Not A Monster by Chua Kok Yee

5 ⭐s!!!!

Whenever I come across an underrated book that turns out to be this good, I always feel overwhelmed and do not want to finish it so fast. That was exactly how I felt while reading Not a Monster. I honestly wish this book had a sequel. What I loved most about this book was the mix of police procedural, the insight into how the police work, the peek into the perpetrator’s point of view, and the way it explores human nature in general. You can tell the author did a remarkable job of research on the subject matter. No wonder it was selected as a winner of Fixi Novo contest.

I am trying to keep this review spoiler free, but I was way too excited while reading, so consider this a tiny spoiler warning just in case. 😂 Inspector Nadra Sunau is assigned to investigate a missing child case. The disappearance creates panic in the community, especially after the media sensationalizes the case and starts linking it to supernatural elements.

The Shadowman resurfaces because of the similarities of the cases. The Shadowman dubbed by the media during a spate of missing-child cases. Before each child disappeared, their family had taken a photo, and in every photo there was a shadowy figure lurking in the background. Unfortunately, the children were found too late, buried in secluded places. And the Shadowman case remains unsolved.

One of the IO in charge was Inspector Dominic Wong. He was also handling another disturbing case involving young women who were raped and brutally murdered. With no DNA evidence and no murder weapon, the police were left chasing one red herring after another. Dom was the one who came face to face with the ingenious Shadowman!

I really loved how the two protagonists eventually crossed paths. Their different perspectives added so much to the story, and the author did a great job juggling multiple plotlines without making it confusing. The plot twist really gave me the goosebumps. 

Not a Monster is such an intriguing and well-researched crime thriller, and it definitely deserves more attention.

The Crystal Stopper by Maurice Leblanc

Arsene Lupin ialah seorang pencuri yang licik, bijak menyamar, dan merupakan orang yang paling dikehendaki di Perancis. Namun Lupin bukan pencuri biasa. Dia hanya menyasarkan golongan kaya yang zalim, sombong, dan mengumpul harta melalui cara yang kotor. 

Dalam organisasi pencuri yang mempunyai rangkaian luas di seluruh negara, Lupin mempunyai ramai rakan subahat. Pengaruhnya kuat dan rahsianya tersimpan rapi dalam pelbagai lapisan masyarakat, daripada golongan bawahan hinggalah ke kelas atasan. Satu operasi mencuri beberapa karya seni telah membawanya ke rumah seorang wakil rakyat bernama Alexis Daubrecq. Antara barang yang ditemui ialah penutup kristal botol arak. Pada mulanya, objek kecil itu langsung tidak menarik perhatian Lupin. Operasi itu gagal apabila rakan subahatnya ditangkap pihak berkuasa. Tapi Lupin berjaya meloloskan diri bersama penutup kristal itu.

Penutup kristal itu kemudian hilang secara misteri dari rumah rahsianya, barulah dia mula percaya bahawa objek tersebut menyimpan sesuatu yang jauh lebih besar nilainya. Sejak itu, Lupin sedar bahawa nyawa rakan-rakannya, malah nyawanya sendiri, berada dalam bahaya.

Setelah Lupin mengetahui yang dia sebenarnya diperangkap dalam operasi ini, maka matlamatnya untuk melunaskan dendam lama dan membongkar skandal politik yang membahayakan nyawa dan negara amat nyata. Tapi Daubrecq bukan lawan Lupin yang biasa-biasa. Setiap langkahnya berjaya dipatahkan dengan bergaya. Watak protagonis dan antagonis di sini amat menyerlah serta mendebarkan.

Walaupun ini karya terjemahan namun mesejnya amat sampai dengan naik turunnya adrenalin saya. Cat-and-mouse thriller ni boleh dikatakan sama bijak dengan Sherlock Holmes ya! Saya juga sangat mengagumi jalan ceritanya yang sarat dengan plot twist. Karya asal ini diterbitkan sekitar tahun 1912.

Murder At The Black Cat Cafe by Seishi Yokomizo

This is the seventh installment in the Kosuke Kindaichi series. The premise feels quite similar to She Walks at Night, which I read recently, but the execution still managed to blow my mind. This collection contains two stories, Murder at the Black Cat Cafe and Why Did the Well Wheel Creak?, both set in postwar Japan.

What I find interesting is the narrative structure. The narrator is in the process of writing a novel based on a local murder case, and the protagonist of that novel is none other than Kosuke Kindaichi himself. Kindaichi agrees to cooperate by sharing his records and documents, creating a story within a story that adds another layer to the mystery.

