pumped your dopamine
  6. Love Me Harder - Ariana Grande: When Fei Du cocoon himself because he feel and think that he is criminal and horrible monster dont deserve together with Luo Wenzhou, but Luo Wenzhou keep Fei Du in his grasp and stated he loves Fei Du and doesnt mind it.
  7. Piano Concerto No. 2: II. Andante - Shostakovich and Symphony No. 2 Op. 27 III. Adagio - Rachmaninoff: Fei Du in entrance when remembering the 'deed' his father did or when he approach the victim.
  8. Month 7 Day 7 - Red Velvet and Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor - IV. Adagietto. Sehr langsam: The sadness scenes when Luo Wenzhou's shifu's wife dead and Xiao Wu being shot death.
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Rukz123
Rukz123 rated it
November 29, 2022
Status: Completed
I don't know what to say about this one anything other than marvellous. It was captivating, addicting and mesmerising. Characters were built so well and their further development was so touching I felt like crying. When it came to emotions and feelings, many subtle details were given which made it more unique.
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zuoran
zuoran rated it
November 1, 2022
Status: Completed
This novel... had me conflicted. I should mention, I had a wonderful time reading it. However, I feel like there’s a lot to be said about it.

To start with what I found lack-lustre, the plot itself. While I really enjoy thrillers, especially the psychological kind; the ending was sorely disappointing in that the crux of the plot was envisioned to be this great thing, but ended up falling flat on its face. At times, the cases also felt like a general summary and didn’t allow for the readers to participate... more>> in the thrill - it just narrated the story as it went along instead of laying out the case out for the reader for the suspense to deep in. This writing style put me off just a little.

What I liked was it’s unique format. A lovely thriller/crime novel with romance (extremely slowburn), the book does a great job at keeping the readers interested. Although, if you’re here for the romance you’re going to have to stick around for a WHILE. But, my fellow slowburn enjoyers will agree when I say - it was worth the wait. The stuffy feeling in their chests, heated touches and suspiciously long gazes (insane homoerot*c tension) is just what makes the wait so worthwhile.

Priest always writes their characters very, very well and I found that Fei Du’s character was particularly excellent. Encompassing trauma responses and psychological undertones of abuse, Fei Du is a character that I cannot forget. He is, perhaps, the best part of this novel and the most memorable character because of his nuanced personality.

I think: overall? Amazing. A real page-turner, with a relatively engaging plot. However, it’s strengths lie in its characters and relationships. <<less
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periperi
periperi rated it
September 19, 2022
Status: Completed
5 stars

I started from the audio drama maybe 2 years ago because I knew I wouldn't be able to read the raws and understand. Even the audio drama was too confusing for someone with poor chinese skills like me (but gosh it was still good). Because it was such a brain cell killing book, took me a long while to come back to it but I'm super glad I did. The translation is superb, many thanks to the translator!

This is one book of 4 cases, 1 major case interlinking everything.... more>> It's mind boggling how the start can seem very simple but hide something so sinister at the back. And gosh it doesn't hold back. Drugs, prostitution, human trafficking, assassination, backstabbing. It gets to the real dirty stuff of society and just turns it over.

The heart of the story is definitely the characters and I love LWZ and the chemistry he has with pretty much everyone. From TR to LQ to XHY, even his superiors like director Lu. And then there's the dynamic between him and FD. That was some explosive chemistry. The story's good when the romance is not front and center, yet it's so well developed over the course of the book. And special mention to the love hate relationship between LWZ and LYG (kitty!).

This is also most definitely an emotional rollercoaster. Sacrifices were made.
Spoiler

From XW's tragic end (his last thoughts were especially sad). To even the tragedy of the bad guy who may have started out with good intentions and then suddenly realising he'd forgotten his way.

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Not all who did something bad are BAD. There are so many characters spanning each arc that I can't quite remember who is who towards the end and everything do come full circle at the end.

Overall, it's been a long while but this had definitely been worth the read and one of my favourite books from Priest. <<less
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kim dokja fan
kim dokja fan rated it
July 11, 2022
Status: c101
[c101, 3*]my first priest novel. I dont get whats so good about this novel. I feel like its very meh/average/ordinary. I wss thinking maybe theres a huge plot twist at the end that makes it extremely good or smth but I read the reviews again n it seems most 5* reviews liked it throughout

the longwinded style of the novel eg in the first chapter wasnt really my type but it didnt make the novel bad or anyt so I just continued resding and up till now I still dont find... more>> anything super interesting or wtv about this novel. its not like the cases r super intriguing and unexpected? I mean yea there r some unwxpected parts but none that make me go "woah this is is really well written I love it" or the likes. if u like crime n mu*der mystery, which I quite like, there r other novels which I think r much better, yet arent as highly regarded. idk

[c135, 3*] ??? I dont understand why the author first focused so much on LWZ worrying that fei du was anxious over tao ran. LWZ was even closer to tao ran than he is? friends, comrades of many years. theyve gone through so much tgt and LWZ was undoubtedly super super anxious over tao ran. but it was written as if LWZ cared more abt fei du's reaction to tao ran than tao ran himself?? it feels so forced like forcing the attention to be on fei du... wldnt LWZs first reaction to be to care abt tao ran THEN care abt fei dus reaction? or it cld js be his personality to care later idk but I just dont think it feels right

edit : idk what ch just book 5 but im dropping this bc lost interest <<less
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lotuslilac
lotuslilac rated it
June 17, 2022
Status: Completed
Truly, a masterpiece.

