- Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: Sort of Books (Jan 31 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0954899555
- ISBN-13: 978-0954899554
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 3.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 422 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #880,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Inspector Jian is a Chinese cop from the Siberian borders who thinks he's seen it all. But his search for his missing daughter brings him to the meanest streets he's ever faced - in rural England. Migrant worker Ding Ming is distressed - his gangmaster's making demands, he owes a lot of money to the snakeheads and no one will tell him where his wife has been taken. Maybe England isn't the 'gold mountain' he was promised. Two desperate men, uneasy allies in a baffling foreign land, are pitted against a band of ruthless criminals. There's Bad Traffic ahead.
About the Author
Simon Lewis was born in Wales in 1971. His first novel GO (1999) was published by a small press and then picked up by Corgi. It sold more than 40,000 copies and led Simon into work as a film screenwriter. A fluent Mandarin speaker, he has also co-authored the Rough Guide to China. Simon chose to set his debut crime fiction among the exploited Chinese workers smuggled into Britain. He currently lives in Brixton and Shanghai.
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (50 customer reviews)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining read with an interesting style, July 8 2009
By Sebastian Fernandez - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Bad Traffic: A Novel (Hardcover)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
The author's idea of writing a thriller in which the main characters do not speak / have trouble with the language of the place where the action develops is interesting. Especially when considering the tools used to convey this factor: a combination of broken English sentences, even when referring to some of the descriptions, and a need for translation help by other characters. This in turn leads to some funny situations but also to some frustrating ones.
That said, it is clear that some readers will find the style more annoying than rewarding. In my case, there were a couple of instances in which I started to get a little frustrated (this is the main reason why I took away a star) but luckily, the story has several good traits that allowed me to pull out of this state pretty quickly.
Those readers that enjoy fast-paced thrillers, with a combination of mystery, suspense and action will be right at home with this novel. The plot is not overly complex, and some of the surprises are not that hard to anticipate, but the experience is definitely enjoyable. Human trafficking is not a novel topic, but in this book the author uses a particular perspective to make it "taste fresh". Also, the two main characters, a Chinese inspector looking for her daughter and a hopeful peasant coming illegally into the UK, present a nice set of contrasts, which I found helped the story quite a bit.
As mentioned, the only potential drawback has to do with the writing style. However, I am confident that most people will like it or at least be OK with it, and therefore will have a very good time with Lewis' work.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So Very Good, I Can't Wait for the Next Inspector Ma Jian Story, July 7 2010
By Ruthie Ramirez - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Bad Traffic (Paperback)
Inspector Ma Jian is an influential Chinese policeman who is also a bit corrupt. One night when he's about to bed his current young mistress he gets a call from his daughter, who he believes is going to college in England. "Help me!" she says, then the line goes dead. Jian doesn't think twice, he gets on a plan and heads to England, even though he doesn't speak a word of English.
Ding Ming is Chinese as well. He wanted to be an English teacher, but somebody who wasn't qualified but was much better connected got the job, So Ding and his wife sell themselves as indentured servants and suffer through a long, arduous journey to England.
When Jian gets to London he's like a fish out of water, but he does manage to get up to Leeds where he finds his daughter had been lying to him, she hadn't been attending school, instead she was working as a waitress and hanging out with a Chinese gangster called Black Fort.
Ding Ming and his wife arrive in England to find it's not the golden mountain they'd been led to believe. They are separated by a snakehead called Black Fort (yes the same Black Fort) and Ding isn't happy. He wants to please his captors, but he want to see his wife, too.
Jian's investigation leads him to Ding and he forces the young man to help him, because he needs his English skills. Ding doesn't want to go along and often tries to thwart Jian, because he thinks if he gives him up to the gangsters, they'll look favorably on him and let him see his wife. Little does he know what's in store for his wife and without Jian he has no hope of ever seeing her again.
Jian and his reluctant sidekick make a great pair as they race through this novel at breakneck speed to an explosive conclusion you won't want to miss. Somehow I got the impression from the story and especially the ending that this is the first of many Inspector Jian novels to come. I hope that's true.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Easy read ... good story, Jun 24 2010
By robert johnston - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Bad Traffic: A Novel (Hardcover)
Pre-release customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program
This novel is well reviewed by other readers. I won't bore you with repetition.
BEST PART - The short chapters are appreciated. The chapters break cleanly making it a book that can be read on the run. The writing style is different enough to be interesting.
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