Note: This copy of City on Fire: A Novel of Hong Kong was provided by NetGalley.
City on Fire by Simon Elegant is the story that’s hard to put into any one box. Off the top it seems like a police-procedural crime thriller, but it is so much more. Taking place in a Hong Kong that is rife with tensions and protests regrading the future of the city (2014 Umbrella Movement). We follow Superintendent Killian Tong, a once up and coming police detective that was involved in accidentally shooting a protester a few years prior. There goes his career as he finds himself marooned to menial tasks and shunned / ridiculed by his colleagues. It also doesn’t help that Killian Tong is a non-ethnic local which comes with its own burdens; even more so in the backdrop of the tensions around the city.
That doesn’t deter Killian from still trying to do good. Growing up always wanting to be a police officer as a way to do the most good for people, this career choice has caused friction within his own family considering the police are considered to be a corrupt organisation. But Killan feels that for change to happen someone needs to be willing to make those decisions and enforce change from the inside.
The story follows Killian but is so much more than just his story. The narrative paints a picture of a city on fire (see what I did there) where familial bonds are tested and every decision has a rippling effect that could have lasting damage. With office politics, fraying familial loyalties, and the repercussions of a career ending mistake, Killian feels like he’s constantly floundering in deep waters with no land in sight.
The pacing isn’t fast but it keeps the reader engaged. The story is at once captivating and gives off a very noir feel. This makes sense since most of the characters have been shown to live in a grey area where the concept of right and wrong is all a matter of perspective. The family dynamics we see here isn’t something hasn’t been explored but it adds a weight to the story that makes you dread the eventual outcome. While the story looks at several topics, the main storyline did bounce around a bit to perhaps show the chaotic nature of life in Hong Kong during this tense period. That did make it feel a little disjointed at times, which on hindsight seems likely to have been the point.
Outside of the main protagonist(s), there are a lot of characters introduced for whom we don’t get a resolution of any sort in the end. The story itself ends a bit haphazardly which makes one wonder if there is a potential follow up to this in the works. That said the author has a flair in keeping the reader engaged and I can see myself picking up a follow up to this book, should one exist in the future. Recommended for fans of the crime thriller genre.
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