One Hell of a Job

By Cheryl Morgan

Back in 2001 Liz Williams got a BSFA Award nomination for an Interzone story called "Adventures in the Ghost Trade". It featured a certain Inspector Chen, who specialized in supernatural crimes, and it was rather good. Little did I know at the time, but Williams had actually written an entire Inspector Chen novel (and I still don’t know which came first). That novel is finally seeing print from Night Shade Books, and I am at a loss to know why it has taken so long.

Before we get into the story, however, let me direct your attention to the superb cover by Jon Foster. It you are reading this on the web site you should be able to see a thumbnail of it. This is the cover that had everyone at World Fantasy Con going, "ooh, ahh," and buying the book. It really is lovely.

Anyway, as I said, Inspector Chen specializes in supernatural crime. This, inevitably, means that he must have dealings with Hell. Indeed, the entire case around which this novel, Snake Agent, is built involves the kidnapping of the ghosts of innocent young girls bound for Heaven and putting them to work instead in Hell’s brothels. Dealing with Hell is not easy. Chen is Chinese, and therefore used to impenetrable bureaucracies, but Hell can make even the British National Health Service seem positively friendly. Fortunately Chen knows far more than most humans, let alone most police detectives, about Hell. He has a good informant.

Then there is his partner. For the purposes of this case Chen is required to work closely with Seneschal Zhu Irzh of Hell’s Vice Squad. He’s young, single, and a bit of a lad, but not so bad as demons go, as long as you don’t insult him.

"Are you accusing me of having principles?" The demon said, outraged. Chen did not see the demon move, but the unwavering tip of the katana was suddenly at Chen’s throat. Zhu Irzh took a gliding step forward; Chen back away until he was up against the wall. He stared along the black blade, to meet the demon’s golden eyes.

Of course things are never quite that simple. The interests of Earth and Hell are not always closely aligned, even on joint investigations, especially considering that Zhu Irzh is secretly working for the First Lord of Banking, one of Hell’s most powerful ministers. Then there are those busybody nuisances in Heaven who disdain to act directly in worldly affairs but who get seriously stroppy if their agents, of whom Inspector Chen happens to be one, fail to follow correct procedure. Not to mention the matter of the professional demon hunter that Beijing has sent to help with the case. You know the sort: never laughs, utterly dedicated to the cause, black leather trenchcoat, big sword and gun, only hobby would be watching Clint Eastwood movies, if he allowed himself hobbies, which as a devout Maoist he does not.

And if all that wasn’t bad enough, the case turns out to involve Chen’s in-laws who are simple vendors of gourmet blood and not well equipped to deal with Infernal politics. Thankfully Chen has a visa allowing him free passage into Hell where he and Zhu Irzh can set about bringing the bad guys from the Ministry of Diseases to justice (or at least what approximates for justice in Hell).

All of which adds up to a highly amusing and entertaining romp. It is the closest thing I’ve seen yet to a Kim Newman vampire novel. Williams takes the whole Chinese mythology angle absurdly seriously and combines it with some biting satire about the real world. If the likes of Michael Chabon and Chris Roberson want to revive the spirit of the pulps, they need Inspector Chen stories.

Given the fabulous cover and Night Shade’s new found prominence in the US publishing industry I’m expecting this book to sell well. I hope so, because I foresee several other Inspector Chen novels in the near future.