Book Review: The City & The City

Title: The City & The City
Author: China Mieville
Genre: Fiction; Murder Mystery Thriller, Detective
Book Length: 336 pages (print)
Book Version Read: eBook

Date Started: March 21, 2024
Date finished: March 25, 2024

This story is about a murder in one of the two cities that occurred suspiciously. The woman was killed in one city and then dumped in the other. Inspector Tyador Borlu took the case because he felt the need to avenge whoever did it. During the investigation, Tyador was asked to leave the city he lived in (where the woman was dumped) and to investigate the case in the other city. While in the other city, he learns more about the woman and why she was important. The case becomes a cat and mouse chase, revealing a situation Tyador was unfamiliar with and where he eventually had to make a difficult decision.

This was an interesting story. Wasn’t at all what I’d expected in a murder mystery thriller. I liked how the two cities played into the story, and how eventually, the truth was uncovered. The story basically revolves around the cities and really focuses on them. There were other players and “city” in the story which added to the mystery. The detailed descriptions about the people in the two cities and their history was fascinating. It’s what brought the story to life. There was gloominess to both cities and the division, or the separation line, was also done well. What I didn’t enjoy so much were some of the characters. They felt vague and not thoroughly developed. I also found the plot a little on the vague side. It just wasn’t that intriguing, and then to learn how unimportant the case was, was a letdown for me.

Btw, this book has been made into a tv series. I believe it’s on Amazon Prime if you’re in the U.S. I might have to watch it just to see if it’s better than the book.

Who should read this book: If you’re into stories that unfold slowly with a ton of backstory, this one is excellent.