Brilliant eye-opening novel,beautifully constructed and fast paced,best I've read for ages.The characters are memorable, the Chinese names easily identifiable.A compassionate thriller illuminating the plight of Chinese illegal immigrants which can but make you sympathise with them. The Tong, hoodlums and gangmasters are vicious but meet their match in Police Inspector Jian .He has come to England from China in a desperate search for his wayward daughter,believing her life to be threatened.He is unaware that she has left her college course to work in a Chinese Restaurant and has been drawn into the clutches of the evil Chinese criminal Black Fort. Jian cannot speak English and his only ally is Ding Yi ,an English speaking illegal immigrant.He has escaped from his gangmaster while digging for cockles and embarks on a hunt for his wife, separated from him by the gangmasters.It is this search which results in his meeting Jian and whilst not wholly trusting him, helps in map reading his criss- cross way across England using stolen cars. The indomitable Inspector Jian is a colourful character and his wham-bam approach to policing is refreshing,hope to hear more from him!

oh my! What a book! i didn't think i would enjoy this book, in fairness, it's one of the best books i have read in a long long time. a chinese police officer gets a distressed call from his daughter who is currently studying in england and before the officer (jian) can find out what is wrong with his daughter, the phone goes dead. Jian gets the next plane to england to find out what is wrong with his daughter, but when he arrives there, he cannot find her, nobody has seen her and Jian goes on the trail to find her. many many twists throughout the book that deals with crime you don't even want to think about - that keeps you guessing right through to the end! definately an author to watch out for!

I have to say when i first saw this book, i did not think i would enjoy it but it happens to be one of the best books i have probably ever read!!It is a fast paced, exciting, thoroughly enjoyable good read, and was utterly disappointed when i reached the end of the story, even though i was desperate to know the outcome!You simply cannot put this book down, and i had many late nights because of this.I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves a brilliant crime novel.

Simon Lewis creates a brilliant storyline about the main character Inspector Jian, a non-english speaking Chinaman, who comes to Leeds because his daughter has told him, in a phone call ,she is in trouble.He goes to university looking for his daughter only to be told she hasn't attended classes for three months and her flat-mate informs him she is no longer staying at the flat, no rent has been paid and that his daughter is now working in a chinese restaurant.Through his investigations he encounters an illegal immigrant, Ding Yi, who speaks a little english, and they both start an investigation into the criminal activities of a gang of chinese and english rackateers.Between them they solve this intriguing crime thriller with many twists and turns, including some black comedy.Would like to see more novels including Inspector Jian in the main role - brilliant read.

Bad Traffic is unrepentantly post-Political Correctness. Simon Lewis keeps the action coming and is not about to let a few hurt feelings stand in its way. That being said, it remains abundantly clear that Lewis stands on the side of the angels.His startlingly original hero - well, sort of hero - is a slightly bent Chinese policeman, Inspector Jian, whose drunk driving had resulted in his wife's death in a car crash. Jian's single-minded determination to track down his daughter Mei Ling's murderer, in a country of whose language he speaks not one word, manages to render him a most endearing bloke. Strange, but true.Unwillingly accompanying Jian for much of his journey is Ding Yi, a 19-year-old as unlike him as one might wish. Ding Yi and his adored wife, Little Xu, have each paid, or rather promised to pay, 20,000 for the privilege of risking their lives to be trafficked from China to England. They have been promised an hourly salary of 1 - unimaginable riches - once they have reimbursed the traffickers for their passage and other expenses. Of course, should they fail to pay up as promised, their families back in China will be tortured and murdered. And on their arrival in England, Ding Yi and Little Xu are forcibly parted. Ding Yi, a studious lad, speaks quite good English, which is invaluable to Inspector Jian. Inspector Jian may have dubious morals, both at work and at home, but he has a useful talent for keeping them alive. Bad Traffic never once pauses to catch its breath. It is terrific fun, and I hope someone sends a copy to Chow Yun-Fat because he would be perfect casting for the movie.