A few weeks ago, I finished reading Rebirth Case Files and wanted to read another crime novel. Silent Reading had been bookmarked for a year but I never read it.

oh how I wish I read it sooner! This novel is truly amazing, each volume (with its own crime) was so interesting and captivating to read and then the final volume that tied everything together... perfection!

And of course, witnessing our MC Fei Du and ML Luo Wenzhou go bickering “enemies” (they don’t actually hate each other) to lovers... what... more>> an amazing love story!! And poor Fei Du, the horrible things he had to experience at the hand of his horrible father and yet, he himself came out of it so strong and independent!

honestly, I read a review before reading this novel and it said that Fei Du isn’t good at criminology (in the psychological sense) but rather, he is good at CRIME. I didn’t understand this until I read each volume and then I realized, he is excellent at putting himself in the shoes of the criminal and thinking like them!

it’s a long book, sometimes I even thought of pausing and starting another novel but it was worth it! 180 chapters (each chapter is super long) plus 5 bonus chapters! Truly a masterpiece. Read it this summer, you won’t regret it! <<less
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lomonaute
lomonaute rated it
April 19, 2022
Status: Completed
When I started reading this novel, I wasn't expecting much. The novel seemed nice from other reviews, so I gave it a try. I am usually more interested in historical/fantasy novels, but... oh boy... I am so glad I started this book ! I was glued to it for weeks...

The development of the story is very well done in my opinion, where the police investigations take the most place in the book. However, the little interactions between our MC and ML are absolutely priceless. Maybe the fact that it is... more>> not the main focus of the book makes their relation even more precious ? The character development is very well done and makes sense even the minor characters. I particularly liked how Fei Du is first pictured as this very intelligent, handsome and careless man, almost overpowered, before slowly revealing the depths of his character. It is true that the start of the novel is a bit slow, so try to get through the first 5 chapters before giving up.

The translaton by E. Danglars is flawless in my opinion, and it is great to be able to have the translation in a epub format directly. <<less
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saphire8626
saphire8626 rated it
March 27, 2022
Status: Completed
I'm a die-hard priest fan so I loved this. But I was really impressed by how chock-full of literary references this entire novel is! Priest was referencing novels I've never even heard of. There are five interlocking cases, based off Western classics:

- The first case is based off Stendhal's The Red and the Black. A young man from a rural area attempts to rise beyond the poor family that he was born in through a mix of cruelty, hard work, talent and deception.
- The second case (my favorite!) is based off Lolita. Three generations of women in the Su family trafficked young girls as s*x s*aves and then mu*dered them; the Su women were themselves trafficked as s*x s*aves. It's chilling and sad how the abused can become the abuser.
- The third case is based off Macbeth. The patriarch of a powerful Chinese family passes away, leaving a power vacuum and resulting in a series of power struggles.
- The fourth case is based off the Japanese movie, All About Lily Chou Chou, leading into a case based off Demons. A ring of abuse is revealed at a prestigious boarding school for the sons/daughters of powerful Chinese families. After unearthing the horrid abuse at the school, the main characters discover the cruelty and immorality of the fathers/families of the school's ringleaders.
- The last case (the final arc) is The Count of Monte Cristo. A previously morally upright and respected professor turns into a vigilante and begins to deliver poetic justice to the criminals who slip through the cracks in the justice system. He gathers those whom the legal system have failed and turn them into vigilante killers, forming a cult who are willing to kill innocent people in order to deliver this so-called 'poetic justice'.

These five cases together tell a very long and complicated story of power, ambition, cruelty and abuse that spanned over 20 years and through three generations in various families. I'm honestly dying to see priest's notes for this book, lol.

I'm again marvelling at the way she describes the psyche, trauma, personalities and relationships. I loved the main pair's relationship.

I liked the pace of this novel a lot. Things just kept speeding up and plot twist after plot twist explodes one after another. At some point into the fourth case, I literally read all the way till midnight on a weekday because I couldn't put down the book. The novel also again leaves me wondering about the power-based societies that seem to be the norm in Chinese novels. Family and wealth are might and power.

Well, nothing more coherent than that but that was a very enjoyable and thought-provoking read.
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