A Corpse in the Koryo Audiobook

" The story takes place in North Korea. To be honest, I had a hard time sticking to the book because the story line is impossible to follow. I never understood who was who and what they were up to. But maybe that is the point? One living in a totalitarian society doesn't have all the information and doesn't know who to trust. "

" This is a first person narrative by police Inspector O, which is as much about how things work in North Korea as about the crime itself. I read this as a quick followup to The Orphan Master's Son because of an interest in North Korea. It is fast-paced, but I will have to say that a lot of the elements of who done it and why seem to be too subtle for me to grasp. "

" This book did not appeal to me as much as I thought it would...a bit dry, redundant, and whiny! "

" Really great detective novel about life in North Korea. A few small plot holes but they are smoothed over by great characters and excellent dialogue. The first in a four part series. "

" A fascinating mystery with a witty detective, complex plot, and great local (North Korean) color. That it has a nice, literary underpinning in the writing style and some poetic ideas about the way the world works is icing. "

" Very interesting and I really liked the slow pace and what some have called the passivity of the narrative. How does one describe that which must be hidden, sometimes even from oneself? "

" A decent detective story that is interesting mostly for its putatively accurate insight into the daily life of North Korea. "

" A fascinating glimpse into life in North Korea, as well as a good mystery. "

" Interesting. Didn't love it, but the sheer originality of a cop story set in North Korea is enough for me to give his next novel a chance. "

" One of the few novels to take place in North Korea, this very dark and mysterious novel is challenging to understand but compelling in its frightening description of paranoid life in North Korea, esp. because the author used to live there.. "

" This read was compelling, interesting, and intriguing from beginning to the end. Church wasted no time getting to the meat of the story while still being able to create engaging characters that I actually cared about. This definitely wasn't a literary masterpiece, but it was still fun to read. "

" Three or four stars here. The conceit of setting a novel in a totalitarian state definitely works for me. The unspoken menace and fear of the consequences from the misspoken word in any conversation. Great characters. Looking forward to the next one. "

" A terrific look at the totalitarian rule in North Korea through the lens of a brilliant mystery/police/detective/story of international politics. "

" A whole lotta moonlight and tea. "

" A fantastic glimpse into North Korea. I loved the detail in this book and the mystery was artfully told. I will read every book in this series. "

" I'm reading this for my mystery book group, but am not enjoying it. I may not finish it. "

" I am in the market for a new mystery series because so many of my favorite authors -- Grimes, James, Rendell -- are hitting their 80s and updating their wills. Church's Inspector O, unfortunately, did not click with me so I will have to look elsewhere. "

" This went all over the place. Not quite sure if that was the intention. Not a bad read, but not something I might go for again. "

" Interesting. Didn't love it, but the sheer originality of a cop story set in North Korea is enough for me to give his next novel a chance. "

" A whole lotta moonlight and tea. "

" Interesting Police procedural set in North Korea. The author is clearly influenced by Raymond Chandler but the resolution (or lack there of) isn't very satisfying. "

" Really great detective novel about life in North Korea. A few small plot holes but they are smoothed over by great characters and excellent dialogue. The first in a four part series. "