Bad Kids by Zijin Chen is a fast-paced and entertaining suspense thriller about the accountability of teenagers.
Location: Ningbo in China
Bad Kids synopsis
A dark Chinese suspense thriller about teenage accountability, where no one is innocent, for fans of Keigo Higashino and Un-Su Kim.
THE PERFECT CRIME DOESN’T EXIST
One beautiful morning, Zhang Dongsheng pushes his wealthy in-laws off a remote mountain.
It’s the perfect crime. Or so he thinks.
For Zhang did not expect that teenager Chaoyang and his friends would catch him in the act. An opportunity for blackmail presents itself and the kids start down a dark path that will lead to the unravelling of all their lives.
Dark, heart-stopping and violent, Bad Kids is the suspense thriller that has taken China by storm, proving that anyone has what it takes to become a killer.
Book review
You think you know where the story is going when you read about the kids witnessing the murder, but then something else happens. (I should elaborate: I almost never read the full synopsis of suspense books hoping to be surprised by the turn of events.) The kids’ actions show how neglect and poor treatment make people do things they wouldn’t normally do. Once you get in too deep, it’s hard to get back on track.
Bad Kids is a fast-paced suspense thriller that reads very smoothly. A novel with humor, despite the situations the kids find themselves in and the less than acceptable actions of the characters in the book. I wouldn’t say the plot is very surprising once you get past a certain point, but it is entertaining to watch it all unfold.
The story is told by multiple narrators, but the point of view changes feel very natural. Although all the narrators are important in conveying what is happening, most of the characters are very stereotypical. There is only one exception, namely a character (who I will not name) who undergoes a well-written character transformation. The “dark” in the synopsis is evident in this person’s state of mind. However, you take this in as a somewhat detached observer: you notice the situation, but do not feel this person’s pain. It is more about the chain of events that introduces the question of accountability.
I should add that the story is set in a place that most English-speaking readers are not very familiar with, which is always a pro in suspense thrillers because it introduces new motives. The TV Show adaptation of Bad Kids is one of China’s highest rated online TV Shows.
The thing about reviewing a suspense thriller is that you can’t say much about the story. So I will end my review by saying that I enjoyed reading this book. I am interested in reading more translated works by this author.
Interested?
Pre-order your copy of Bad Kids from Amazon (available 4 August 2022).
Book details
Title: Bad Kids
Author: Zijin Chen
Translator from Chinese: Michelle Deeter
Language: English
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Pages: 336
ISBN (13): 9781782277620
Publication date: 4 August 2022
About the author and translator
Zijin Chen is a bestselling author of suspense fiction. Celebrated as China’s ‘Keigo Higashino’ by his readers, Zijin Chen’s novel Bad Kids has been adapted for one of 2020’s highest-rating television shows.
Michelle Deeter is a translator based in Manchester, UK. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Carleton College and a master’s degree in translation and interpreting from Newcastle University. She translates and interprest both technical texts and works of fiction.
Many thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
