The murder game by MJ Lee.
Inspector Danilov #3.
A very good read. I did like Danilov character. Started slow but after a while I couldn't put it down. Danilov and Strachan. I'm looking forward to the next book. 5*.

Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books in this series- it's a great one no matter what. It's atmospheric (love Shanghai) and twisty. A very good read.

This was a new author for me and I've already downloaded some other books of his!

It's a new type of book for me set in Shanghai in the 1920's not an era I've read many books about. I really loved the relationship between Inspector Danilov and Detective Sergeant David Strachan though and I found the story and pace perfect and gripping!

I really liked the short chapters - some books drag on and you tend to lose the flow of what is happening but not the case with book.

Really enjoyable!

Shanghai in the 1920s and the city is a melting pot of cultures and vices. The French control one sector and another sector is international - run mainly by the British, there are native Chinese and many Russians displaced by the Revolution. One such Russian is Inspector Danilov, a policeman who is successful but faces prejudice from the British officers, he is a lone wolf but places some trust in Strachan, a mixed race junior officer. One morning a half-naked young woman called Sally Chen is discovered bleeding and hysterically shouting Danilov's name, she later dies, then a body is discovered in the grounds of the exclusive Country Club and two more are discovered at a local monument. All had links to a previous case solved by Danilov, one in which he shot and presumably killed the perpetrator, but as the body count rises Danilov realises that the case was not solved and someone is out for revenge.

I had read the first in this series but not the second and I may have to go back to that book as I thoroughly enjoyed this outing for Danilov. As expressed before, I feel that the setting in Shanghai is unusual and very atmospheric, Shanghai in the 1920s was pre-Communist and quite a hedonistic place, this gives Lee a lot of scope with plot lines and also with a variety of scenarios to provide background and colour. Although this is at heart a police procedural it is a well-written one and the characters are interesting.

Thank you for the opportunity to read Murder Game by M.J..Lee.
I thought that this was a terrific read, I could picture the settings, also unfortunately the gruesome images too! I was glad to have been distracted at one point in the book as all I could picture was one of the victim's suffering. This was down to the author's great writing.
I found the setting confusing at first along with the characters, but I didn't stop me thoroughly enjoying this book.
I wouldn't normally read this type of book, so pleased that I got the chance to.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ Digital for an advance copy of The Murder Game, third novel set in 1920s Shanghai to feature Inspector Danilov.

When Sally Chen is discovered running down the street naked, covered in cuts and calling for Inspector Danilov all she can say is "let the game begin". As the body count rises and Danilov recognises them and their means of death he begins to suspect an old adversary is back.

The Murder Game is an excellent read. The plot is twisty and convoluted as befits the madness of the killer. The reader doesn't know his name, only his thought processes, as he identifies himself as the embodiment of the god Yama and is following his plan, with an endgame of Danilov's death. Unfortunately Danilov and his sidekick, Sergeant Strachan, are slow to catch on (no wonder) and end up being reactive rather than proactive in their hunt. It makes for good reading as the reader has so much more information than the police and can only read on helplessly as they stumble about trying to make sense of the precious few clues they have, hampered by the new Chief Inspector Rock who is a literal rather than lateral thinker and Danilov's nemeses Cartwright and Meaker.

I love the way Mr Lee brings 1920s Shanghai to life with the politics, social divide, heat, squalor and cosmopolitan atmosphere. It has a bit of everything and you can really imagine it as you read.

The characters are well drawn as well. Danilov and Strachan are both outsiders in the cosy British world they work in with Danilov being a displaced Russian and Strachan being mixed Chinese and Scottish. It adds to the tension that these two outsiders are the ones with the best solve rates and the smarter thinking.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Murder Game and am already looking forward to the next instalment. It has a convoluted plot, a suitably evil baddie, well drawn protagonists and a great sense of place. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good read.

The Murder Game was fast paced, murderous, and a race against time.
The title was very true to the story.

This is the third book in the series, however a first book for me.

This didn't really hinder my experience of reading The Murder Game. In fact it's made me want to read the others.

The story starts out with a women appearing badly injured with a thousand cuts to her body as a form of punishment.
Who is she and where has she come from?
Later she passed away leaving Inspector Danilov clueless.

With several more murders appearing Danilov is up against time to try and find out who's behind the punishments and murders.

This book is fast paced, intriguing, a little graphic at times, but it keeps you hooked as you want to keep reading to find out who is behind everything.
Great twist and the characters were believable. I enjoyed the detectives somewhat partnership.
Overall a good book. Not my normal detective books but i did enjoy It.

Thank you Net Galley. A well written police procedural set in China, with a Russian protagonist and an Anglo-Chinese assistant. A very interesting mix. I enjoyed the book, though it is very dark. however, it hooks you and keeps you turning the pages till you are done. I look forward to reading the first two books in the series.

A young woman has climbed out of a pit embedded with razor blades. Mortally wounded and bleeding profusely, she stumbles into Shanghai shouting the name of Inspector Danilov. With the girl dead, Danilov and his partner have few clues, but soon more people are killed, and each one has a message for Danilov. It would seem a killer has a very personal bone to pick with the inspector and he needs to figure out who before anyone else is killed. Lee captures turn of the twentieth century Shanghai so completely, I swear I could smell the smoke and city. If you haven’t read this series yet, do yourself a favor and start

Thanks HarperCollins UK and netgalley for this ARC.

This series has always held a place in my mind so I can't say enough about this awesome series. The Murder Game exceeds its predecessors in depravity, mind games, murder, and decadent descriptions of Shanghai.

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Inspector Danilov and Detective Sergeant David Strachan are police officers in Shanghai during the 1920’s.

Sally Chen kidnapped and forced to undergo a terrible ordeal. She has become the victim of one-thousand cuts. Thrown in a pit and told to climb out, but there are razor blades imbedded in the earthen walls. When she got out of the pit, she ran screaming Inspector Danilov’s name and “Let the games begin.” She was later to die.

Danilov and Strachan are on the case. As they set about to find out more about the woman, another body is discovered. It is murdered in a similar way.

As the bodies keep falling, the new Superintendent assigns Meaker and Cartwright to aid Danilov and Strachan in their investigation. This is much to Danoliv’s chagrin. Meaker and Cartwright are two boorish, unlikeable and just plain rude detectives who as Danilov says, “Can’t investigate their own armpits.”

DS Strachan is a little bit of a bumbler, but he is loveable all the same.

The end of our story comes fast and the killer comes as a surprise. (Sort of.) M.J. Lee drops a bomb on the last page of the book.

This is my first M.J. Lee book, but it won’t be my last. I have already ordered books one and two in this series. It is very well written and plotted. M.J. Lee is a fine writer. I truly enjoyed reading this novel.

I want to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins/HQ Digital for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book to read.