Wow. An excellent work of fiction by a Filipino author. I don’t read a lot of books about crime, but this, surprisingly, was a very gripping read. I was hooked from start to finish! I instantly liked the two main characters. They’re very sarcastic, funny, and intelligent; they’re so reminiscent of Sherlock and Dr. Watson, which is one of the reasons why I love this book.

Apart from the fast-paced storytelling, there’s also plenty of drama, controversy, and oh, definitely lots of politicking. It goes without saying that this book is eye-opening to the sad reality of our country. And by sad, we’re talking about themes like corruption, poverty, and injustice—all of which are still prevalent even up to this day. Yes, the Philippines is in dire need of more people like Director Lastimosa, Gus Saenz, and Jerome Lucero.

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update: edited to 4 stars!! amazing book, but not mind-blowing enough.