The Demon and the City (Detective Inspector Chen Series #2)

by Liz Williams

Overview

A demon cop in an unfamiliar city works his first homicide case
Zhu Irzh is having trouble adjusting to life on Earth. The food is bland, the colors dim, and the weather much too chilly for a demon used to the balmy climate of the underworld. Recently attached to the Singapore Three police department, Zhu Irzh has been assigned to help humans like Detective Inspector Chen investigate cases that overlap this world and the world to come. But how dedicated can a demon be to justice when his last assignment was to Hell's vice squad--whose job is not to prevent vice, but to promote it?
Zhu Irzh is pondering these philosophical questions when he catches his first murder case: the savage killing of a rich would-be witch outside of the occult market. Chen is on a well-deserved vacation, so the demon takes charge himself, unearthing a supernatural conspiracy that proves Hell holds no monopoly on evil.
The Demon and the City is the second of the five Detective Inspector Chen Novels, which also include Snake Agent and Precious Dragon.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781480438064
Publisher:	Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
Publication date:	09/17/2013
Series:	Detective Inspector Chen Series , #2
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.70(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Liz Williams is a science fiction and fantasy writer living in Glastonbury, England, where she is codirector of a witchcraft supply business. The author of seventeen novels and over one hundred short stories, she has been published by Bantam Spectra and Night Shade Books in the US, and by Tor Macmillan in the UK. She was a frequent contributor to Realms of Fantasy, and her writing appears regularly in Asimov’s and other magazines. She is the secretary of the Milford SF Writers’ Workshop and teaches creative writing and history of science fiction. 

Editorial Reviews

"Williams weaves a rich, complicated tapestry that merges life with afterlife, otherworldly with worldly and human with inhuman.” —Publishers Weekly   

“A smooth, sharp read. [Williams] turns the conventions of good and evil on their ear and gives them a sharp boot in the rear.” —Jay Lake, author of Rocket Science

“Uniquely imaginative . . . satisfyingly suspenseful.” —Booklist

From the Publisher

The second Detective Inspector Chen novel (after 2005's Snake Agent) traverses a wildly imaginative landscape based on Chinese mythology, with humans mingling with demons, Celestials and the deceased. When rich girl Deveth Sardai turns up dead, the case goes to demon Zhu Irzh, recently of Hell but posted to Earth to assist the police department of the city of Singapore Three. Meanwhile, Deveth's girlfriend, Robin Yuan, frees Mhara, a demon Robin's research company has been experimenting on for defense reasons. Robin and Zhu Irzh's paths cross as they follow the trail of the killer, leading them to uncover a larger plot involving a goddess in Heaven's bid for power. As the end of the world beckons, Mhara, who is far more than he seems, offers his help, but Heaven, Hell, Earth and everything in between falls into chaos. Williams weaves a rich, complicated tapestry that merges life with afterlife, otherworldly with worldly and human with inhuman. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

When Detective Inspector Chen leaves with his family for a long-overdue Hawaiian vacation, he expects his second-in-command, the demon inspector Zhu Irzh, to fill in for him. After a series of murders with seemingly demonic characteristics plagues Singapore III, Chen returns to unravel a case that threatens the fate of the world. Williams's second novel (after Snake Agent) featuring Chen and his otherworldly sidekick delivers another dose of fantastic adventure, blending Chinese mythology, elements of an old-fashioned murder mystery, and a generous dollop of acerbic humor. A good addition to most fantasy collections, this novel should appeal to both mystery and fantasy readers. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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