The Opponent

Name: The Opponent
ISBN: 9787800159633

Xu DahuiJun 2023

3.4

Word count: 252K words
ISBN: 9787800159633

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Summary

In the bright morning light of Lanhe City, provincial and municipal leaders have already taken their seats for the inauguration of the Commerce Building. The crowd waits anxiously for the female mayor who is to preside, but what comes instead is news that she was murdered in the early hours... A life-and-death contest between opponents begins... The killing of Mayor Tan Shaofen in the '8.18' case shocks the nation. W Province acts swiftly, investigating three leads: Deputy Mayor Han Peng, who had clashed with Tan; Zhu Dalaizi of the Lanhe criminal gang; and Tan's ex-husband Zhang Jinbiao. All three are soon cleared. As the task force digs deeper, a mafia-style syndicate led by 'Old Brother' emerges, one built on kidnappings, assassinations, and a mind-destroying drug R2 used to amass a fortune in blood... The true culprit behind the mayor's assassination hides within the task force itself, making the case ever more bewildering.

Editor's review

The murder of a female mayor just before the inauguration of a commercial tower plunges readers straight into the investigation of the "8·18" case. Told through multiple threads, the novel brings a deputy mayor, a criminal syndicate, and the victim's ex-husband into view as suspects, only to rule them out one by one, forcing readers to keep revising their judgments. When the criminal network led by "Old Brother" surfaces—and a mastermind is found hiding within the task force itself—the suspense climbs even higher. The book's strength lies in its tight pacing and dense thicket of clues; its depiction of kidnapping, assassination, and drug-controlled coercion used to seize wealth also shows the brutality of organized crime. The overall tone is hard-boiled, well suited to readers who enjoy continuous reading of police procedural and anti-gang fiction; those who prefer gentler, more leisurely literary fare may find it less to their taste.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of suspense novels who enjoy police procedurals and anti-gang themes
Readers who prefer multi-threaded storytelling with layer upon layer of reversals
Readers concerned about the harm of organized crime who want to deepen their understanding through fiction
People looking for a book they can read continuously while traveling

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer light, warm, leisurely-paced works
Readers sensitive to violence, assassination, and similar content
Those who want rigorous nonfiction reporting rather than fiction

Reading tips

First sort out the three investigation threads and the character relationships, then update your suspect list as the plot unfolds.
Don't rush to the ending; pay attention to subtle foreshadowing within the task force, and the reversals will be more rewarding.
Whenever a lead is ruled out, pause and think: what other possibility has been overlooked?
After finishing, go back to the early chapters and check whether all the author's hints fall into place.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for minors?

The book involves assassination, kidnapping, drug control, and other criminal plot elements, and its overall tone is hard-boiled. Whether it is suitable for minors should be judged by parents according to the child's level of acceptance; it is not advisable for younger readers.

Is the story based on real cases?

Based on available information, this is a novel created by the author, with fictional characters and plot; it is best read as a literary work and not matched against specific real cases.

I haven't read the author's other works. Can I start with this one?

Yes. The story is relatively self-contained and does not depend on previous works; just follow the case leads and you will get into the plot.

There are many characters and threads—will I get confused?

The main line always centers on the case of the female mayor's murder, and the various threads converge in the later sections. If you find the cast large midway through, simply jotting down the relationships will make things much easier to follow.

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About the author

Xu Dahui Author · Chinese · 1956

Xu Dahui, who also writes under the pen names Yanweizi and Zhengyan, was born in September 1956 in Shuangliao, Jilin. He is a member of the China Writers Association and holds a second-level literary creation professional title. He graduated from the Jilin Writers Advanced Study College in 1987 and has served as deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine Guandong Writers and as vice chairman and secretary-general of the Siping Writers Association. He began publishing in 1976 and has written 42 novels, including Undercover, Fleeing, The Rival and Snow Wolf, several of which have been adapted for television. His work spans otherworld fantasy, social fiction, mystery and suspense, and documentary literature. Representative titles include Risking Life, Snow Wolf, Huazi House, Control, Betrayal, Gunpoint, The Last Opium Pipe and Wolf Smoke, with 22 titles held in the collection. His writing tends toward tight plotting and sharp conflict, often moving between suspense and social reality.