This is good. Really dammed good.

Protagonist was a wrongly accused prisoner in his previous life. He dies just as he's released.

He feels wronged as f*ck, so when he gets reincarnated as a rich and handsome guy, he goes and becomes a police officer instead of a worthless rich guy who mooches or whatever. Well, that's not to say there's no chaebol intrigue or whatever it's called, but yea.

He's likeable for sure. He's the underdog that earns his keep, so if you like that story, yeye. Let's go. No romance as... more>> far as I can see in the foreseeable future, but if you like a reasonably badass character in urban settings who's not a harem chaser and suppressed by everyone and their low-leveled mooks, read.

Also, that release rate makes my heart happy. <<less

Am I reading the same novel as everyone else?

I'm profoundly confused. All the reviews seem to be pretty early on, similar to me, but they all praise this novel to high heaven. Is the translator bribing people for reviews or something? I just don't get it.

This isn't "really damn good", let alone "a work of art". It's a standard faire reincarnation novel with a fairly generic male lead who is of average intelligence, and so far the plot is pretty poorly written. In just 15 chapters, we already have awkward... more>> shoehorned in plot elements (how the male lead becomes a police officer) and bizarro settings (a giant 3 way brawl between 2 groups totalling 150 gangsters and the cops), none of which feel well written and honestly took me out of the story.

I stayed for a few chapters because people praised it so much, but it's honestly kinda boring. The main character doesn't really have much personality, the side characters aren't that interesting, the setting is generic, the plot is awkward at best, and the reincarnation gimmick is nowhere near the top of the genre. Maybe it gets better later on (though given none of the reviews as of time of writing are past c30, who knows), but it baffles me to see it get such high reviews; I won't even recommend it.

Honestly, it would just be a "drop and forget" novel for me if it hasn't had 6 unanimous 5-star reviews and nothing else. I'm mainly posting this so other people won't get their hopes up like I did. <<less

Early review since there's only 19 chapters out, but seems pretty good.

Basically the Korean version of "The Count of Monte Cristo".

SUMMARY

... more>> A man spends 20 yrs in jail for a crime he did not commit. He is mu*dered when released, but receives a second chance to reincarnate into the past in the body of a young chaebol heir. With his newfound wealth and knowledge of future events, he must uncover the mystery behind his wrongful imprisonment while upholding justice as a cop.

COMMENTS

(1) Interesting backstory and world-building

It's a simple premise that keeps the story and MC going... uncovering a mu*der mystery from the past and disentangling the intricate conspiracy that put him in jail.

No superpowers or overwhelming foresight. All the clues were collected from research MC did while he spent the last 20 yrs languishing in jail. And what you can actually do as a normal civil servant, if you just so happen to be filthy rich.

You definitely get a lot of "Count of Monte Cristo" vibes.

(2) Believable characters

MC is just an average orphaned Joe. Despite being so unjustly imprisoned, he was able to retain his sanity (very similar to stories you've read about wrongly imprisoned people in the US). He genuinely made peace with himself and just wanted to have a new chance at life after being released, up until he was mu*dered just moments after. That setup is perfect to create a character that goes YOLO swagger after being reincarnated, along with a salty/cynical/toughened mentality from 20 yrs in prison.

The setup is so hyper-specific on the MC's situation (a man quest for vengeance after being wrongly imprisoned) that there really isn't a need to go into detailed side stories of other characters. That said, MC is surrounded by a decent cast with believable backgrounds.

Spoiler

All the ex-inmate comrades he made while in jail for 20 yrs (including MC's flashback interactions with them), and the MC enlisting their skillsets while trying to lead them to better lives. Reminds you a little of "Miracle in Cell No. 7".

The tough, jaded cop.

The politicking cop.

Multiple corrupt cops.

The doting, rich father with his own set of familial chaebol circumstances.

[collapse]

Hoping it develops more as the story progresses.

(3) Interesting cases and resolution

MC knows basic events of the future since he kept an interest in it while in jail, hoping to find clues that led to his wrongly imprisonment. It covers general areas of operation for mu*derers, to tabloid history of public figures and celebrities. While MC may not be privy to detailed info (exact mu*der times, name of victims and assailants, etc), he can at the very least create the opportunity to intervene.

Spoiler

Need a stakeout at a rich club and future crime scene? Book the VIP suite with his wealth.

Need to bribe witnesses and enlist their cooperation? Throw money at them, or resolve their family situation.

