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The Consultant

The darkly funny, satirical Korean thriller
By Seong-sun Im
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Consultant by Seong-sun Im, readers are drawn into a tense crime thriller where a mysterious consultant is hired to fix problems through unconventional and often dangerous means. Set against a backdrop of corporate intrigue, the novel explores the blurring lines between morality and necessity as each task becomes increasingly perilous. Through its engaging narrative, the story questions the limits of loyalty and ambition in a world driven by power.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this gripping mix of crime and thriller if you are intrigued by intense psychological games and complex characters. It delves into the murky world of corporate machinations, where danger and suspense lurk beneath the surface of seemingly everyday decisions. If you appreciate narratives that explore the dark ramifications of power and manipulation, this story may captivate you.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA DAGGER FOR CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION 2024

'It's a clever book ... [Im Seong-sun] offers readers his razor-sharp observations on consumerism, capitalism and what it means to feel anonymous' β€” M.W. Craven

_______________

Sometimes work can be murder...

The Consultant is very good at his job. He creates simple, elegant, effective solutions for restructuring. Nothing obvious or messy. Certainly nothing anyone would ever suspect as murder.

The 'natural deaths' he plans have always gone well: a medicine replaced here, a mechanism jammed there. His performance reviews are excellent. And it’s not as though he knows these people.

Until his next 'customer' turns out to be someone he not only knows but cares about, and for the first time, he begins to question the role he plays in the vast, anonymous Company. And as he slowly begins to understand the real scope of their work, he realises just how easy it would be for the Company to arrange one more perfect murder...

But how far will he go to escape The Company? And how far will they go to stop him?

The electrifying first novel from award-winning Korean thriller-writer Im Seong-Sun β€” now in English for the first time β€” combines the tension of the best crime fiction with searing social criticism to present a searing take-down of global corporate life.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Consultant is praised for its cleverness and entertainment value, blending satire and thriller genres. Critics commend its sharp observations on consumerism and capitalism, with comparisons to Patricia Highsmith and John Dickson Carr for its tone and inventive crimes. The book is described as darkly funny, thought-provoking, and an intriguing exploration of modern anonymity and power dynamics.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781526654151

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 November 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Raven Books

Contributors:

  • Translated by An Seon Jae

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 208

Collections

Crime & Thriller Fiction Fiction in Translation General Fiction Gifts for adults Seong-sun Im

About the Author

Im Seong-sun's writing career took off with his Segye Literary Award winning novel, The Consultant, in 2010. Ever since, he's written an array of critically acclaimed, diverse fiction and nonfiction, such as a short story collection The Sheeple Wandering a Gallery and their Predators, novels Moon Geunyoung Is in Danger, Rather Kind People Live Here, The Arctic Ocean, The Paragon of Self Improvement, and Ouroboros, and recently, an essay collection Third Wheel of No Use. In 2019, he received the Young Writer’s Award and the Korean Sci-fi Award. An Seon Jae (aka Brother Anthony of TaizΓ©) was born in England in 1942. He studied at the Queen’s College in Oxford. He joined the Community of TaizΓ© in 1969. He has been living in Korea since 1980, and taught English literature at Sogang University, where he is now an emeritus professor, until he retired in 2007. He is also a chair-professor at Dankook University. He has translated works by many major contemporary Korean writers, mostly poetry, publishing well over 50 volumes. He served as President of the Royal Asiatic Society (Korea) for ten years and is now its President Emeritus. He was awarded an Honorary MBE in 2015. His home page URL is http://anthony.sogang.ac.kr/

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    SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA DAGGER FOR CRIME FICTION IN TRANSLATION 2024 'It's a clever book ... [Im Seong-sun] offers readers his razor-sharp observations on consumer capitalism and what it means to feel anonymous' – M. W. Craven ------------------- Sometimes work can be murder... The Consultant is very good at his job. He creates simple, elegant, effective solutions for... restructuring. Nothing...
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