Bad Kids

Zhong Dongsheng believes that he has completed the perfect murder when he pushes his in-laws off a remote mountain; little does he know that 3 children taking pictures at the same time capture his murderous act.
When the children approach him to blackmail him a series of events is set in motion that will lead both him and the children down an increasingly dark path.

This was an incredibly suspenseful thriller that I couldn't put down. The series of events that leads Chaoyang and his friends to witness the murder and then all that come after it are incredibly fraught. This was a gripping and fast paced thriller that I would recommend to anyone as the plot, characters and pacing were perfect. A 5 star read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

You can't choose your in-laws. One beautiful morning, Zhang Dongsheng pushes his wealthy in-laws off a mountain - the perfect crime. Or so he thinks. Even though the murders were as carefully choreographed as a play, he did not expect that three teenagers had caught him in the act. But Zhang Dongsheng seriously underestimated the smarts of those three kids. . . Dark, murky and violent, Bad Kids is the Chinese suspense thriller about the inner lives of teenagers that has taken China by storm.

“Bad Kids” by Zijen Chen is a fabulously dark suspense novel. When I initially read the synopsis for this book, I knew I wanted to read it and it did not disappoint. This book is not for the faint of heart, as it does venture deep in some places but I prefer my crime novels dark - the darker the better - so this book and I were perfectly matched. It’s the type of book that if you enjoy, it will sweep you up and carry you along for the ride. It was also nice to read a suspense novel set in China - a totally different and fresh change of scene. I was not aware of this author prior to reading this book but now that I am, I will be checking out his back catalogue.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was a dark read that just when I thought the darkness was at maximum level it just kept getting darker. It was fast paced, twisty and unpredictable and kept me guessing. Just when I thought it was the best it could be, it got better. Honestly one of the best books I have read.

It may take some time for Chinese crime fiction to take a hold on readers in the way that authors from Japan have captivated many in the western world in recent years. Aside Zhou Haohui who has had two novels from his Death Notice series and a standalone published in English, few have been translated, however this may change with Bad Kids by Zijin Chen. This intelligently written and multiple twisted story definitely deserves to receive the same attention. The story follows a key young character who becomes locked in a battle of wits with both a murderer he is blackmailing and the police. In 2020 a Chinese streaming television series televised adaption of the 2014 novel was premiered on iQiyi). Overseen by House of Cards screenwriter Joe Cacaci, it was immediately successful with The Beijing Times noting: how it raised “the standard of domestic suspense dramas” while director and actress Zhang Ziyi proclaimed "after watching American and British dramas for so many years, there is finally a "Chinese drama" whose quality can compete with them.” It also became a social media hit, in the first week it had garnered 1.12 billion topic posts on Weibo, and within 2 weeks of its release had trended on the site 50+ times.

From the outset of the novel there are indications that hint at why it captivated so many as we witness a young man Zhang take his elderly in-laws to a remote mountain location where he then pushes them off a cliff in what he considers a perfect murder. However the primary focus of the story is on Choayang, a teenager with a very modest lifestyle living in Ningbo, a small city not far from Shanghai. While he is a very able and studious pupil at his school who particularly relishes maths and reading, he finds there is little pleasure to be derived from the rest of his life. While he has a mother who loves him dearly, her work often takes him away from their family home for weeks at a time. By contrast to this he has a wealthy father, Zhu Yongping. Unfortunately for Choayang, he left his first wife early in his son’s life. Remarried Zhu Yongping is very much under the thumb of his new wife Wang Yao and rarely sees his son while doting on her younger half daughter Jingjing. Choayang like his mother is small in stature and we see him bullied by a girl in his school who is the daughter of police chief Yan. Indeed due to his academic success and apparent cold demeanour he only regularly speaks to one other member of his class. Naturally he gains the reader’s sympathy in the opening sequences of the book.