[collapse]

As a result, there really aren't any plot holes so far. One of the rare novels that's tightly written. <<less

This novel is really good. The beginning and until now the story is consistent, sharp, with a smart and witty lead. Definitely feels like a k drama, but in a good way. I can easily imagine the scenes, the grittiness, and the drama is quite good. The relationships between the lead and his new family is quite well done as well. I hope they keep translating this, I can’t wait for more.

Update: Since the novel translation is on indefinite hiatus, go read the webtoon! It's called "A Reincarnated Police Officer Who Uses His Wealth to Strike Down People"!

I'm writing this because I don't agree with the low reviews for this novel. If KrazyGuy wants a review from someone who actually read past chapter 30, then I'll do it. Also, if that's his criteria for a "legitimate" review, that's pretty hypocritical considering he only read to chapter 15 himself. So by his standards, he is no more qualified to review this novel... more>> than the other reviewers. Keep in mind that those reviews were from 2020 and 2021, so obviously by the time he read the novel, there were more translated chapters out, compared to the earlier reviewers who had less.

• • "awkward shoehorned in plot elements"

Except if KrazyGuy really did read the novel like he claims, how the main character became a police officer isn't shoehorned at all. He reincarnated as a rich son of a wealthy family. For people like that, they don't have many options other than taking up the family business, marrying another rich family, etc. The main character became a police officer because 1. He gets fame from serving his country, and 2. It keeps his new father/wealthy family members away from his affairs so they don't bother him with their schemes. Very reasonable choice then to become a police officer. He's not the heir to the family, but neither can his family marry him off or use him as a pawn.

• • "The main character doesn't really have much personality, the side characters aren't that interesting, the setting is generic, the plot is awkward at best, and the reincarnation gimmick is nowhere near the top of the genre"

I seriously doubt KrazyGuy read even 15 chapters of this novel. You're telling me that the main character who was framed for mu*der, and spent years of his life in jail before being released has no personality? That when he finally got released, he was killed again, only to be reincarnated? So now he's driven to find the real killer, who framed him, while solving other crimes along the way? That guy has no personality?

KrazyGuy says the main character is "average" when it comes to intelligence, but that's not the case at all. He knows his limits, and he knows when he needs help. That's where the "side characters" come in. The main character not only reincarnated, he also traveled back in time. So his prison mates that he met haven't been arrested yet for their crimes. So now he helps them lead better lives, while they help him with their skills (hacking, street smarts, etc), In what world are these characters not interesting? This means the reincarnation aspect of the story is CRUCIAL because without his past knowledge, the main character could not get help from/help his past friends. Also, his friends are not actually bad people like mu*derers. Their aforementioned crimes, like hacking, nothing truly evil.

Neither is the setting generic or the plot awkward. All of the crimes the main character solves are connected to each other, especially the bigger overarching mystery of who mu*dered that actress and framed the main character for it. I feel like the mysteries are very well done. There are multiple settings within the novel, including interesting ones like an island of cultists, etc.

Also, please ignore Animetr*sh's review. If I doubt that KrazyGuy actually read 15 chapters of this novel, Animetr*sh read none. The main character is NOT a psychopath. He is a man who was wrongly convicted of mu*der, sentenced to jail, and then gains a second chance when he reincarnates. He is a righteous person, with a strong sense of justice because of the things he went through.

It's a crime novel with organized crime, death, and gangs. Those are clearly tagged. Under that assumption, you would assume there is topics like torture and depictions of cruelty. I don't know who goes into a crime novel not expecting those. <<less

Highly recommend.

Basic premise is; MC spends 20 years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit and dies shorty after he is released. Luckily he regresses 20 years into the past as a handsome chaebol young master. Instead of living easy with family money, the MC pursues career in law enforcement to try and catch the real killer.

Only 29 chapters translated so far, but excellent translation quality. Some scenes are so well written that I mistakenly believed I was watching a kdrama instead of reading a novel.

One major fault is... more>> that the translator is splitting each chapter into 3 and even still, they are slow at putting out chapters. Its to the point where we are only getting 1/3 of a chapter per week.

I do hope the translation speed picks up in the future. <<less

11 chapters in and the psychopath MC is already taking the law into his own hands, and breaking in homes.

Also yall forgot to put the r*pe, Torture, and Depictions of Cruelty tags. How am I supposed to filter this shit. Those who rated this 5 stars are smoking some serious copium.

Cop novel, pretty good at that.

The MC is likable, crimes feel grounded and the overarching mystery is compelling. Worth a shot even if you're not sold on the genre.

So far, the story is a work of art. MC is funny and awesome and the way he works is just great.

After finishing , I felt sad and was looking for a story that could brighten up my mood. What I found was even better.