Snake Agent: The Detective Inspector Chen Novels, Book One Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 2008

Take a healthy dose of mythology and eastern religion, mix in the humor of Big Trouble in Little China and the buddy-cop banter of Lethal Weapon and adorn with a fantastic Jon Foster cover and what do you get? Well, you get the beginnings of an entertaining new mystery series by author Liz Williams.The Snake Agent is a difficult book to categorize. A blurb from the publisher's website reads:John Constantine meets Chow Yun-Fat in this near-future occult thriller. Detective Inspector Chen is the Singapore Three police department's snake agent, in charge of supernatural and mystical investigations.Chen has several problems: In addition to colleagues who don't trust him and his mystical ways, a patron goddess whom he has offended, and a demonic wife who's tired of staying home alone, he's been paired with one of Hell's own vice officers, Seneschal Zhu Irzh, to investigate the illegal trade in souls.Political pressures both earthly and otherworldly seem to block their investigation at every turn. As a plot involving Singapore Three's industrial elite and Hell's own Ministry of Epidemics is revealed, it becomes apparent that the stakes are higher than anyone had previously suspected."Constantine meets Chow Yun-Fat" is a tremendously accurate description of Liz Williams' protagonist, Detective Inspector Wei Chen. I recently re-watched The Replacement Killers and I could not help picturing Chow Yun-Fat as Wei Chen's adventures unfolded before me. If ever filmed he would be the perfect choice.I said that William's novel is hard to classify and it is. The story abounds with magic as does a typical fantasy novel. It is a mystery, set in a near future science fiction universe replete with technology that would be at home in a story by Phillip K. Dick. It is also a primer for eastern mysticism and a view of earth, heaven, and hell steeped in ancient mythology. In addition there are elements of horror reminiscient of the aforementioned John Constantine and a wry humor similar to that in the very best cult classic comedies.Having so many varied influences in the wrong hands could result in a mess of a story. Fortunately Liz Williams crafts her tale with deft hands making The Snake Agent a fun introduction to this series of detective novels. It is easy to see why she has been twice nominated for Phillip K. Dick awards. The Snake Agent unfolds at just the right pace to keep one engaged in the story without ever overwhelming the reader. There is a lot going on with the genre-mixing plot but the reader never feels lost.At its core The Snake Agent is just pure fun. The best thing about the novel is the characters and their relationships. Wei Chen is a mortal man married to Inari, an denizen of the Underworld whom he rescued from an unwanted marriage. Inari has a protective animal companion that masquerades as a tea pot in earthly realms. On earth Chen has a law enforcement partner who is a perfect combination of Reginald VelJohnson's character in Die Hard and Danny Glover's in Lethal Weapon. Of course the nether realms have their own enforcement agencies and so Chen's counterpart, Seneschal Zhu Irzh, figures prominently in the tale as well. There is nothing better than a science fiction/fantasy tale flavored with chivalrous romance and solid friendships.If you are a fan of any of the above mentioned films I would venture to say that you will enjoy Liz William's debut novel in the Detective Inspector Chen series. As of this writing the second novel in the series, The Demon and the City, is nearing release and I really look forward to rejoining Wei Chen in his investigative adventures. Funny, adventurous, scary and magical, The Snake Agent is a great opportunity to try something a little different in your reading. I tip my hat to you Ms. Williams. Well done.

Amazing Fun read ...pinch of fantasy, dash of science fiction, dab of supernatural, and topped off with a roller coaster of a mystery. The protagonist Detective Inspector Wei Chen investigates crimes of the supernatural . He has the ability to communicate between the realms of Hell and Heaven .. with his trustworthy rosary in his pocket. This investigation concerns the "ghost trade", where innocent girls are murdered and their souls are harvested for brothels in Hell. In order to unravel this conspiracy he joins forces with his counterpart in Hell ... Zhu Irzh , a Vice Detective who uncharacteristically has a conscience.Chen's wife Inari, who happens to be a demoness is thrown into the fray, along with her protector - "teakettle" , who sometimes inanimate can when needed transform into a protective "badger from hell". The journey is stuffed with fleshed-out bizarre characters ... demon-hunters from Beijing, police department exorcists, and a myriad of characters from Hell. The prose and imagery sweeps you along effortlessly to a tasty conclusion - wanting for more. I'm anxious to delve into Wei Chen's further adventures.

In "Snake Agent," the ever-clever Liz Williams concocts a tongue in cheek brew combining the police procedural, the horror tale, fantasy, and science fiction. Set in an alternate Earth that seems to be a few years beyond our present, it features Singapore 3's (don't ask what happened to Singapore 1 and 2) Detective Inspector Chen, the police inspector involved with the supernatural--the snake agent of the title. (This is the first of a series, but it's complete in itself.)His current case leads him to hell, where he teams up with Hell's Seneschal Zhu Irzh in order to thwart a vast conspiracy involving one of Hell's many bureaus. Ms. Williams has serious issues with bureaus and the 'crats who run them (she's shown this before in an earlier novel, "Empire of Bones"), a fact that figures prominently in this novel's clever plot.Wittily written (the characters often speak in phrases that evoke Jack Vance's--hardly a bad thing), cleverly plotted, the book's a total delight.

Inspector Chen is an unusual detective, in that he investigates otherworldly matters and has the freedom to pursue his investigations into Hell. I enjoyed the notion and the witty writing, but felt the story itself was subordinate to overly detailed descriptions of the denizens and locales of Hell, and of the futuristic city of Singapore Three. The action is grisly and somewhat confusing, and many of the characters are mere sketches. Imari, Chen's demon wife, the guardian badger/teakettle, demon investigator Zhu, Chen himself and a couple of other characters begin to achieve some complexity, but their personalities weren't developed quite enough to engage me. Again, the idea behind this detective series is intriguing, but I think the author's fascination with the creation of other worlds overwhelmed both plot and characters.

This was an interesting and fun book. The good guys are a little bad and the bad guys are a little good, although there ARE some really bad ones. Reminiscient of the Nightside books by Simon Green, but still totally different. Inspector Chen is a good guy who does the best he can, and still can't keep from getting involved with demons. Holds your interest from the first, and keeps you turning those pages. I liked the short chapters, and the overall format of the book. The artwork on the cover is gorgeous. I'm definitely reading the rest of this series. This was the first Liz Williams book I have read, and I plan to look into her others.