His life and indeed his character will unexpectedly change when visited by Ding Hao, a long lost friend from primary school and the boy’s female friend Pupu who arrive unannounced at his door. Having escaped from a children’s house in Beijing, the two are orphans who share troubled backgrounds. With his mother away, Choayang allows them to stay the night. Shortly afterwards the three teenagers are passing the time taking photos at a local beauty spot when they inadvertently capture Zhang’s actions. Later they decide rather than contacting the police the best outcome for them would be for them to contact the killer and request a large monetary amount from him. By lucky (or unlucky) coincidence he appears in Choayang’s neighbourhood and they approach him. Zhang is shocked that there is record of the crime he believed was perfect. He is clearly infuriated that these young people are attempting to blackmail him. While these premises would be enough for cat and mouse game between Zhang and Choayang and his friends, there are further elements which weave a tight tapestry of suspense.



While Zhang has his own problems getting hold of money despite the death of his in-laws due to the suspicious of his wife, Choayang is emboldened with the support of his found friends. Unlike him, they have avoided being pushed around and when they hear about his unfair treatment from his father and hostility from his step mother and half-sister (whom they term big and little witch respectively). They convince him to look to put his half sibling in her place. This leads to an unexpected outcome for Choayang the implications of this both for him and his own development are crucial. Meanwhile Zhang has not finished plotting and it later becomes clear that Choayang and his friends could find other uses for him than simply blackmailing him for money.



There are so many unexpected events that develop in this story as police chief Yan is lead to work on two apparently separate cases. It’s only when the bodies continue to mount that some strange connections begin to emerge. Bad Girls is an absorbing and fascinating story for it’ portrayal of characters from different ages and social classes. Writing a story from the perspectives of younger characters can be a challenge yet I found the voices given to each was very convincing and I must also give great credit to translator Michelle Deeter. I believe this is the first novel I have written by Deeter who appears to focus more on business than literary translations but her work in this case certainly helped a story set in quite a different society feel quite familiar. Significantly the book also but it also superbly shows how attitudes to injustices and resulting behaviours can be passed and evolve from one person to another. While Ding Hao is initially cocky and Pupu uses her cunning, Choayang’s actions are inspired both as well as the deceptive behaviour of Zhang. This is taken in a direction that none of them would possibly imagine. The book is keen to mark the distinctions between the extremes that people will go to, their motivations demonstrating the differing morals and motivations of each. In Choayang’s case it does appear that he is far from the innocent and easily led school boy seen earlier in the story. Thus challenging the readers’ original opinions of him and by contrast the other characters.

Those who have enjoyed books by authors such Keigo Higashino, Un-Su Kim and the aforementioned Zhou Haohui should certainly be attracted to this story but I would state that Bad Kids deserves to receive the same adoration as publications by many of the other finest sleuth and mind-game writers from any era. While Bad Kids is clearly a standalone novel, I have discovered there was a previous novel by Chen called The Untouched Crime published by Amazon Crossing in 2016 which also received a serialisation on Chinese television. I will be certain to hunt this down soon and eagerly look forward to reading more future translations of Zijin Chen. Highly recommended.

THIS! WAS! SO! TWISTED! I LOVE IT!!!!

This is a book about three kids who were in the wrong (or right, depending on how you look at it) place at the wrong time, and while innocently snapping pictures, they caught a murder in the background on one of their videos.

After careful deliberation, they decided to blackmail the murderer, what could possibly go wrong?

A LOT CAN GO WRONG, LET ME TELL YOU, a lot CAN and a lot DOES go wrong. But I will not be spoiling any of that, you'll have to read the book to see all the plot twists, and trust me, they're worth it.

Actually, don't even read the blurb, go into this as blind as you can for the full experience.

So, the start of the novel seems fine, even if the very first chapter is about people accidentally falling off a wall.

It takes a bit to get to know the characters, but when the blackmail part comes in it's hard to stop reading.

I love how everything unravels like a sick little ball of yarn and the further along you go, the weirder it becomes.

