So my favourite genre is action/thriller with some gooey romance thrown into the mix. That's why I decided to watch this drama. Overall, I was left satisfied but there was just something missing in the experience for me. The plot was pretty good. There were many twists and turns that kept you on the edge of your seat for the first half of the drama. However, they recycled the same pattern of events several times to the point where by the end it was quite predictable. That's why it is pretty fair to say that the first half of the drama is far superior to the second half of the drama. I don't want to say too much more about the plot, I don't want to reveal anything that would ruin the experience for those thinking about watching this drama, which by the way, you should. The plot is probably the strongest aspect of the drama as other aspects were quite disappointing which shows just how strong the plot was because it could stand by itself most of the time. However, the romance that was woven into this plot was a little lacklustre. Yes, they had super cute moments but what I want most from a thriller/ romance drama is the subtle intimacies. Like, holding hands, hugs, slight touches, glances, you know, all the kyeopta stuff. They did do some of these things but it was when they were alone and a full scene was dedicated to each romantic action. To be honest, these just felt like fillers as a break from the complicated plot. Less than half way into the drama, they were officially a couple which I thought would mean there would be more subtle romance throughout the rest of the drama. Sadly, that wasn't the case and they just continued with the short scenes of romance. Still cute, just a little lacking for me. Characters were decent. The strongest character (development wise) was definitely Bo Jinyan. First I'll say WHAT AN AMAZING ACTOR!! Damn son you rocked the slightly psychopathic detective. Anyway, in the beginning he was very introverted due to his superior intelligence compared to others. His only close friend was Fu Ziyu (my fav character) who was pretty much his assistant. In the first half of the drama, you're in awe of Bo Jinyan's intelligence and love watching him slowly open up his heart to those around him when he gets close with Jian Yao. Though unfortunately, by the second half of the drama, we see less of Bo Jinyan doing his job and more watching the events unfold and then getting a brief explanation afterwards when everything is solved. The first time this happened, I didn't mind, it was pretty cool. But that gets old pretty quickly. Don't get me wrong, I loved his character. Watching him experience his first love was super adorable and he always looked so awesome when solving crimes. The biggest disappointment for me was Jian Yao. In the beginning, she was smart, observant, independent and strong. Everything I love in a female lead. Then half way through the drama, she becomes the typical damsel in distress. We see less and less of her which I can understand to a point, but Bo Jinyan emphasised so much in the beginning that he needed her as his assistant. But it's like that point is completely forgotten and she just sits at home waiting for her man to return from war. WHY? She was so headstrong, I loved that, but no, she just sits at home longing for her man being of absolutely no help to anyone when she contributed SO MUCH IN THE BEGINNING. Sorry got a bit angry there but comE ON. Yeah anyway she was a huge disappointment, I expect a lot from the female leads, I hate it when they just go along with anything the male lead says. BE A STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN. Anyway, FU ZIYU! MY FAV! He was so cute I loved him. Seeing his reactions to Bo Jinyan finally coming out of the dark isolated corner he closed himself off into was amazing. He looked so happy and proud of his friend. I love his relationship with Jian Yao as well, you can see how much he cares for her and that's always nice to see. No romance implied, just a genuine girl and guy friendship. GUYS AND GIRLS CAN BE FRIENDS PEOPLE. Then there's Li Xunran. The childhood friend. BUT THE BEST SECOND LEAD EVER! HE COULD SEE THAT HIS FRIEND THAT HE WAS SECRETLY IN LOVE WITH WAS HAPPY WITH HER NEW MAN AND HE TOOK A STEP BACK AND LET HER CHASE THAT HAPPINESS! WHAT A GREAT GUY! Then suddenly he disappears for several episodes and you just sit and think for a second and you're like "Wait, where is he? What happened to him?". That's the same for Chen Mo, Bo Jinyan's pet tortoise. You'll see what I mean when you watch the drama. So random. I won't mention the american actors since they were mainly to keep the plot moving forward, there wasn't really any character development for them. Though for an Asian drama which usually have terrible English actors, they weren't half bad. Now for the villains. Not bad. We follow a chap called Xie Han who is you're typical psychopath. Eccentric, whispers when he talks, occasionally smashes things or yells to make you jump. Again, I don't want to reveal too much of the plot but basically whoever you think the main villain pulling all the strings is, it's not them lol. I will say though, I wish they spent more time with the main villain. When you watch the drama, you'll understand what I mean about this. Wow ok this is a really long review, kudos to you if you're still reading lol, I'll wrap it up now. OST. Nothing special. There was some cool rock music that played in the background whenever a new plot point was discovered. But that's all that was memorable for me. Would I watch this drama again? Probably not. I did enjoy watching it and I would recommend it but unfortunately there was no consistency to the intrigue factor for the entirety of the drama to tempt me to watch it again. There were some great moments, but they were spread pretty thin in 24 episodes. Not enough butter for the toast sadly. Overall, a good drama and a good watch. If you're like me and love thriller/action dramas then you should definitely watch this. That's all for now, enjoy the show, bye lol.