Negative Positive
Title: A Modern Charlie Chan
Review: Royal Hong Kong Police Chief Inspector Chan Siu-Kai,`a Eurasian, is nicknamed "Charlie Chan" by the British dignitaries still in Hong Kong during the last days of British rule (the 69 million seconds referred to by the novel's title.Naturally, the nickname is purposely derogatory and so the detail of the nickname helps set the tone for the fact-based fiction.This is Burdett's 2nd novel which along with A PERSONAL HISTORY OF THIRST established him as a writer of superior and knowledgeable suspense fiction, a reputation maintained also by his more recent novels. Along with a well paced investigative novel, the reader receives a better understanding of the status of Hong Kong as it's returned to mainland China after 100 years as a British colony. Highly recommended as a taut thriller as well as a factually based novel.
Is the review positive or negative? 