James Church (pseudonym) is a former Western intelligence officer with decades of experience in Asia.
Inspector O is a complex, nuanced figure who understands that the
regime he serves is corrupt, brutal and mendacious, but he remains
loyal.... I think many North Korean officials today are an echo of
the conflicted nationalist Inspector O. --The New York Times
"This is a fine, intelligent, and exciting story that takes us into
the netherworld of contemporary North Korean communism. It evokes
the gray milieu without ever overstepping its mark, allowing us to
see it from the inside rather than the outside, wherein the
humanity of all the characters, both good and evil, is apparent.
Inspector O is a particularly wonderful creation, a true mensch
attempting to hold on to his humanity in a world where humanism is
under constant attack. Subtlety is the method, and the result is
fantastic work that should mark the beginning of a brilliant career
for James Church." --Olen Steinhauer, author of Liberation
Movements "For over fifty years Americans have tried to understand
the world of North Korea. James Church does a better job of
describing the isolated, impoverished, corrupt, and out- of-touch
life in the North than anything I have seen. This novel is a
must-read for anyone who would understand how precarious the
dictatorship is." --Newt Gingrich, author of Winning Back the
Future and Never Call Retreat "A gripping story of mystery and
intrigue. The laconic Inspector O follows in the traditions of
Inspector Arkady Renko, operating in a world of complexity and
danger we're meeting here for the first time." --Don Oberdorfer,
author of Tet! "Church's debut thriller breaks new ground. O is an
original. This is an expert take on a complex, brutal, and
mystifying society. Immerse yourself in it." --Marshall Browne,
author of Eye of the Abyss and the Inspector Anders series "The
Corpse in the Koryo is a spellbinder. Bloody and chilling, yet
subtle in its psychological detail, with an amazing understanding
of North Korea." --Ezra F. Vogel, Henry Ford II Professor of the
Social Sciences, Harvard University Asia Center "The (pseudonymous)
author, a veteran intelligence officer, has intimate knowledge of
Asian life and politics, and it shows: He gives the North Korea
setting a feeling of palpable reality, depicting the nature of
daily life under a totalitarian government not just with broad
sociopolitical descriptions but also with specific everyday
details. . . . There is also a little of Martin Cruz Smith's early
Arkady Renko novels here. The writing is superb, too, well above
the level usually associated with a first novel, richly layered and
visually evocative." --Booklist (starred review)
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