The characters are lovable too, and the obvious baddies you just want to hate.

The translation deserves a mention too, like another review said it's smooth and I'd also add that it feels accurate to the language. Like, if you read this, you can tell that this is definitely a Chinese novel, the sense of the language wasn't lost in translation.

And for that reason I'll be looking into more books by this publisher in the future.

I'll also be watching the tv series based on this book ASAP, I already added it to my watch list on a certain drama logging site so all I have to do now is start it. I really wonder how much it differs from the book, if at all.

Lastly, the ending. It's an open ending which I have a love-hate relationship with. Love, because some are so good, and hate, because I like a nice conclusion. Well, this is also a cliffhanger AND MY POOR HEART WAS NOT READY.

I just know that this ending will plague me until the end of my days unless if there's a sequel book in the future BECAUSE IT CAN'T END LIKE THAT. IT CANNOT. I REFUSE TO ACCEPT IT.

*Huge thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Teacher, Zhang Dongsheng, takes his wealthy in-laws on a trip to a remote mountain location & promptly pushes them off the side. It seems like the perfect crime, but he doesn't realise that three teenagers caught him committing the crime on camera in the background of their shots. He has their bodies quickly cremated which raises the suspicions of his wife, but the police rule the deaths as accidental.

Zhu Chaoyang is 14 years old, lives with his mother in a small flat, & they never have any money. His father remarried & Chaoyang's stepmother refuses to allow him to give his son any money, & their daughter, Jingjing, doesn't even know she has a stepbrother. At school, although he is top of the class, Chaoyang spends most of his time on his own & avoiding bully, Ye Chimin. He is overjoyed, therefore, when childhood friend, Ding Hao, reappears in his life. Ding Hao has run away from the orphanage where he was sent after his parents' deaths, & has brought a teenage girl with him nicknamed Pupu, that he is friends with.

At first they have lots of fun & Chaoyang lets them stay at his place as his mother is hardly ever there. When they examine the pictures they took on the mountain however, they realise they have caught a murder on camera, but instead of going to the police, they decide to track down & blackmail the murderer. Dongsheng knows he needs to keep the teenagers onside until he can kill them, but they are fairly canny for kids & keep him on his toes. Throw in the accidental death of Chaoyang's stepsister, Jingjing, whilst the three friends were teaching her a lesson, & her revenge-driven mother, & things take an even darker turn.

This is a book with a well-written plot with lots of twists, but the final one is great. The main characters are flawed, they carry out some pretty bad acts but the reader feels some sympathy for them due to their backgrounds, especially how Chaoyang is treated by his father & stepmother. Their tentative dealings with Dongsheng are tense, fraught negotiations as they circle each other like cats - but just who's playing who? The ending was a little disappointing as I hate open-ended conclusions where you are not sure what happens after the end scene. I feel a more definite ending would have been a stronger conclusion. 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 on sites where half stars are not allowed).

TW: death of a parent, murder/death, bullying, mention of child sexual abuse.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Pushkin Press/Vertigo, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for this ARC! This review was written by me voluntarily.

I actually already have the drama adaptation of this story on my watchlist, but when seeing this book is available for request on NetGalley, I tried to request for the ARC and, thankfully, was approved. I am very grateful for it because this book is one of the best books that I have ever read and no wonder why its drama adaptation has achieved a huge recognition in China.

Truthfully for me, this book is dark and suspenseful especially towards the end. With its short chapters and engaging content, it should be a fast read for me, but that is not the case. I can not go through this book fast because I just don’t know how I can handle how much darker this story will be chapter by chapter. I really like how the POV switched almost seamlessly without affecting the story’s plot. In my opinion, this book really shows that circumstances can really push people to do something that they are not supposed to do or people least expected them to do. I actually do sympathize a little bit with some of the characters, especially the kids. Lastly, the story really makes me think, are you sure that kids (or teenagers) can not do crime, especially heavy ones? Now, I am really excited to see the drama adaptation.