Second Sister

Library Edition

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Jeremy Tiang, Nancy Wu, Chan Ho-Kei: Second Sister (AudiobookFormat, 2020, Blackstone Pub, Blackstone Publishing)

audio cd

Published May 18, 2020 by Blackstone Pub, Blackstone Publishing.

ISBN:
978-1-0941-0062-3
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4 stars (1 review)

4 editions

A compelling thriller

4 stars

Chan Ho-Kei's new Hong Kong-based psychological thriller, Second Sister, incorporates an intricate mix of internet hacking and social engineering to propel its narrative. I was reminded at times of the indie novel Social Engineer by Ian Sutherland, although Second Sister is definitely more ambitious in its scope. I appreciated however that Chan always stays in the realms of the plausible. Of course I can't actually say for sure that everything N accomplishes is as easy or quick as it is made to appear - for those in the know anyway - but I never found myself scoffing in disbelief at some outlandish scenario or against-the-clock race. These aspects are what generally put me off reading thrillers so I was pleased not to encounter such overused tropes here. Instead Chan focuses on the humanity and motivations of his characters. No one, to my mind, is particularly likeable, but everyone has such …