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Liberation Street
Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China – a city beset by mid-summer heat, rainstorms, and murder.
Prosecutor Xu Ya of the People’s Procuratorate is summoned in the middle of the night to the disturbing death of a famous and politically-connected businessman in Plum Tree Pagodas, a luxury apartment complex owned by the influential family Fu – and ordered to investigate with the utmost secrecy.
Meanwhile, Philip Ye, a homicide detective with Chengdu Public Security Bureau, has just returned from an ill-tempered holiday in the U.K. to discover that his unhappy protégé, Constable Ma Meili, has, against his strict instructions, taken on the case of a vicious killing of a retired army general – a crime that intrigues Philip Ye so much that he adopts the investigation as his own.
Little do Philip Ye and Prosecutor Xu know that their respective investigations will yet again set them on a collision course – and that the assassins of both the businessman and retired army general are still stalking the rainswept streets of Chengdu.
Prosecutor Xu Ya of the People’s Procuratorate is summoned in the middle of the night to the disturbing death of a famous and politically-connected businessman in Plum Tree Pagodas, a luxury apartment complex owned by the influential family Fu – and ordered to investigate with the utmost secrecy.
Meanwhile, Philip Ye, a homicide detective with Chengdu Public Security Bureau, has just returned from an ill-tempered holiday in the U.K. to discover that his unhappy protégé, Constable Ma Meili, has, against his strict instructions, taken on the case of a vicious killing of a retired army general – a crime that intrigues Philip Ye so much that he adopts the investigation as his own.
Little do Philip Ye and Prosecutor Xu know that their respective investigations will yet again set them on a collision course – and that the assassins of both the businessman and retired army general are still stalking the rainswept streets of Chengdu.
681 pages, Paperback
Published January 16, 2023
About the author
Laurence Westwood
5 books20 followersAfter a (probably ill-advised) degree in Theoretical Physics, Laurence commenced upon a varied career in law enforcement and information security consultancy.
He regularly lectures at the University of Warwick on computer law and IP enforcement.
He has had a long-standing fascination with the political, military, social and legal history of China.
He lives just outside of Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
He regularly lectures at the University of Warwick on computer law and IP enforcement.
He has had a long-standing fascination with the political, military, social and legal history of China.
He lives just outside of Stratford-upon-Avon, England.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 22, 2023
This was another fab buddy read with Yvo @ It’s All About Books, even though we’re in completely different parts of the world. I’m in Jersey in the Channel Islands, so part of the British Isles, and Yvo is in Argentina, but we’ve done it a few times before, so the time difference wasn’t a problem at all. We discussed the book, with it’s characters, twists and turns, by messaging each other on Twitter.
We really enjoyed the first book The Willow Woman as a buddy read a few years ago, so when we heard there was another book featuring homicide Detective Philip Ye, we jumped at the chance of buddy reading this one too!
I must admit that when I first set eyes on the physical book I was rather intimidated as it’s a BIG book at 681 pages. Normally I read books with around 300 to 350 pages so you can understand why! 😂 Fortunately the size didn’t matter one bit, as the pace was quick and the plot intriguing.
It was good to get back to the characters from the first book Philip Ye, Constable Ma, Fatty Deng, Mouse and of course Prosecutor Xu Ya. Yvo and I had forgotten some of their characteristics, so it was fun remembering how outrageously rude Constable Ma was and how ‘gifted’ Philip Ye was in regards to the paranormal aspects of the book.
We kept wondering where it was headed next and whether Fatty Deng, Prosecutor Xu Ya, Philip Ye and Constable Ma could track down the killers, before there was another murder.
As well as murder there was also a bit of a ‘will they won’t they’ romance going on between Xu Ya and Philip Ye. Mostly in Xu Ya’s mind though, as no-one ever really knows what was going on in Philip’s head as he’s very hard to read and very moody! It made for some amusing interactions between them.
Highly recommended if you enjoy detective books.
Thanks so much to the author for sending me a lovely signed copy for review.
We really enjoyed the first book The Willow Woman as a buddy read a few years ago, so when we heard there was another book featuring homicide Detective Philip Ye, we jumped at the chance of buddy reading this one too!
I must admit that when I first set eyes on the physical book I was rather intimidated as it’s a BIG book at 681 pages. Normally I read books with around 300 to 350 pages so you can understand why! 😂 Fortunately the size didn’t matter one bit, as the pace was quick and the plot intriguing.
