annieb123's Review of Death Doesn't Forget (A Taipei Night Market Novel, #4)

by Ed Lin

Jing-nan, owner of a popular night market food stall, is framed for a string of high-profile murders—why does it seem like he's always the one left holding the skewer? The fourth entry to Ed Lin's Taipei mystery series is as hilarious and poignant as ever.

Taipei is rocked by the back-to-back murders of a recent lottery winner and a police captain just as the city is preparing to host the big Austronesian Cultural Festival, which has brought in indigenous performers from all around the Pacific Rim to the island nation of Taiwan. Jing-nan, the proprietor of Unknown Pleasures, a popular food stand at Taipei’s largest night market, is thrown into the intrigue. Is he being set up to take the rap, or will he be the next victim? The fallout could jeopardize Jing-nan’s relationship with his girlfriend, Nancy, who is herself soon caught up in the drama, and is increasingly annoyed at Jing-nan’s failure to propose to her.

Jing-nan also has to be careful not to alienate his trusty workers Dwayne and Frankie the Cat, who are facing their own personal trials. Dwayne struggles to reconnect with his roots as a person of aboriginal descent, while septuagenarian Frankie helps a fellow veteran with dementia, intertwining stories that illuminate decades of Taiwanese history.

Jing-nan, meanwhile, has to untangle the mystery of the killings while keeping his food stall afloat against hip new competition. Both his life, and his Instagram follower count, hang in the balance.

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Death Doesn't Forget is the 4th Taipei Night Market novel by Ed Lin. Released 19th July 2022 by Soho Press on their Soho Crime imprint, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out in second quarter 2023.

This is a distinctly quirky and oddly paced slice-of-life mystery set in Taipei which has a returning ensemble cast of oddball characters, from social media influencer and food-stall owner Jing-nan, his girlfriend Nancy, her estranged (and thoroughly unlikable) mother Siu-lien, and a few others. Most of the characters are just a strange combination of hapless and dishonest or disconcertingly gullible.

The plotting reminds me of a relatively high-drama soap opera. There was some awkward dialogue and I found myself yanked out of the story on several occasions by the sheer unlikelihood of plot developments including the climax. The denouement was bizarre and possibly the most cynical piece of prose I've read this year. It's clearly meant to be humorous; but it just missed in my case.

Three stars. It does work well as a standalone.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

13 March, 2023: Started reading

13 March, 2023: Finished reading

13 March, 2023: Reviewed