'Serial killers turn up all the time in crime fiction, but few are as patient or as devious as the murderer in Zhou Haohui's Death Notice. This extraordinary novel is the first in a trilogy ... It's such a gripping story that an online TV series based on the novels has had more than 2.4 billion views' Sunday Times.

'A rare example of a Chinese police thriller in translation and if this is the normal quality of what is being produced there, we are in for much in the way of future treats and good reads ... A compulsive and particularly ingenious read and a first class mystery ... Gifting the reader with more insights into contemporary Chinese culture and background than any magazine, newspaper article or TV documentary could' Crime Time.

'Totally gripping and very chilling [and] the ending is pure poetry. This is a full-on thriller from start to finish, a police procedural that revels in pushing against the boundaries of the format ... China will turn out to be a fantastic source of new crime writing in the coming few years. For now, the good news is this is the first in a trilogy so there are two more novels to look forward to' Nudge Book.

'Stuffed full of cryptic clues and red herrings; deception, deviation and dishonesty, which builds into a thoroughly satisfying self-contained story ... [The plot is] sneakily seductive, taking an erratic turn into the unknown, just when you thought you'd figured it out' Murder Mayhem & More.

'This first volume in a trilogy displays rare mental agility' Sunday Times Books of the Year.

A SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR.

'Serial killers turn up all the time in crime fiction, but few are as patient or as devious as the murderer in Zhou Haohui's Death Notice. This extraordinary novel is the first in a trilogy, and it is already China's bestselling crime series to date' Sunday Times.

For nearly two decades, an unsolved murder case has haunted Sergeant Zheng Haoming of the Chengdu Police Department. Eighteen years ago, two victims were murdered after being served with 'death notices'. In refined calligraphy their perceived crimes were itemised and they were sentenced to death. The date of execution was declared, as was the name of their executioner: Eumenides.

Now, a user on an internet forum has asked the public to submit names for judgement ? judgement for those the law cannot touch. Those found guilty will be punished and there is only one sentence: death. The user's handle? Eumenides.

Does Zheng have a lead? Has a long-dormant serial killer resurfaced? Perhaps modern police techniques ? criminal profiling, online surveillance and SWAT quick response teams ? can catch a killer who previously evaded justice? Or perhaps the killer is more than a match for whatever the Chengdu Police Department can muster?

The first in a trilogy and a bestseller in China, Death Notice is a hi-octane, hi-concept, cat-and-mouse thriller that adds an exhilarating new gear to the police procedural.