It was good to get back to the characters from the first book Philip Ye, Constable Ma, Fatty Deng, Mouse and of course Prosecutor Xu Ya. Yvo and I had forgotten some of their characteristics, so it was fun remembering how outrageously rude Constable Ma was and how ‘gifted’ Philip Ye was in regards to the paranormal aspects of the book.
We kept wondering where it was headed next and whether Fatty Deng, Prosecutor Xu Ya, Philip Ye and Constable Ma could track down the killers, before there was another murder.
As well as murder there was also a bit of a ‘will they won’t they’ romance going on between Xu Ya and Philip Ye. Mostly in Xu Ya’s mind though, as no-one ever really knows what was going on in Philip’s head as he’s very hard to read and very moody! It made for some amusing interactions between them.
Highly recommended if you enjoy detective books.
Thanks so much to the author for sending me a lovely signed copy for review.
September 9, 2023
Finished reading: September 5th 2023
"People are people. Don't get fooled by a fancy uniform. Some people are good, some people are bad - but most of us are somewhere in between."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
February 16, 2023
A couple of years ago now, I came across Laurence Westwood on Twitter and he kindly sent me a copy of his crime thriller set in China, ‘The Willow Woman’.
That book was the first in his series featuring the incredibly intriguing protagonist in Philip Ye. That book, the story and it’s many characters completely knocked me for six. It’s simply outstanding.
Now after the longest of waits…. ‘Liberation Street’ is finally here, and the return of Philip Ye, Prosecutor Xu, Fatty Deng and Constable Ma, have again left me breathless.
A Police Procedural would be the genre to set this book in layman’s terms. But it’s very much more. Full of culture, the book has a heartbeat of its own.
I don’t need to rewrite the blurb.
Murder, Family, Power, Community and a dastardly punch of supernatural are the name of the game here and it’s absolutely superbly done.
Laurence Westwood writes in the most enchanting of ways. It’s rich, powerful and sumptuous, you simply can’t get enough of it.
This book weighs in at 681 pages. It’s huge. It feels daunting. It’s anything but. How an author can keep a reader entertained and enthralled without dropping pace in near on 700 pages is something else.
Laurence Westwood is a special writer, with a cast of characters who have charmed me and excited me.
With this stunning book, he has written a beautiful story, and he somehow strung all the strings together to leave an ending that left a large smile and a reader thinking there is more to come…. Can we not wait so long this time Laurence?
Book of the year level writing.
Quite simply astonishingly good
That book was the first in his series featuring the incredibly intriguing protagonist in Philip Ye. That book, the story and it’s many characters completely knocked me for six. It’s simply outstanding.
Now after the longest of waits…. ‘Liberation Street’ is finally here, and the return of Philip Ye, Prosecutor Xu, Fatty Deng and Constable Ma, have again left me breathless.
A Police Procedural would be the genre to set this book in layman’s terms. But it’s very much more. Full of culture, the book has a heartbeat of its own.
I don’t need to rewrite the blurb.
Murder, Family, Power, Community and a dastardly punch of supernatural are the name of the game here and it’s absolutely superbly done.
Laurence Westwood writes in the most enchanting of ways. It’s rich, powerful and sumptuous, you simply can’t get enough of it.
This book weighs in at 681 pages. It’s huge. It feels daunting. It’s anything but. How an author can keep a reader entertained and enthralled without dropping pace in near on 700 pages is something else.
Laurence Westwood is a special writer, with a cast of characters who have charmed me and excited me.
With this stunning book, he has written a beautiful story, and he somehow strung all the strings together to leave an ending that left a large smile and a reader thinking there is more to come…. Can we not wait so long this time Laurence?
Book of the year level writing.
Quite simply astonishingly good
January 30, 2023
A brilliant follow-up to The Willow Woman!
It's a wonderfully complex detective story that again weaves the main four characters together - Philip Ye, Prosecutor Xu Ya, Fatty Deng and Constable Ma - giving them each a chance to shine through their investigative skills and heroics. The dramatic sequences are incredibly dramatic, the humour is even more pronounced than in the first book, and the character development will leave you wanting more - as usual!
Laurence Westwood has the great skill of being able to create a serious and multi-faceted mystery with so much in it for any reader to enjoy. There is poignancy and romance, there are wonderful secondary characters and there is also the supernatural element, where certain spirits linger on, hoping to find resolution through the actions of our heroes. This is modern-day China, yet the past still has a hold over so many...
Roll on the third book!
