The crime: (view spoiler)[These particular reports did not give me a warm feeling. Initial observations by the local police were often a problem. ThisThe crime: (view spoiler)[These particular reports did not give me a warm feeling. Initial observations by the local police were often a problem. This time, to make things worse, in the upper right-hand corner of a couple of the reports there were notations indicating that they had been copied—unedited—to the Ministry of State Security in Beijing. Nothing is supposed to go to Beijing right away. Raw reports, especially, should never go to my headquarters in Beijing. The higher-ups don’t know how to read them. Whatever the original problem, it is always compounded by distant superiors who think they understand local events on the basis of barely accurate, and even more likely completely mistaken, first reports. I made a mental note to complain to the local police chief. There were four field reports, one for each incident. I read them quickly, and then again more carefully to make sure I hadn’t missed anything remotely important:
—Working-class neighborhood near edge of town, three elderly males at adjoining tables slumped over bowls of noodles—two daily specials and one of the new Vietnamese-style considered trendy. No one else on premises when patrol showed up. Owner of the noodle shop (identified as “Uighur with a limp and wisp of a mustache” by cashier who appeared out of nowhere a few minutes later) has disappeared. FIELD COMMENT: No further information.
—One otherwise (apparently) healthy middle-aged male—well dressed, no tattoos or scars—leaning back in red leather banquette of upscale restaurant in Yanji’s finest hotel, never having gotten past appetizer from the looks of it. Maybe autopsy? Chef in custody, but not talking. FIELD COMMENT: Still working him over.
—Couple of hookers taking a break before work found dead as doornails behind back alley dim sum joint. Best guess judging from scene: sharing steamed buns and red tea. Shop claims it doesn’t make dim sum on site. Buys off truck every other day. Manager insists “they don’t have phone number” of supplier and (surprise! surprise!) none of staff can remember anything, even color of truck. FIELD COMMENT: Asking around.
—One tourist, blond, female, discovered on washroom floor of new Mongolian tearoom across from train station. When turned over, funny look on face. Passport nowhere to be found. No Yanji hotel has record of anyone with her description checking in. Smaller inns still being canvassed. FIELD COMMENT: This may take a while. (hide spoiler)]
The investigators: (view spoiler)[ My uncle still had his sources, of course, and they were all good. But they were his sources, not mine. Soon after he had first arrived, we reached a strict understanding—we would never share sources. Information sometimes, sources never. Some of his sources came from the private detective agency he ran on the side, but those were dwindling because he didn’t like taking on clients. Clients meant getting paid, and he thought working for money was corrupting. We did manage to take in some money from the bookcases he built. Locals had taken a liking to his skills in woodworking, which I had to admit were considerable when he put his mind to it. We agreed that half of what he earned he could keep for expensive lumber, which he said was absolutely necessary because he detested working with pine. The other half of the bookcase profits went toward food. The problem was, though he turned out a steady supply of bookcases, most of them were what he called “proof of concept.” That meant they were odd shapes, basically unusable and largely unsalable. So a lender might say (and did whenever I looked for a loan) we had enough money, but not much of a cushion. We might have had more, but as everyone seemed to know, my ex-wife had taken everything when she ran away with a Japanese pastry chef several years ago. (hide spoiler)]
I love the Inspector O novels. This one he's back with his Chinese nephew Bing, but the end (view spoiler)[suggests O is making a return to North Korea for the next book, if there is one. (hide spoiler)] The stuff in Barcelona got convoluted, but that's par for the course with Inspector O, and anyway, the fun of it all is working through all the insinuations in your head.
I think I've come to appreciate Bing more, too. He's more Chandleresque, good with metaphors. As opposed to O, who is more of an elderly, North Korean James Bond.
The real mystery here is who is James Church. For a while, I had my own elaborate, convoluted theory that he was Stephen Bosworth, but that can't be the case because Bosworth died before the most recent Inspector O article was posted at 38north.org. I kind of think maybe Tim Shorrock? But it's not a strong suspicion like it was with Bosworth. I don't know.
