- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Macmillan (3 Aug 2007)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0230014437
- ISBN-13: 978-0230014435
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.8 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 688,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Pool of Unease
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
An intricate mystery. --Sunday Telegraph, Seven
Tangled Web
'Sampson's storytelling is fluent and compelling and her characterisation rewarding...wonderfully atmospheric and evocative'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
While living in Beijing from 2002-2005, I was always looking for a novel that captured the contradictions of contemporary life there. Hats off to Catherine Sampson for writing such a good one! Pool of Unease isn't just a gripping thriller --it's a window into a China that most people who tune in to the Olympics will never see. From the opening scene where hapless Chinese detective Song finds himself running panicked through the woods with a child he has just saved, to the murder of a British man that brings intrepid journalist Robin Ballantyne to Beijing -- it's clear we are caught up in a world where things are not as they seem. Sampson does a wonderful job of showing why this is particularly true in modern China where the lives of newly rich and desperately poor entwine and Western expectations clash with Eastern values. Her Chinese characters, Song and Blue, are so well-drawn and believable (and Robyn's connection with them so palpable) that even after the story arrived at its unexpected conclusion, I couldn't help but wonder happens to them next.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is the third "Robin Ballantyne" book from this author. It is set in Beijing where the author lives and which she clearly knows well. By an interesting and unusual twist, her heroine is a stranger there and knows it not at all. She is an investigative journalist, on assignment from London concerning the murder by decapitation of a British businessman. Sampson's local knowledge enables her to create a mounting sense of menace, with utterly convincing Chinese characters.
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed this book but obviously not as much as some of the other reviewers. I thought the picture of modern China was really fascinating and I wonder to what extent this has influenced the other reviewers in arriving at a 5 star verdict. The plot was not nearly strong enough for 5 stars In a review of one of the author'e earlier novels a reviewer says "the self righteous protagonist is unconvincing and alienating"; I wouldn't go as far as that but I do understand and share, in part, the sentiment and this is one of the weaknesses of the novel. I also found the first chapters a little hard to get into but that may be because of the setting. If that is so then it is still fair to say that the author didn't do quite well enough to overcome that hurdle. in fairness I would say that if it had been possible I would have given it 3.5 and I will read another of the author's books
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A very good book
I really enjoyed this. I'm not going for five stars like the previous reviewers, because I found a little too much explanation towards the end instead of the whole thing just... Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2010 by The Bagster
The Pool of Unease
Catherine Sampson's two previous crime thrillers feature Robin Ballantyne,documentary maker for "the Corporation",and she has again surprised me by moving the action to Beijing... Read more
Published on 22 May 2009 by J. Wing
A real page-turner
Just read this book, and could barely put it down. It is packed with action and excitement and is also beautifully written. Read more
Published on 21 July 2008 by Annie Yu
Pool of Unease
This is the third book from the author, but stands up well on its own without having to have any knowledge of the earlier books. Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2008 by jodb
One of the best contemporary China novels I've read
I first discovered Catherine Sampson's novels through her latest one, the Pool of Unease. The central character, Robin Ballantyne, takes one on a journey through Beijing's sinister... Read more
Published on 22 Dec 2007 by Caroline P
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