It's a wonderfully complex detective story that again weaves the main four characters together - Philip Ye, Prosecutor Xu Ya, Fatty Deng and Constable Ma - giving them each a chance to shine through their investigative skills and heroics. The dramatic sequences are incredibly dramatic, the humour is even more pronounced than in the first book, and the character development will leave you wanting more - as usual!
Laurence Westwood has the great skill of being able to create a serious and multi-faceted mystery with so much in it for any reader to enjoy. There is poignancy and romance, there are wonderful secondary characters and there is also the supernatural element, where certain spirits linger on, hoping to find resolution through the actions of our heroes. This is modern-day China, yet the past still has a hold over so many...
Roll on the third book!
February 12, 2023
Liberation Street is the second Philip Ye novel and while it can be read as a standalone, I would advise you to read its predecessor before tackling Liberation Street. For one, it will help you see the character arcs and I think it also places the characters as well as the current events in a slightly different light if you know what came before. Moreover, it’s an outstanding book and you’re really missing out if you haven’t read it!
If you find this book daunting in any way, I’m here to tell you to embrace your fears and Liberation Street! At over 600 pages, it’s a rather big book (about twice my preferred page count, to be honest) but it does not matter in the slightest. This author has such a fluent, easy-to-read-and-process writing style, the pages just fly by. And that’s not even taking into account a story that is so addictive you just can’t stop reading, and if you’re forced to stop, you’re compelled to pick it up again at the first chance you get. If you don’t read many books set in China, I’m sure the setting and things like names etc. may be a bit daunting, I know it was for me before reading The Willow Woman. Still, I never had any issues with any of that, in either of the Philip Ye books: the characters, both main and side, are memorable and the context clears up whatever lingering doubt there might be.
Speaking of the characters, the main protagonist is Philip Ye, obviously. What makes him stand out, besides his good heart hidden under a veil of moodiness and a bit of a temper, is that he’s a combination of unlikely things. He’s the son of a Chinese father and a British mother, and while he’s a serious and experienced homicide detective, he also believes in the supernatural. This is the quote that describes him perfectly, he is:
caught twice between two worlds: between the East and the West, and between the physical and the afterlife
Admittedly, there were a few instances I wanted to kick his behind and tell him to get a grip 😬😂 And then there’s the smart but spirited (read: volatile) prosecutor with whom he’s caught in a will-they-won’t-they type of relationship, the constable I will never picture as anything other than a Chinese Brienne of Tart, my favourite Hawaiian-clad hero and a whole bunch of secondary characters I cared about a whole lot more than I usually do about secondary characters.
I love mysteries, thrillers, any sort of crime fiction, but while I enjoy the occasional police procedural, I’m not a die-hard fan of that particular subgenre. That’s partly why I love this series so much: although Liberation Street is technically a police procedural, there is so much going on and there is so much culture and folklore woven into it, that it never feels like your typical police procedural. This is of course also aided by its setting in China, thanks to which Liberation Street exudes a completely different vibe than its British and American peers, and it is one that I enjoy immensely.
I’m a huge fan of the ending and I love that everything is neatly wrapped up, having come to a conclusion in a quite organic manner, while still leaving the door open a crack for the sequel. Which I will be waiting for with bated breath. I can only hope it won’t be another 84 years…
I had the best time with Liberation Street. With its setting and its various mysteries to solve and a whole bunch of characters, this could easily have been a very dense book, but it’s not, it’s so accessible and readable and just flat out fantastic. If you’re in the market for some atmospheric, fast-paced and lush crime fiction, do put Liberation Street at the top of your shopping list.
Liberation Street is out now in digital formats and paperback.
Massive thanks to the author for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
If you find this book daunting in any way, I’m here to tell you to embrace your fears and Liberation Street! At over 600 pages, it’s a rather big book (about twice my preferred page count, to be honest) but it does not matter in the slightest. This author has such a fluent, easy-to-read-and-process writing style, the pages just fly by. And that’s not even taking into account a story that is so addictive you just can’t stop reading, and if you’re forced to stop, you’re compelled to pick it up again at the first chance you get. If you don’t read many books set in China, I’m sure the setting and things like names etc. may be a bit daunting, I know it was for me before reading The Willow Woman. Still, I never had any issues with any of that, in either of the Philip Ye books: the characters, both main and side, are memorable and the context clears up whatever lingering doubt there might be.