My favourite lines:
(view spoiler)[The man was too tall for sarcasm to go over his head, but there was no sign anything had registered. (hide spoiler)]
O doesn't know who he's working for, but he has a hunch: (view spoiler)[A note attached to the ticket gave me some reassurance. The cash from Bernardo was your advance. Must have receipts for all expenditures. If I’d had any doubts that this was a government operation, they were gone. (hide spoiler)]
On peninsular life: (view spoiler)[There were a lot of people who didn’t seem to trust each other on this peninsula. Maybe there was something about having the ocean on three sides that made people suspicious. (hide spoiler)]
Inspector O acts like a millennial by getting sensitive about pronouns: (view spoiler)[“You sure this is the shipping company? All you have is this business card, and it looks old. Old and greasy.” “You’d look greasy too if you had been under a cheese sandwich for a while. Give me that card.” I held onto it. “OK, what if this card is right? What can you do about it?” I put a little barb on the end of the question. Not much, but enough. “What can I do about it? Plenty, but first I have to climb out of here and get somewhere I can send messages.” He didn’t say “we” have to get out of here. Years ago I learned to be really sensitive about pronouns in these situations. It was clear he was planning to leave alone; the question was, in what shape was he planning to leave me?
....
“You’ve run this operation before?” “No, not exactly, but something close. Similar outcome. It’s getting discouraging.” “It was worse than that for Rosalina.” Salvador shut the gate behind me. “She wasn’t one to make mistakes. Someone must have sold her out.” “I vote for Yakob.” “He say something to you?” “Not exactly, but he uses the first-person pronoun too much.” “Well, he won’t be using it anymore. Don’t ask why.” (hide spoiler)]...more
The Ling sisters like to mock North Koreans for their worship of then leader Kim Jong-il, which makes their adulation of American celebrities like OprThe Ling sisters like to mock North Koreans for their worship of then leader Kim Jong-il, which makes their adulation of American celebrities like Oprah and Democrats like Al Gore bitterly ironic. At least with the Koreans you get the sense they're doing it out of fear. The Ling sisters, however, don't have that excuse to fall back on. ...more
I think this is the one where the guy got caught fudging a bunch of the facts. Great story though. Went through a heavy DPRK period a while back, justI think this is the one where the guy got caught fudging a bunch of the facts. Great story though. Went through a heavy DPRK period a while back, just reading whatever I could find on the place. Strange country....more
Liked the part set in Mongolia and the beginning where Bing is stationed in a dusty Chinese border town. Like a modern, asian western. James Church neLiked the part set in Mongolia and the beginning where Bing is stationed in a dusty Chinese border town. Like a modern, asian western. James Church needs to get cracking on a new novel....more
I used to have an elaborate theory about James Church's real identity based on the articles he used to write for 38north.org. (The back cover copy of I used to have an elaborate theory about James Church's real identity based on the articles he used to write for 38north.org. (The back cover copy of his books describes Church as a pseudonym used by a retired State Department official with experience in North Korean affairs.)...more
James Church's Inspector O novels are great mysteries. Before he can even start inspecting, O has to solve the mystery of whether or not the higher upJames Church's Inspector O novels are great mysteries. Before he can even start inspecting, O has to solve the mystery of whether or not the higher ups want the case solved, left alone or to have the appearance of being solved but with no actual resolution. And even then there are always further political implications that O has to consider.
But that's just the enticement. The real mystery is North Korea itself. How has a state where nothing works lasted so long? Everyone keeps predicting and preparing for collapse, but it never happens. So what's the deal? We've all heard of North Korean diplomats who essentially have to leave their families behind as hostages when they travel overseas. But surely there has to be more than that propping up the state, no? One of Church's responses to these questions is O himself.
He has no family forcing him to stay, yet he does. He's seen the outside world and to some extent he's rejected it. This shit hole is his home. At the same time he gets away with never wearing his Dear Leader badge, and he seems to have some cynicism towards the regime. Ultimately, O is an enigma that offers insight into the Hermit Kingdom.
After reading the book, I read that Church is a pseudonym and the author is a former State Department guy. It gives me hope that there can be some understanding for those of us on the outside looking in....more
It takes a while to wrap your head around the idea that this isn't the dystopian literature we've come to expect about North Korea. It's actually a faIt takes a while to wrap your head around the idea that this isn't the dystopian literature we've come to expect about North Korea. It's actually a fantasy set in North Korea. That's not a knock on it, though it obviously presents something of an ethical dilemma. I cringed every time Kim Jong-il showed up, because he's not a cruel dictator so much as a manic trickster god, and it's hard to take that in given the amount of suffering in the DPRK. ...more
Loading...
