The Touch of Murder : Tales of the Magistrate Pt. 1 Author J.F. Lee

Book Review

5 out of 5 stars!


"I am bored." - Tao Jun


Being stuck inside an office is no place for Tao Jun! Luckily someone tosses him a bone in the form of a missing person. Things do turn sour when the case becomes a murder investigation. But Tao Jun will gladly do anything to stay out of the office and away from his archnemesis. . .paperwork!


Only things begin to go sideways when Tao Jun finds a whole nest of lies, an assassin group, and a mysterious girl with an interesting past. Not to mention a wanted conman! What was his name again? Tao Jun brandishes his sword Joy and silk robes as he tracks down his leads. Hopefully the trail will end with the correct person being arrested.


"Ji Ping, you're as bad as my wife." - Tao Jun

"The woman must be an incarnation of the goddess of mercy to put up with you." - Ji Ping


First of all. . .I screamed, fine I squealed, when I read that this was going to be about Tao Jun. I met him in the "Tales of the Swordsman" and knew he was one of my favorites. If you haven't read the books featuring Li Ming, that's perfectly fine. I do highly recommend reading them! 


This book takes place after the ending of the first book in the series of the "Tales of the Swordsman". There are some mild spoilers for the first book featuring Li Ming, but no clear in depth details. Could just tell the timeline of this book featuring Tao Jun, in conjunction to Li Ming's arc.


Welcome to the wonderful world of Wuxia! If you haven't a clue what Wuxia is or means the author has an amazing page dedicated to what the genre is. In short:


"Wuxia is a genre of Chinese fiction that features itinerant warriors of extreme (almost supernatural) martial arts skill in ancient China." - Quoted from JF Lee's website


Tao Jun's not your typical magistrate by any means! Which drives his adjutant up the wall and across the ceiling, which seems to be needing a new paint job. But regardless of how he got into the position of magistrate, Tao Jun does do his job. Even if his means are a little unorthodox and he doesn't mind getting his hands dirty.


I enjoyed being able to see Tao Jun in action! I also really loved that this book was in first person POV and only Tao Jun's. Seeing how his mind works and just how he kept breaking the fourth wall. I honestly got Deadpool vibes from Tao Jun and his antics. I can completely understand why he cannot stay in the office for too long with ton of paperwork. Pretty sure he would "accidently" set something on fire just to get out.


Tao Jun's a great detective and I loved how we get a fusion of detective and martial arts. Not to mention the sheer comedy of this book! I was laughing out loud on several occasions and just becoming more attached to Tao Jun as I read on. Definitely confirming why I instantly knew I was going to love him.


I really enjoyed all of Tao Jun's team and staff from the Tribunal. We also get to see an old face from "Tales of the Swordsman" in this book. Not to mention a handful of other cast from different books JF Lee has written. I loved the mystery and solving of the case. All the little twists and things I didn't see coming until they unfolded on the page! Not to mention the witty banter and playfulness of conversations!


The author spoils us! At the beginning of the book there is a list of main characters and brief descriptions of them. And at the back of the book is a glossary for Chinese words and their meaning. He also lists the words by chapters! So you won't get any spoilers as you flip to the back (if you have a physical copy of the book) to see what a word means.


This book does contain some violence and gore along with language, both in Chinese and English. This is about a man who solves murder mysteries so expect death. The book closes with a bridge ending, meaning there are hints of a possible future arc line for Tao Jun!


I loved this read and I cannot wait to dive into the next part of Tao Jun's story! Do enjoy the read and give the author some stars!


The Touch of Murder: The Tales of the Magistrate Pt. 1 (A Wuxia Detective Story) - Kindle edition by Lee, JF. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.


JF LEE WUXIA AUTHOR


What is wuxia? — JF LEE WUXIA AUTHOR


Wuxia Fantasy Author JF Lee (@jflee_author) TikTok | Watch Wuxia Fantasy Author JF Lee's Newest TikTok Videos


JF Lee (@jflee.author) • Instagram photos and videos

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Embers Die: Vlenoa's Witches Author Daisy Shell

Image
Book Review 4 out of 5 stars! "I, Mabel, must be the stupidest witch around for trusting a human of all creatures." - Mabel What do you do when your lover betrays you? When the village and the people you called home want you dead? When you're viewed as evil for being a witch? The same witch who was sought out by many for your abilities. You make a deal with a demon of course! Mabel doesn't want to die to the hands of these mortals, instead she seeks revenge. A fire burning in her belly, but she needs help. Trarzid sought her out and has a task he needs her to perform for him, but once that's done, she will get what she desires. With or without the demon's help. Hasn't anyone learned yet? You do not tick off a witch or a being with supernatural abilities! "You really are too trusting, little Bell." - Trarzid I was very excited when I read the synopsis for the book and mention of a demon. Demons will always have a special place in my heart, probabl
Read more

Find the Jinn: Wilde Contracts #1 Author Maz Maddox

Image
Audiobook Review 5 out of 5 stars! Narrated by Kirt Graves! "I have a vampire servant." - Dallas "Body. Guard." - Zane Dallas Wilde is a professional contract killer and fish trainer who would also sell his own grandmother for cash. But one contract job ends up turning into a giant headache with baggage in the form of a grumpy Thrall! A little bit of an oops has Dallas suffering some consequences he should have known better about and avoided. But maybe having a Thrall isn't so bad as Dallas ventures forth on his next contract, he can't sit around and not make money. Especially when his landlord is sweet enough in reminding him his rent is very late. Only as Dallas and the Thrall follow the trail of clues in search of a Jinn, they find more and more shady business dealings. Necromancy and more intricacies into the profession and craft are surfacing. Dallas just wanted a simple big pay out, but this contract is proving difficult. "I've never been in a
Read more

A Gift of Christmas Song Author Laura D'Ambrosio

Image
Book Review 5 out of 5 stars! "At the Johnsons', all was not calm and bright. It was tense." Sam's announced he will no longer be in the choir! And will NOT be singing in the Christmas Eve Concert. He cannot do it and his parents just don't understand him. Needing some distance, Sam finds himself in the yard of Marie the old woman who lives across the street.  Marie's ready to face another Christmas alone even if it's in the dark because of the snowstorm cutting power off. Not wanting to sing anymore after losing her love and walking away from the spotlights. Until a twelve-year-old boy nearly scares her socks off! The two are about to have a conversation that may just be the answer to both their problems. "Not the old witch you expected, am I?" - Marie Sam's fallen into the pit falls of wanting to fit in and be accepted. Experiencing some peer pressure and slight bullying that has placed him at a crossroad. Does he continue singing something
Read more

A Malicious Summer Vacation: Monsters of The Divide Book 3 Author T. B. Wiese

Image
Book Review 5 out of 5 stars! First and foremost! I think for a better reading experience these novellas should be read in order. But it's perfectly fine if they're read out of order. Previous characters do make appearances in this installment!  * * * "The light breeze ruffles my short hair. It feels good. The day is already heating up. I love it. My mom used to joke that she destined me to love the hot weather when she named me Summer." - Summer Sometimes you just need a break from life and social media! Summer's way overdue for a vacation and because of unpleasant circumstances she takes an emergency one. Renting a house in a small town that she didn't expect to love so much. Not to mention her neighbors are sweet and she's able to enjoy peace and quiet. Even at night when apparently monsters should be trying to claw their way through the windows and doors! Summer doesn't fully understand the hierarchy that's in play within the town and her very
Read more