The body of a woman is discovered on the grounds of the Black Cat Cafe. The owners, a married couple known as the Daigos, had moved out only a week earlier. The victim appears to have been struck in the back of the head with a hatchet found nearby.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Daigo were involved in affairs, making the case look straightforward at first. But with Kindaichi, things are never as simple as they seem, and the evidence tells a far more complicated story.

The second story is about the striking resemblance between Daisuke Honiden and Goichi Akizuki. Compared to the wealthy Honiden family, the Akizukis live in unfortunate circumstances and are treated poorly. Goichi, the illegitimate son of the former family head of Honiden, has every reason to seek revenge. But after he is reported dead in battle, a series of mysterious deaths begins at the Honiden estate, and Daisuke no longer seems like the man he once was.

Both stories explore how revenge can destroy not only the intended target, but also innocent people caught in the crossfire. In the first story, even a black cat is killed to create false evidence, which I found cruel. In the second, Goichi may not have succeeded in taking revenge directly, but his actions still ruin many lives. Such a horrible way to die.

Another brilliant mystery from Yokomizo. I’m continually amazed by how he takes what seems like a familiar setup and turns it into something so intricate. 4.5 ⭐

Noir by Rizal Ramli

Saya suka dengan plot dan premis Noir. Walaupun nampak seperti kisah jenayah yang biasa, tema yang diketengahkan sebenarnya sangat dekat dengan realiti hidup iaitu trauma dan bagaimana seseorang boleh terperangkap dalam hubungan yang toksik tanpa tahu jalan keluar.

Setiap watak dalam novel ini saling berkait antara satu sama lain secara tidak langsung. Garapan wataknya pula dibuat dengan kemas, menjadikan jalan cerita mudah diikuti walaupun fast-pace. 

Mengisahkan Suriati, seorang wanita yang terpaksa hidup bersama Salman, suami yang bukan sahaja mendera fizikalnya, malah memusnahkan emosi dan mentalnya. Watak Salman memang sangat menjadi. Jenis antagonis yang cukup lengkap pakejnya. Manipulatif, panas baran, dan langsung tiada rasa belas kasihan. Setiap kali dia muncul, memang automatik rasa menyampah!

Kesabaran Suriati sampai ke titik terakhir apabila dia dipaksa untuk bersubahat dalam satu rompakan bersenjata. Dari sini, cerita mula menjadi semakin tegang. Rompakan itu akhirnya 'berjaya' dipatahkan oleh pihak berkuasa, tetapi banyak nyawa terkorban. Monolog Suriati sebagai mangsa dera, ditambah pula dengan rasa bersalah yang menghantui dirinya, membuatkan kisah ini terasa lebih berat dan menyentuh.

Dalam kekalutan itulah muncul Inspektor Khalis. Wataknya memang outstanding, tenang dan bijak sepanjang masa. Ada iras-iras Arash Mohd katanya. 😎 Kehadirannya bukan sekadar pegawai penyiasat, tetapi juga sebagai watak yang membawa sedikit harapan dalam cerita yang penuh dengan sisi gelap manusia.

Apa yang saya suka, penulis turut mengetengahkan tekanan yang dihadapi pihak polis. Politik pejabat, campur tangan pihak atasan, serta desakan media dan orang awam membuatkan tugas mereka terasa lebih realistik. Bukan sekadar kejar penjenayah dan mendapat pujian. 

Secara keseluruhannya, Noir ialah sebuah novel thriller yang berjaya menggabungkan aksi, emosi, dan isu masyarakat.

Watching You Fall by Dreda Say Mitchell & Ryan Carter

Watching You Fall is about Josie and Megan, two sisters with a deeply complicated and toxic relationship. They went down very different paths in life, but no matter what Megan did to her over the years, Josie always stood by her. I was so sick of their relationship.

When Megan is found dead from a drug overdose, Josie is forced to keep her promise to take care of Megan’s son, Sunny. The autopsy says Megan injected herself, but Josie refuses to believe it. Megan was terrified of needles because of a traumatic event in her past, so Josie becomes convinced that someone killed her.

She has two prime suspects in mind, but the truth is far more complicated than it first appears.

Things become even more tense when Sunny moves in with Josie’s family. He constantly stirs up trouble, and Trevor wants nothing to do with him because he despised Megan. Josie keeps making excuses for Sunny’s behavior until she finally reaches her limit.

I have to say, this story had a lot of potential. I liked how it touched on PTSD, trauma, and narcissistic behavior, and the writing itself was decent. Still, something felt a little off. The storyline set thirty years earlier and the overall execution did not feel as tightly developed as I had hoped.

Thank you to @netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the review copy. This book will be published on 15 May