Speaking of the characters, the main protagonist is Philip Ye, obviously. What makes him stand out, besides his good heart hidden under a veil of moodiness and a bit of a temper, is that he’s a combination of unlikely things. He’s the son of a Chinese father and a British mother, and while he’s a serious and experienced homicide detective, he also believes in the supernatural. This is the quote that describes him perfectly, he is:
caught twice between two worlds: between the East and the West, and between the physical and the afterlife
Admittedly, there were a few instances I wanted to kick his behind and tell him to get a grip 😬😂 And then there’s the smart but spirited (read: volatile) prosecutor with whom he’s caught in a will-they-won’t-they type of relationship, the constable I will never picture as anything other than a Chinese Brienne of Tart, my favourite Hawaiian-clad hero and a whole bunch of secondary characters I cared about a whole lot more than I usually do about secondary characters.
I love mysteries, thrillers, any sort of crime fiction, but while I enjoy the occasional police procedural, I’m not a die-hard fan of that particular subgenre. That’s partly why I love this series so much: although Liberation Street is technically a police procedural, there is so much going on and there is so much culture and folklore woven into it, that it never feels like your typical police procedural. This is of course also aided by its setting in China, thanks to which Liberation Street exudes a completely different vibe than its British and American peers, and it is one that I enjoy immensely.
I’m a huge fan of the ending and I love that everything is neatly wrapped up, having come to a conclusion in a quite organic manner, while still leaving the door open a crack for the sequel. Which I will be waiting for with bated breath. I can only hope it won’t be another 84 years…
I had the best time with Liberation Street. With its setting and its various mysteries to solve and a whole bunch of characters, this could easily have been a very dense book, but it’s not, it’s so accessible and readable and just flat out fantastic. If you’re in the market for some atmospheric, fast-paced and lush crime fiction, do put Liberation Street at the top of your shopping list.
Liberation Street is out now in digital formats and paperback.
Massive thanks to the author for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
March 21, 2023
A police procedural at its core but well enveloped in the geo-political culture that made up the Sichuan Province of mainland China.
This was book 2 in the series, and it would be well advised if you had read book 1, The Willow Woman. Frankly speaking, I had forgotten about all the characters except for Philip Ye, the principal investigator, yet this book welcomed me with open arms.
That's what made the book a deeply immersive one.
Two murder mysteries: one of a business mogul with Prosecutor Xu Ya and Fatty Deng secretly looking into it and the other of a retired army general, which is an open investigation conducted by Superintendent Philip Ye and Constable Ma Meili.
But down the pages, both their investigations bisected each other, and the story got extremely interesting when all four worked together.
At 800+ pages, I thought it to be daunting, but the characterization of the numerous people embedded in the story invited me with open arms to read their story.
Initially, I thought I would be very confused since their family names and their ways of being were quite different from what I read in other novels. But it was these differences that endeared them to me.
The plot line simply blew my mind away in the way the author’s writing had connected details of the story from the present deep into the past. Facts and fiction were well interweaved that every moment resonated its beat in my heart. They were so complex and interesting.
YOU JUST HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK TO BELIEVE IT.
The story left me with a book hangover. Some of the nuances in the story had to be felt and didn't have any English words to rightly translate into. Some feelings had no words. They could only be lived through while reading the book
Author Laurence Westwood has done a brilliant job. Don't get daunted by the setting and the number of pages, they would cease to matter when you start loving these characters.
Read the detailed review on digitalreadsmedia.com/liberation-street
This was book 2 in the series, and it would be well advised if you had read book 1, The Willow Woman. Frankly speaking, I had forgotten about all the characters except for Philip Ye, the principal investigator, yet this book welcomed me with open arms.
That's what made the book a deeply immersive one.
Two murder mysteries: one of a business mogul with Prosecutor Xu Ya and Fatty Deng secretly looking into it and the other of a retired army general, which is an open investigation conducted by Superintendent Philip Ye and Constable Ma Meili.
But down the pages, both their investigations bisected each other, and the story got extremely interesting when all four worked together.
At 800+ pages, I thought it to be daunting, but the characterization of the numerous people embedded in the story invited me with open arms to read their story.
Initially, I thought I would be very confused since their family names and their ways of being were quite different from what I read in other novels. But it was these differences that endeared them to me.
The plot line simply blew my mind away in the way the author’s writing had connected details of the story from the present deep into the past. Facts and fiction were well interweaved that every moment resonated its beat in my heart. They were so complex and interesting.
YOU JUST HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK TO BELIEVE IT.
