The Boy Who Escaped Paradise
​by J. M. Lee

​Booklist's Top Ten Best Crime Novels of 2017
​
An unidentified body is discovered in New York City, with numbers and symbols are written in blood near the corpse. Gil-mo, a North Korean national who interprets the world through numbers, formulas, and mathematical theories, is arrested on the spot.

​In The Boy Who Escaped Paradise, celebrated author J. M. Lee delves into a hidden world filled with vivid characters trapped by ideology, greed, and despair. Gil-mo's saga forces the reader to question the line between good and evil, truth and falsehood, captivity and freedom.

Order on IndieBound, Amazon, or at your local bookseller.

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Reviews

"In his second translated work to hit stateside (after The Investigation), best-selling Korean author Lee will make you believe...the narrative is again linguistically enabled by gifted translator Kim...in a phrase, read this."
--Library Journal (starred review)

"Lee creates a dignified and moving portrait of North Koreans' struggle for freedom at home and abroad, and intertwines it with a rogue genius adventure—all without sacrificing the appeal of either plot line. Another outstanding thriller from Lee, whose novels have garnered massive acclaim in Korea."
--Booklist

"A smart, riveting read."
--Publishers Weekly