Inspector O is sent on several long trips, one to New York, and another to Geneva. During the course of his travels he meets a number of foreign dignitaries. In all of his contacts everyone says one thing but means another. O is quite used to this sort of dialogue as he is a philosopher who likens himself to Spinoza. He is hampered in his quest to find out about the dead woman in that none of the facts he uncovers seem to bear any relationship to each other or make any sense in their own right.

As the story progresses we learn the dire conditions under which most of the population of North Korea must live. There is little food, poor living accommodations, and not much chance for anyone to improve their lives. The average citizen thinks in terms of enduring rather than achieving.

Bamboo and Blood is a different kind of detective novel. The plot is secondary. The human condition plays a major role. O understands that the majority of the North Korean population is starving, yet he contemplates the essence of small pieces of wood that he carries around in his pockets. The irony of such a disparity is not lost on the reader.

A large portion of the novel involves talks between high ranking officials and diplomats from different countries. It is immediately evident that discussions are full of innuendos and individuals saying one thing but meaning something entirely different. The author parodies such discussions in the interactions O has with one of his contacts. When his contact says blue, for instance, O is supposed to meet him after turning right at the third intersection. Church leaves his readers with a good understanding of why international negotiations are so inefficient and confusing. When one adds the deliberate intent to deceive or at least make ambiguous to the differences in nuance between customs and languages of different counties, it is not surprising little gets accomplished.

Bamboo and Blood is not really a mystery novel. There are dangerous elements involved. People get killed for less than acceptable reasons. International intrigue abounds. What is to be learned from this novel is that the arena of international relations is a complex combat zone. Deceit is the name of the game, and, to a large extent no one wins. The best achievement is survival.

--Andy Plonka