The story left me with a book hangover. Some of the nuances in the story had to be felt and didn't have any English words to rightly translate into. Some feelings had no words. They could only be lived through while reading the book
Author Laurence Westwood has done a brilliant job. Don't get daunted by the setting and the number of pages, they would cease to matter when you start loving these characters.
Read the detailed review on digitalreadsmedia.com/liberation-street
October 10, 2023
The first time I read anything by Laurence was back in April 2019 when Laurence reached out to ask if I would be interested in reading and reviewing the first book in the Philip Ye series, The Willow Woman. And having enjoyed it very much, I couldn’t wait for this second instalment, and boy, it didn’t disappoint.
Liberation Street sees the return of Philip Ye and other great characters in this cleverly written and multilayer story that had me gripped from start to finish.
The cleverly written plot is fast-paced, and even with over 681 pages, it didn’t give one bit.
I loved the character development and really can’t get my head around how Laurence manages to create such great characters, especially with so many of them. In this book alone, there are over a hundred of them.
This was a fantastic read, and I don’t know how to put my thoughts across properly in this review, but if you’re looking for a complex detective story, this is definitely a book/series to pick up.
I can’t wait to read another book in this series and really hope I don’t have to wait as long for it, as I did with this one.
I would like to thank Laurence for sending me a physical copy of this book in exchange for my voluntary, honest, and unbiased thoughts.
Liberation Street sees the return of Philip Ye and other great characters in this cleverly written and multilayer story that had me gripped from start to finish.
The cleverly written plot is fast-paced, and even with over 681 pages, it didn’t give one bit.
I loved the character development and really can’t get my head around how Laurence manages to create such great characters, especially with so many of them. In this book alone, there are over a hundred of them.
This was a fantastic read, and I don’t know how to put my thoughts across properly in this review, but if you’re looking for a complex detective story, this is definitely a book/series to pick up.
I can’t wait to read another book in this series and really hope I don’t have to wait as long for it, as I did with this one.
I would like to thank Laurence for sending me a physical copy of this book in exchange for my voluntary, honest, and unbiased thoughts.
October 12, 2023
I have been living on Liberation Street for the last couple of weeks. Passing by the Lucky Dragon Tobacco Emporium, sitting in on the Liberation Street Traders Association meetings, and hurrying past the Black House. I've enjoyed it tremendously. As in Westwood's previous novels the characterisations are richly carved and there are so many moments of humour. I have laughed aloud on several occasions. Having spent some time in Chengdu I have the luxury of "setting knowledge", but I don't think it's necessary to possess that to enjoy this novel. It's a long novel, but as one of the other reviewers has pointed out, you find yourself with half an hour to spare picking it up to see what's going on. It's as if the characters are going about their daily business and you just leap into it. Of course, the hero with his feet in two cultures, for me has to be the dishy Philip Ye, but I rather like Fatty Deng too and the brothers Ming are really comical and I was smiling away at their criminal preparations although... (I'm not going to be labelled a spoiler for this scene.) Westwood is a well-informed, readable, entertaining writer. This novel rolls along at great speed and I for one really enjoyed the ride.
June 25, 2023
Two different murders which little by little are linked to eachother. Murder mystery, Political thriller? It remains a rollercoaster of a novel, incredibly well researched and gripping from the first pages. Sometimes it reminded me a bit of a Murakami novel, especially with the the character of Du Yue. All characters are so larger than life and you can't do otherwise than love or hate them. It's rather a big book, over 600 pages but the detail added more to the story and made you understand the human side of the characters more besides learning about Chinese culture. In the end everything all adds up and leaves you with a "oooh so that's why!". Higly recommended.
March 3, 2023
What a fascinating book.
Yet another wonderful book by Laurence. Such an interesting insight into life in China, with such humour . All the characters have such wonderful and funny names ... all so loveable even the baddies!!! Please, please hurry with the next one, I am desperate to find out what happens next. I would recommend anyone to read this book...it is so cleverly written with incredible detail and precision. Laurence certainly has a beautiful way with words. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it...get in with the next one Laurence!!!
Yet another wonderful book by Laurence. Such an interesting insight into life in China, with such humour . All the characters have such wonderful and funny names ... all so loveable even the baddies!!! Please, please hurry with the next one, I am desperate to find out what happens next. I would recommend anyone to read this book...it is so cleverly written with incredible detail and precision. Laurence certainly has a beautiful way with words. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it...get in with the next one Laurence!!!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews