What do you think?
Rate this book
Inspector Chen Cao #4
A Case of Two Cities
At once a compelling crime novel and an insightful, moving portrayal of contemporary China, A Case of Two Cities is the finest novel yet in this critically-acclaimed, award-wining series.
Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department is assigned a high-profile anti-corruption case, one in which the principal figure has long since fled to the United States and beyond the reach of the Chinese government. But Xing left behind his organization, and Chen, while assigned to root the co-conspirators, is not sure whether he's actually being set up to fail.
In a twisting case that takes him from Shanghai all the way to the U.S., reuniting him with his colleague and counterpart from the U.S. Marshall's Service, Inspector Catherine Rhon, Chen finds himself at odds with hidden, powerful, and vicious enemies.
Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department is assigned a high-profile anti-corruption case, one in which the principal figure has long since fled to the United States and beyond the reach of the Chinese government. But Xing left behind his organization, and Chen, while assigned to root the co-conspirators, is not sure whether he's actually being set up to fail.
In a twisting case that takes him from Shanghai all the way to the U.S., reuniting him with his colleague and counterpart from the U.S. Marshall's Service, Inspector Catherine Rhon, Chen finds himself at odds with hidden, powerful, and vicious enemies.
307 pages, Paperback
First published November 28, 2006
64 people are currently reading
806 people want to read
About the author
Qiu Xiaolong
60 books489 followersQiu Xiaolong (裘小龙) was born in Shanghai, China. He is the author of the award-winning Inspector Chen series of mystery novels, Death of a Red Heroine (2000), A Loyal Character Dancer (2002), When Red Is Black (2004), A Case of Two Cities (2006), Red Mandarin Dress (2007), and The Mao Case (2009). He is also the author of two books of poetry translations, Treasury of Chinese Love Poems (2003) and Evoking T'ang (2007), and his own poetry collection, Lines Around China (2003). Qiu's books have sold over a million copies and have been published in twenty languages. He currently lives in St. Louis with his wife and daughter.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
February 14, 2026
In this volume Inspector Chen takes on a high-level corruption case. I found it truly compelling and interesting. “As more and more irrefutable evidence was gathered, the Beijing authorities became furious. They gave the order to arrest Xing – as a part of the new national anticorruption campaign.” However, the elusive Xing has many contacts and “must have been warned at the last minute, for he sneaked out of the country like a rice-paddy eel.”
To outwit Xing, Inspector Chen must “find his own Chen trail.” It was so called as during a battle of the early Han dynasty General Han took his enemies by surprise when he led his troops on the Chen Cang trail.
Inspector Chen quotes poetry during the day and writes his own poetry by night. I was interested to read that, “A poet no longer seemed like a prince on a white horse riding into the dreams of young girls. Poetry, if anything, had become synonymous with poverty.”
I enjoyed the poetry that is interspersed throughout the story and especially this poem that was included in a collection of poetry which was translated by Yang and Chen and gifted to US Marshal Inspector Catherine Rohn by Inspector Chen:
The waning moon hangs on the sparse tung twigs,
the night deep, silent.
An apparition of a solitary wild goose
moves like a hermit.
Startled, it turns back,
its sorrow unknown to others.
Trying each of the chilly boughs,
it chooses not to perch.
Freezing, the maple leaves fall
over the Wu River.
I loved the descriptive writing such as, “She looked up at him, in a long gaze, as if the autumn waves were breaking against the shore in her large black eyes.”
Shasha was once a graceful dancer, now she is a writer: “No one can dance for ever. Beauty fades quickly, like a flower. So I moved from stage to page.”
Chen likens the search for clues in the case to “playing go chess. Occasionally you must move anyway, though the move itself may seem pointless for the moment.”
Further on in the book he explains, “In a go game, as you know, you sometimes have to make a win-or-lose strike.”
Inspector Chen has help in his investigation from his partner Yu, and one of his contacts Gu tells him, “I know some people both in the black and white ways.” The black ways refer to triad organizations, and the white ways refer to the government.
Tian, an old friend also proves helpful. He greets Inspector Chen, “As our ancient sage says, there are three wonderful moments in one’s life.” Then, he goes on to explain:
The first wonderful moment is: “When one’s name appears at the top of the civil service examination.” The second is “When one gets married with the candle of happiness illuminating the wedding room.” Finally, the third is “When one meets an old friend in a faraway place,” such as they are doing now.
Master Illusionless addresses Chen, “you are no ordinary man.”
Chen responds, “Now I have to go, like a tumbleweed turning and turning around the distraction of humdrum vanities.”
Inspector Chen is introspective and thinks wistfully of “the long-faded dream of his college years, of writing whatever he wanted to, and not worrying about politics and corruption.” Could he reinvent himself, start over in a new country as a writer, he wonders? However, he concludes that “he had moved too far from the cherished vision of his college years.”
I love this quote as it describes an interaction between two people in public that you might see and wonder about: “Across the street, she saw an old couple standing by a red-painted newsstand, unfolding the newspaper, pointing, talking, and patting each other’s shoulder, so meaningful to themselves, but inaudible, incomprehensible to others.”
Last lines in the book:
As people have sorrows and joys,
meeting or parting,
as the moon waxes and wanes
in clear or cloudy skies,
things may never be perfect.
May we all live long,
sharing the same fair moon,
though thousands of miles apart.
Chief Inspector Chen was ready to go back to Shanghai.
To outwit Xing, Inspector Chen must “find his own Chen trail.” It was so called as during a battle of the early Han dynasty General Han took his enemies by surprise when he led his troops on the Chen Cang trail.
Inspector Chen quotes poetry during the day and writes his own poetry by night. I was interested to read that, “A poet no longer seemed like a prince on a white horse riding into the dreams of young girls. Poetry, if anything, had become synonymous with poverty.”
I enjoyed the poetry that is interspersed throughout the story and especially this poem that was included in a collection of poetry which was translated by Yang and Chen and gifted to US Marshal Inspector Catherine Rohn by Inspector Chen:
The waning moon hangs on the sparse tung twigs,
the night deep, silent.
An apparition of a solitary wild goose
moves like a hermit.
Startled, it turns back,
its sorrow unknown to others.
Trying each of the chilly boughs,
it chooses not to perch.
Freezing, the maple leaves fall
over the Wu River.
I loved the descriptive writing such as, “She looked up at him, in a long gaze, as if the autumn waves were breaking against the shore in her large black eyes.”
Shasha was once a graceful dancer, now she is a writer: “No one can dance for ever. Beauty fades quickly, like a flower. So I moved from stage to page.”
Chen likens the search for clues in the case to “playing go chess. Occasionally you must move anyway, though the move itself may seem pointless for the moment.”
Further on in the book he explains, “In a go game, as you know, you sometimes have to make a win-or-lose strike.”
Inspector Chen has help in his investigation from his partner Yu, and one of his contacts Gu tells him, “I know some people both in the black and white ways.” The black ways refer to triad organizations, and the white ways refer to the government.
Tian, an old friend also proves helpful. He greets Inspector Chen, “As our ancient sage says, there are three wonderful moments in one’s life.” Then, he goes on to explain:
The first wonderful moment is: “When one’s name appears at the top of the civil service examination.” The second is “When one gets married with the candle of happiness illuminating the wedding room.” Finally, the third is “When one meets an old friend in a faraway place,” such as they are doing now.
Master Illusionless addresses Chen, “you are no ordinary man.”
Chen responds, “Now I have to go, like a tumbleweed turning and turning around the distraction of humdrum vanities.”
Inspector Chen is introspective and thinks wistfully of “the long-faded dream of his college years, of writing whatever he wanted to, and not worrying about politics and corruption.” Could he reinvent himself, start over in a new country as a writer, he wonders? However, he concludes that “he had moved too far from the cherished vision of his college years.”
I love this quote as it describes an interaction between two people in public that you might see and wonder about: “Across the street, she saw an old couple standing by a red-painted newsstand, unfolding the newspaper, pointing, talking, and patting each other’s shoulder, so meaningful to themselves, but inaudible, incomprehensible to others.”
Last lines in the book:
As people have sorrows and joys,
meeting or parting,
as the moon waxes and wanes
in clear or cloudy skies,
things may never be perfect.
May we all live long,
sharing the same fair moon,
though thousands of miles apart.
Chief Inspector Chen was ready to go back to Shanghai.
August 18, 2016
This was my least favorite in the series so far. It's not bad-- in fact, it gets off to a good start exploring corruption among the "high cadres" of The People's Republic, just like the first novel in the series Death of a Red Heroine. But this case has two many murders, with victims and killers we barely get to know. We also get barely a glimpse of several recurring characters. Inspector Chen Cao's trip to the U.S. with a writers' delegation is not very convincing, despite the fact that the author has lived in this country for decades.
However, I still like Inspector Chen and his assistant Yu, and the novel does advance their personal stories a bit. (My favorite scene was a joint interrogation run by Yu and his father, the retired cop called "Old Hunter.") So I will doubtless check out the next novel in the series in the hope they get a stronger plot and a more interesting supporting cast.
However, I still like Inspector Chen and his assistant Yu, and the novel does advance their personal stories a bit. (My favorite scene was a joint interrogation run by Yu and his father, the retired cop called "Old Hunter.") So I will doubtless check out the next novel in the series in the hope they get a stronger plot and a more interesting supporting cast.
April 5, 2024
L'ispettore Chen questa volta indaga sulla corruzione nella Cina post Rivoluzione Culturale, una rete fittissima che coinvolge anche diversi personaggi governativi e membri della polizia. L'ispettore Chen Cao viene chiamato a indagare infiltrandosi nella fitta rete, ma questo fa sì che venga uccisa la sua amica An dei tempi del gruppo di lettura, anche lei invischiata nei traffici loschi.
Sul più bello, però, Chen viene nominato capo delegazione degli scrittori cinesi al convegno letterario America-Cina che si deve tenere a Los Angeles. È un modo per sbarazzarsi di lui? O per tenerlo meglio sotto mira, visto che Xing Xing, il principale indagato, si trova negli Stati Uniti?
Negli Stati Uniti, Chen incontrerà di nuovo Catherine, l'agente della CIA con cui c'era stato una scintilla di sentimento nel secondo romanzo della serie. Ancora una volta, entrambi soffrono per la distanza culturale che li tiene necessariamente separati. E Chen ne approfitta per visitare Saint Louis, la città in cui il suo papà/alter ego Qiu Xiaolong vive da dopo i fatti di Piazza Tienammen.
«Continui a ripetere di non essere qualificato. Ma chi lo è? Abbi un po’ più d’indulgenza con te stesso. Nella Cina di oggi, dove tutto è capovolto, conviene sfruttare al meglio le situazioni. Basta non agire a spese degli altri. Che altro si può fare?»
Sul più bello, però, Chen viene nominato capo delegazione degli scrittori cinesi al convegno letterario America-Cina che si deve tenere a Los Angeles. È un modo per sbarazzarsi di lui? O per tenerlo meglio sotto mira, visto che Xing Xing, il principale indagato, si trova negli Stati Uniti?
Negli Stati Uniti, Chen incontrerà di nuovo Catherine, l'agente della CIA con cui c'era stato una scintilla di sentimento nel secondo romanzo della serie. Ancora una volta, entrambi soffrono per la distanza culturale che li tiene necessariamente separati. E Chen ne approfitta per visitare Saint Louis, la città in cui il suo papà/alter ego Qiu Xiaolong vive da dopo i fatti di Piazza Tienammen.
«Continui a ripetere di non essere qualificato. Ma chi lo è? Abbi un po’ più d’indulgenza con te stesso. Nella Cina di oggi, dove tutto è capovolto, conviene sfruttare al meglio le situazioni. Basta non agire a spese degli altri. Che altro si può fare?»
July 26, 2018
I don't often read mysteries or what are called Police Procedurals, but I have become fond of Qui Xiaolong's series about Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department. The inspector is a poet who has become a cop, and he navigates the complex political and social milieu of modern Shanghai while solving difficult cases with a poet's mind. With a lot of emphasis on the local foods, I have fallen in love with this author's depiction of life in the city he grew up in as seen through the eyes of a poet detective.
In the fourth volume of the series, A Case of Two Cities, he is given a case dealing with corruption that may lead to the highest levels of Chinese government, but the culprit has fled to Los Angeles. Filled with food, poetry and politics, this is a detective story with a unique perspective that I find irresistible.
In the fourth volume of the series, A Case of Two Cities, he is given a case dealing with corruption that may lead to the highest levels of Chinese government, but the culprit has fled to Los Angeles. Filled with food, poetry and politics, this is a detective story with a unique perspective that I find irresistible.
July 31, 2025
Another fascinating and compelling book in the inspector Chen series - this time involving corruption and a delegation of writers visiting the USA.
Complex plotting but if you’ve read the previous three books in the series then you’ll be familiar with Qiu Xiaolong’s style and the cultural details included in the plots.
A worthy addition the series … book four
Complex plotting but if you’ve read the previous three books in the series then you’ll be familiar with Qiu Xiaolong’s style and the cultural details included in the plots.
A worthy addition the series … book four
December 2, 2013
What an ending! Maybe my copies lacks something like 100 pages at the end.
The way the writer quoted Chinese poetry in every other page was tiresome, but in the end some of the poems were the only redeeming value of this book.
What I really can't stand was the way the writer's defense against his grammatical errors. Unacceptable.
The way the writer quoted Chinese poetry in every other page was tiresome, but in the end some of the poems were the only redeeming value of this book.
What I really can't stand was the way the writer's defense against his grammatical errors. Unacceptable.
October 16, 2018
A rather disappointing book in the Inspector Chen series, with a weak story (as usual) but much weaker character motivations and horrid pastiche of Inspector Morse by Colin Dexter.
My Rating - 2/5
My Rating - 2/5
May 13, 2015
Golly I hate to say this, but I was disappointed. Four novels into the Chen Cao chronicles, I guess it's normal that the author should lose a bit of headway. The case looked promising: an older, respected cop is found dead in a fancy brothel, and Internal Security gets a "confession" from the terrified young prostitute far too quickly. What's up? Well, you won't find out here. This intriguing case gets lost as Chen is shuffled off to the US to head a delegation of Chinese writers who are to travel the States for a couple of weeks exchanging views with US university professors...but the death of their interpreter strands them in St Louis, of all places, for days on end.
And that's about it. The action, such as it is, is slow. The threads are tangled and lead pretty much nowhere, and there isn't any resolution as such; they just eventually go home, after a lot of "telling instead of showing" that takes place in Chen's mind as he thinks about the case. I don't know if any threads will be picked up in the next volume, but I felt impatient and annoyed, waiting for something--anything--to be resolved.
I can't shelve this as I normally would, under "China is Not Japan," as the majority of the action doesn't take place there, and the Chinese culture as such is not integral to the story. It's not even a police procedural, as Chen is far from having any jurisdiction. Catherine reappears but as an interpreter, not a cop--and spends most of her time giving him significant looks and rubbing her (yet again twisted) ankle.I've heard the meme that Asian men have a thing for feet. Maybe there's some truth in it, given the amount of time given to describing women's feet, ankles and toes in these books. Chen's poetic flights are in English this time, obviously dealing with being a fish out of water in another culture, but even the usual classic quotes don't really fit. How could they? This is a scrap bag, not a mystery novel. Eh.
Not only that, but either the book was extremely poorly proofread, or they decided to leave it as-was; there are many misused prepositions and strange changes in idiomatic expressions, such as "behind the scene" instead of "behind the scenes."
I usually read one of these books straight through without picking up anything else until I'm done; the fact that it took me two weeks and I read a couple of other books in there, and actually had to go back and start over, tells you something.
Tis true, tis pity--and pity tis, tis true.
And that's about it. The action, such as it is, is slow. The threads are tangled and lead pretty much nowhere, and there isn't any resolution as such; they just eventually go home, after a lot of "telling instead of showing" that takes place in Chen's mind as he thinks about the case. I don't know if any threads will be picked up in the next volume, but I felt impatient and annoyed, waiting for something--anything--to be resolved.
I can't shelve this as I normally would, under "China is Not Japan," as the majority of the action doesn't take place there, and the Chinese culture as such is not integral to the story. It's not even a police procedural, as Chen is far from having any jurisdiction. Catherine reappears but as an interpreter, not a cop--and spends most of her time giving him significant looks and rubbing her (yet again twisted) ankle.I've heard the meme that Asian men have a thing for feet. Maybe there's some truth in it, given the amount of time given to describing women's feet, ankles and toes in these books. Chen's poetic flights are in English this time, obviously dealing with being a fish out of water in another culture, but even the usual classic quotes don't really fit. How could they? This is a scrap bag, not a mystery novel. Eh.
Not only that, but either the book was extremely poorly proofread, or they decided to leave it as-was; there are many misused prepositions and strange changes in idiomatic expressions, such as "behind the scene" instead of "behind the scenes."
I usually read one of these books straight through without picking up anything else until I'm done; the fact that it took me two weeks and I read a couple of other books in there, and actually had to go back and start over, tells you something.
Tis true, tis pity--and pity tis, tis true.
Did not finish
June 16, 2014Read until around 100 pages, and just wasn't feeling it. Didn't feel any connection to the main character, though that's probably because it's not the first one in the series with the same main character.
March 2, 2018
This book is more a study of the difficulties faced by ethical Chinese law enforcement officials in their efforts to route systematic corruption from the communist Chinese government. than it is a mystery. The book conveys a lot of information on the communist system and contains many literary references and poems, both Chinese and English. Indeed Inspector Chen Cao is a poet and, in the midst of investigating a corruption case, is suddenly appointed to head a literary delegation visiting the US. Why this sudden assignment occurres is part of the mystery and the difficulties that he faces in his mission.
March 23, 2020
Inspector Chen, Detective Yu and Yu's irrepressible wife, Peiqin, are beginning to feel like old friends and not just because I was "social distancing" myself from family and flesh-and-blood friends when I read A Case of Two Cities. Shanghai, in the throes of rapid Westernization, and a rapidly changing political system make an interesting setting, and this time author Qiu brings Chen to the United States as the head of a delegation of Chinese writers, some interesting personalities who have some pithy comments to offer on U.S. culture and capitalism. Yu and Peiqin work hard to stay on top of Chen's anti-corruption case in his absence. Very entertaining read during a distracting time.
July 30, 2022
This is the one I less liked so far. It's not bad, don't get me wrong, but it was a bit... directionless? We have an interesting case with the murder of a cop in a brothel that opens a gigantic can of worms, but it goes nowhere because Chen is sent to the USA with a delegation of Chinese writers. Guess what? They all got stuck in St Louis because their interpreter is killed. And that is it. That's all that we have when it comes to the cases.
There is, nevertheless, a lot about Chinese politics, the corruption inherent in countries going through quick economic and social changes and the usual poetry, which I love.
Not the best in the series, but still good.
There is, nevertheless, a lot about Chinese politics, the corruption inherent in countries going through quick economic and social changes and the usual poetry, which I love.
Not the best in the series, but still good.
June 29, 2020
This is the fourth in a police series which features a very enjoyable character Inspector Chen of the Chinese police. The main thing I enjoy about the stories is the immersion in the culture as the author peppers his tale with various wonderfully described food , confuscist sayings and Chinese poetry, economic conditions and party hierarchy , and Chinese politics. I love the complexities of policing in a communist state where every crime has political implications so Chen is constantly looking over his shoulder.
Here a criminal has built up an empire on the back of property deals involving high up political figures before seeking asylum in the USA. The death of a police officer in unusual circumstances leads Chen to have an open letter allowing him to investigate the corruption and leads him to visit USA as head of literary delegation.
I will definitely be reading book 5 soon.
Here a criminal has built up an empire on the back of property deals involving high up political figures before seeking asylum in the USA. The death of a police officer in unusual circumstances leads Chen to have an open letter allowing him to investigate the corruption and leads him to visit USA as head of literary delegation.
I will definitely be reading book 5 soon.
November 18, 2020
This is my favorite in the Inspector Chen series so far. My favorite scene is Inspector Chen visiting the Buddhist temple.
I like the emphasis on writing as practice and as a political tool. The mystery/investigation aspects somewhat fall to the background, which is completely fine with me while the characters remain vivid and personal in the foreground.
I like the emphasis on writing as practice and as a political tool. The mystery/investigation aspects somewhat fall to the background, which is completely fine with me while the characters remain vivid and personal in the foreground.
December 9, 2023
The mystery was a bit difficult to follow but I enjoyed the development of the characters, especially Yu and his wife.
June 9, 2020
I really enjoy this series and the main character: Inspector Chen Cao. He is a police investigator, but also a poet and translator of English books into Chinese. This installment of the series sees Chen travel to the United States as part of a Chinese Writer's Delegation. I found it interesting to learn that the Chinese are familiar with Western writers and Canon, while most Americans know so little about Chinese literature.
The author does a great job in giving a sense of atmosphere and describing all the Chinese meals the characters have. Way beyond the Chinese restaurants I've been to. I also love the group of recurring characters in the series: Chen's partner Yu, Yu's wife Peiqin & Yu's father Old Hunter. I enjoyed this book so much that I hope it doesn't take me 5 years to pick up the next one in the series.
The author does a great job in giving a sense of atmosphere and describing all the Chinese meals the characters have. Way beyond the Chinese restaurants I've been to. I also love the group of recurring characters in the series: Chen's partner Yu, Yu's wife Peiqin & Yu's father Old Hunter. I enjoyed this book so much that I hope it doesn't take me 5 years to pick up the next one in the series.
May 18, 2019
No. 4 in the series but my first. Inspector Chen is an honourable Chinese cop amidst the flotsam of Party political deception and corruption in the new Shanghai. I suppose it us what is called 'cosy crime' pleasant enough easy read, but Scandinoir is more my taste
December 6, 2025
quand même bon, juste dommage que la fin soit un peu expédiée rapidement et j'aurais pris une suite directe
July 30, 2024
A DETECTIVE INVESTIGATES CORRUPTION IN THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY
Corruption plagues all authoritarian systems no matter how idealistic their origins may be. The absence of checks on the supreme ruler radiates downward throughout the system. Opportunities open for officials high and low to abuse their authority for personal gain. And by the 1990s that pattern was clear to everyone in China. Corruption reigned in the Chinese Communist Party. From Zhongnanhai in Beijing to villages and towns throughout the country, wealth was accumulating in the hands of officials. In response, Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin launched China’s first nationwide anticorruption campaign. And an order from Beijing propels Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau into a high-stakes investigation into corruption. This is the setup in A Case of Two Cities by the superb Chinese American mystery author Qiu Xiaolong.
THE HIGHEST-PROFILE ANTICORRUPTION CASE IN CHINA
In three previous novels in this series, Inspector Chen resolved some of the country’s most politically sensitive cases. He is a “rising cadre” marked for higher office in the Party. His girlfriend in Beijing is an “HCC,” a child of a high cadre who may be a Politburo member. And Chen is a modernist poet of distinction who has gained literary renown. But because neither his poetry nor his job earns him enough to live comfortably, he supplements his income by translating American mystery novels. And those books demonstrate how much more politics complicates his investigations than those of any American detective. But never before has Inspector Chen been assigned a case with more sensitive implications. Because a high official in Beijing has just dumped in his lap the highest-profile anticorruption case in China.
A “CASE OF TWO CITIES” THAT SPREADS TO THE UNITED STATES
A newly rich businessman named Xing Xing has fled to the United States with a fortune gained through high-level connections in the Chinese Communist Party. Xing is “a high-ranking Fujian Party cadre and business tycoon with an empire of smuggling operations under him, run through his connections at all government levels.” He’s seeking political asylum, claiming to be the victim of a power struggle, and threatening to reveal the criminal activities of high-ranking Party officials.
Xing’s case has risen to the top of the agenda for the Central Party Discipline Committee in Beijing, and its “retired” chairman taps Inspector Chen to lead the investigation in Shanghai. But Chen and his trusted aide, Sergeant Yu, will find their inquiry spread from Shanghai to Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province. It thus becomes a “case of two cities,” as the title suggests. And eventually Chen will continue the investigation in Los Angeles and St. Louis as well, where he has been sent as head of a writers’ delegation by forces in Beijing determined to sweep his inquiry under the rug.
CAREERS—AND LIVES—ARE AT STAKE
The stakes are high for all concerned. For the Party, which fears that the extent of corruption will be exposed to Western media. For Xing himself and his connections, all of whom know too much. And for Chen and Yu, when a single misstep might sideline their careers—or endanger their lives and those of their families. Because first one, then another, of the key figures in the case die under mysterious circumstances. And along the way one of the powerful officials Chen interviews threatens the life of his ailing mother.
Ever since the 1980s, when China took its first tentative steps along the “capitalist road,” stories have surfaced in the Western press about corruption in the Party. A few dramatic stories have highlighted individual cases. But Qiu’s novel is the first book I’ve come across that details precisely how corruption operates and the futility of the campaigns periodically launched by Beijing to stamp it out.
COMMON THEMES IN THE INSPECTOR CHEN NOVELS
The dominant theme in this novel is official corruption. But three other themes surface prominently as well.
FOOD
Author Qiu Xiaolong celebrates Chinese cuisine in his writing. But you’re unlikely to recognize any of the dishes he describes because they bear no resemblance to what usually passes for Chinese food in the United States or Europe. For example, Qiu describes a meal shared by Chen and Yu at a Shanghai restaurant: “Yu chose his noodles with dried shrimp and green onion; Chen had his with deep-fried rice-paddy eel. In addition, they ordered a small bamboo steamer of pork-and-crab soup buns with the lotus leaf–covered bottom. And two side dishes of the famous xiao pork.” But there are numerous other meals described in similar detail.
POETRY
Like Inspector Chen, Qiu is a widely published poet. He’s intimately familiar with the classics of Chinese poetry through the ages, and that knowledge frequently surfaces in the pages of these novels. Inspector Chen quotes poetry extensively in conversation and recalls passages from the classics as he thinks through the steps of his investigations. If, like the author, you’re a poetry aficionado, you’ll enjoy reading this novel.
For example, when Chen begins to understand the dimensions of the task he’s been handed, an eighth-century Tang dynasty poem comes to mind:
Oh, do not laugh
if I fall dead
drunk on the battlefield.
How many soldiers
have come really back home
since time immemorial?
SUBTLETY
Americans have a reputation throughout the world for frank talk. But nowhere do people find this habit more dismaying than Eastern Asia, especially Japan and China. And Qiu demonstrates over and over again in the pages of A Case of Two Cities (as he does in the other novels in this series) how very different is communication in China even among colleagues and friends. Subtlety, innuendo, and indirection reign. Rarely do two people speak forthrightly about sensitive subjects.
For instance, Inspector Chen confronts a high-level official early in the story. In the course of the pleasantries, the man says, “People know a lot about you, our poet chief inspector. Someone just told me about your hongyan zhiji [girlfriend] not only in Beijing but in the United States, too.” It came like a seemingly effortless blow delivered by a tai chi master: we know everything about you, so you’d better look out.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Qiu Xiaolong was born in Shanghai in 1953. He holds degrees from East China Normal University (BA), the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (MA), and Washington University in St. Louis (MA and PhD). (Qiu relocated to the United States following the Tienanmen Massacre to avoid persecution by the Chinese Communist Party.) He was on the faculty of Washington University from 1996 to 2005 and continues to live in St. Louis with his family.
Qiu is an accomplished poet as well as a crime novelist. He is the author of thirteen novels to date in the Inspector Chen Chao series as well as four other books. He has won awards for both his poetry and his crime novels.
Corruption plagues all authoritarian systems no matter how idealistic their origins may be. The absence of checks on the supreme ruler radiates downward throughout the system. Opportunities open for officials high and low to abuse their authority for personal gain. And by the 1990s that pattern was clear to everyone in China. Corruption reigned in the Chinese Communist Party. From Zhongnanhai in Beijing to villages and towns throughout the country, wealth was accumulating in the hands of officials. In response, Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin launched China’s first nationwide anticorruption campaign. And an order from Beijing propels Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau into a high-stakes investigation into corruption. This is the setup in A Case of Two Cities by the superb Chinese American mystery author Qiu Xiaolong.
THE HIGHEST-PROFILE ANTICORRUPTION CASE IN CHINA
In three previous novels in this series, Inspector Chen resolved some of the country’s most politically sensitive cases. He is a “rising cadre” marked for higher office in the Party. His girlfriend in Beijing is an “HCC,” a child of a high cadre who may be a Politburo member. And Chen is a modernist poet of distinction who has gained literary renown. But because neither his poetry nor his job earns him enough to live comfortably, he supplements his income by translating American mystery novels. And those books demonstrate how much more politics complicates his investigations than those of any American detective. But never before has Inspector Chen been assigned a case with more sensitive implications. Because a high official in Beijing has just dumped in his lap the highest-profile anticorruption case in China.
A “CASE OF TWO CITIES” THAT SPREADS TO THE UNITED STATES
A newly rich businessman named Xing Xing has fled to the United States with a fortune gained through high-level connections in the Chinese Communist Party. Xing is “a high-ranking Fujian Party cadre and business tycoon with an empire of smuggling operations under him, run through his connections at all government levels.” He’s seeking political asylum, claiming to be the victim of a power struggle, and threatening to reveal the criminal activities of high-ranking Party officials.
Xing’s case has risen to the top of the agenda for the Central Party Discipline Committee in Beijing, and its “retired” chairman taps Inspector Chen to lead the investigation in Shanghai. But Chen and his trusted aide, Sergeant Yu, will find their inquiry spread from Shanghai to Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province. It thus becomes a “case of two cities,” as the title suggests. And eventually Chen will continue the investigation in Los Angeles and St. Louis as well, where he has been sent as head of a writers’ delegation by forces in Beijing determined to sweep his inquiry under the rug.
CAREERS—AND LIVES—ARE AT STAKE
The stakes are high for all concerned. For the Party, which fears that the extent of corruption will be exposed to Western media. For Xing himself and his connections, all of whom know too much. And for Chen and Yu, when a single misstep might sideline their careers—or endanger their lives and those of their families. Because first one, then another, of the key figures in the case die under mysterious circumstances. And along the way one of the powerful officials Chen interviews threatens the life of his ailing mother.
Ever since the 1980s, when China took its first tentative steps along the “capitalist road,” stories have surfaced in the Western press about corruption in the Party. A few dramatic stories have highlighted individual cases. But Qiu’s novel is the first book I’ve come across that details precisely how corruption operates and the futility of the campaigns periodically launched by Beijing to stamp it out.
COMMON THEMES IN THE INSPECTOR CHEN NOVELS
The dominant theme in this novel is official corruption. But three other themes surface prominently as well.
FOOD
Author Qiu Xiaolong celebrates Chinese cuisine in his writing. But you’re unlikely to recognize any of the dishes he describes because they bear no resemblance to what usually passes for Chinese food in the United States or Europe. For example, Qiu describes a meal shared by Chen and Yu at a Shanghai restaurant: “Yu chose his noodles with dried shrimp and green onion; Chen had his with deep-fried rice-paddy eel. In addition, they ordered a small bamboo steamer of pork-and-crab soup buns with the lotus leaf–covered bottom. And two side dishes of the famous xiao pork.” But there are numerous other meals described in similar detail.
POETRY
Like Inspector Chen, Qiu is a widely published poet. He’s intimately familiar with the classics of Chinese poetry through the ages, and that knowledge frequently surfaces in the pages of these novels. Inspector Chen quotes poetry extensively in conversation and recalls passages from the classics as he thinks through the steps of his investigations. If, like the author, you’re a poetry aficionado, you’ll enjoy reading this novel.
For example, when Chen begins to understand the dimensions of the task he’s been handed, an eighth-century Tang dynasty poem comes to mind:
Oh, do not laugh
if I fall dead
drunk on the battlefield.
How many soldiers
have come really back home
since time immemorial?
SUBTLETY
Americans have a reputation throughout the world for frank talk. But nowhere do people find this habit more dismaying than Eastern Asia, especially Japan and China. And Qiu demonstrates over and over again in the pages of A Case of Two Cities (as he does in the other novels in this series) how very different is communication in China even among colleagues and friends. Subtlety, innuendo, and indirection reign. Rarely do two people speak forthrightly about sensitive subjects.
For instance, Inspector Chen confronts a high-level official early in the story. In the course of the pleasantries, the man says, “People know a lot about you, our poet chief inspector. Someone just told me about your hongyan zhiji [girlfriend] not only in Beijing but in the United States, too.” It came like a seemingly effortless blow delivered by a tai chi master: we know everything about you, so you’d better look out.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Qiu Xiaolong was born in Shanghai in 1953. He holds degrees from East China Normal University (BA), the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (MA), and Washington University in St. Louis (MA and PhD). (Qiu relocated to the United States following the Tienanmen Massacre to avoid persecution by the Chinese Communist Party.) He was on the faculty of Washington University from 1996 to 2005 and continues to live in St. Louis with his family.
Qiu is an accomplished poet as well as a crime novelist. He is the author of thirteen novels to date in the Inspector Chen Chao series as well as four other books. He has won awards for both his poetry and his crime novels.
September 5, 2011
This one's a page-turner, with the added bonus of a marvelous parody of T. S. Eliot's "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." The two cities in question are Shanghai and St. Louis, although there's a stop in L.A. along the way. Chen is investigating corruption in China and naturally those in high places are ready to protect themselves and their cronies. When Chen's investigation stirs them up, he is ordered to take two weeks off and lead a delegation of poets to a conference in the USA, where the subject of his investigation is seeking political asylum. His American friend Catherine turns up in St. Louis to interpret for the group and her help is key to the success of his investigation.
If you know the series, you will recognize many familiar characters, but I particularly enjoyed the incidental comedy of the Chinese poets and their clashing personalities and opinions, especially their behavior when they visit a riverboat casino.
As usual, there is wonderful poetry along the way - St. Louis itself inspires some lyrical passages, which may seem odd unless you've been there. Qiu is the kind of writer who, like Chen, finds poetry wherever he goes...
If you know the series, you will recognize many familiar characters, but I particularly enjoyed the incidental comedy of the Chinese poets and their clashing personalities and opinions, especially their behavior when they visit a riverboat casino.
As usual, there is wonderful poetry along the way - St. Louis itself inspires some lyrical passages, which may seem odd unless you've been there. Qiu is the kind of writer who, like Chen, finds poetry wherever he goes...
November 24, 2018
Mi sto sempre più appassionando alle avventure di questo Ispettore Capo della Polizia di Shanghai che vorrebbe essere tutto tranne che un poliziotto. Che è bravissimo e scrupoloso nel suo lavoro quanto temuto dai suoi superiori che vorrebbero metterlo alla prova affidandogli indagini sempre più complicate che coinvolgono oscuri personaggi collegati con i vertici del potere comunista cinese. E per questo è sempre più dubbioso dovendo ogni volta anteporre gli interessi del Partito ai suoi valori personali.
July 1, 2007
Enjoyed this Inspector Chen book, though not quite as much as the previous three in the series...perhaps I should have taken more of a break between them, but I felt compelled to get the next one and then to finish it. I do highly recommend the series though; very enjoyable. Also, as a side note, great little descriptions of meals throughout, making me crave Chinese food, especially dumplings...
September 16, 2025
In a Case of Two Cities Inspector Chen is given a political corruption case to work on. It is a very dangerous case and he soon has a trail of corpses. To add to the difficulties he is being sent to the US for lead a conference of Chinese writers.
December 11, 2021
interessante l’ambiente, le citazioni poetiche ( ma davvero è così importante la poesia Tang? meno male che comprai un libro a riguardo in Cina tanti anni fa), la trama è quella che è, un giallo non del tutto completato chissà se e come continuerà..
March 17, 2025
2.5 stars round up to 5. Spoilers ahead. This book really isn't any good but I'm hooked on the series in general so I'm continuing to read it.
The book is about corruption again, which is a big theme running through the series. This book explains it a bit more. One example was about land. There was a state run factory that was losing money. Someone wanted to buy the factory and promised to keep it running. Once they bought the factory, they razed it to build housing and made a lot of money but kept a small workshop running which fulfilled the requirements of keeping the workers working. And of course many palms were greased in order for the buyer to get the land and the permits.
Anyway, there's a big anti-corruption purge going on and one of the suspects (Xing) had escaped to the US seeking asylum, having first sent his family over there. Comrade Zhou (a retired powerful cadre) has now tasked Chen with looking into this case. He is given a special dispensation called the Emperor's Special Envoy, a document that gives him special powers to arrest people without a warrant. Basically it was like in the old days acting in the king's name, like being a Censor. He is also warned that the corruption is spread wide and far, even up to the top so powerful people might stop him.
He starts off by interviewing people who had interactions with Xing in order to learn what he was actually doing. He doesn't get very far when one of his sources is murdered. She was a TV personality who had started her PR company that specialized in connecting people who needed to get things approved.
Next, he is suddenly asked to head a delegation of Chinese writers to visit the US for a tour. It's an invitation he can't turn down so he's forced to go. I don't really understand this side plot since it's a ploy to slow him down. And this side plot is 1/2 the book where we follow Chen as he visits a few cities and even gets to meet Catherine Rohn again. It's a tour that doesn't advance the plot and even the romantic twist with Rohn doesn't go anywhere.
While he is in the US, he tasks his assistant Detective Yu to continue. Not much happens there either. The break comes when a phone call between certain parties is tapped by the CIA and the info is passed to Chen and Yu who figures out where Xing's younger stepbrother is hiding in Shanghai. They grab him and in return Xing gives himself up.
That's basically the story. We get to see the US from Chen's POV and we see the story from Yu's POV but the whole thing is a bit of a letdown. I will still continue the series as I'm vested in Chen and wants to know what happens to him next. It's like watching a TV series where you like the characters but there are a few boring episodes and this is one of them.
The book is about corruption again, which is a big theme running through the series. This book explains it a bit more. One example was about land. There was a state run factory that was losing money. Someone wanted to buy the factory and promised to keep it running. Once they bought the factory, they razed it to build housing and made a lot of money but kept a small workshop running which fulfilled the requirements of keeping the workers working. And of course many palms were greased in order for the buyer to get the land and the permits.
Anyway, there's a big anti-corruption purge going on and one of the suspects (Xing) had escaped to the US seeking asylum, having first sent his family over there. Comrade Zhou (a retired powerful cadre) has now tasked Chen with looking into this case. He is given a special dispensation called the Emperor's Special Envoy, a document that gives him special powers to arrest people without a warrant. Basically it was like in the old days acting in the king's name, like being a Censor. He is also warned that the corruption is spread wide and far, even up to the top so powerful people might stop him.
He starts off by interviewing people who had interactions with Xing in order to learn what he was actually doing. He doesn't get very far when one of his sources is murdered. She was a TV personality who had started her PR company that specialized in connecting people who needed to get things approved.
Next, he is suddenly asked to head a delegation of Chinese writers to visit the US for a tour. It's an invitation he can't turn down so he's forced to go. I don't really understand this side plot since it's a ploy to slow him down. And this side plot is 1/2 the book where we follow Chen as he visits a few cities and even gets to meet Catherine Rohn again. It's a tour that doesn't advance the plot and even the romantic twist with Rohn doesn't go anywhere.
While he is in the US, he tasks his assistant Detective Yu to continue. Not much happens there either. The break comes when a phone call between certain parties is tapped by the CIA and the info is passed to Chen and Yu who figures out where Xing's younger stepbrother is hiding in Shanghai. They grab him and in return Xing gives himself up.
That's basically the story. We get to see the US from Chen's POV and we see the story from Yu's POV but the whole thing is a bit of a letdown. I will still continue the series as I'm vested in Chen and wants to know what happens to him next. It's like watching a TV series where you like the characters but there are a few boring episodes and this is one of them.
June 8, 2021
This book is another in the Inspector Chen series that is written about a Chinese police inspector in modern, mainland China. Chen is not only a police detective, but a scholar whose specialty is T.S. Eliot and poetry. Consequently, we get healthy dose of poems throughout the book. I found many of these poems to be rather obscure and, for me at least, they do not always add very much to the immediate story. Poetry from old China often requires considerable reflection and introduction of these works interrupts the story.
Nevertheless, the Inspector Chen series gives us a perspective on China from an author who grew up in Shanghai. Nice to have an insider's viewpoint.
Chen is assigned to a special unit under the authority of the Party to investigate corruption in high places and, as his investigation starts to gain some momentum, he is suddenly assigned as head of a Chinese literary delegation that is visiting the United States for a couple of weeks. He does not believe he is qualified to take the lead and wonders if his new assignment has anything to do with getting him out of the mainland so his investigation will be delayed.
A couple of murders later has Chen wondering where this is headed and if he is, in fact, a target.
Chen works with his trusted aid Yu Guengming and his family who are back in China trying to put clues together while the Inspector is aided in the states by an old flame who is assigned to keep an eye on the Chinese delegation by American authorities. There is a relationship brewing between these two, but conflicts as well that seem to have predestined just how far things can go.
Some critics have suggested Xiaolong reveals just how corrupt nations like China have become. But, that misses the point. After all, one could argue the USA is a prime example of how money corrupts politics. Just look at our campaign finance system to see how monied-interest have influenced American laws and regulations. Corruption is inherent in most political systems to one degree or another. So, Xiaolong is not demonstrating an exception when he writes about special interests within the PRC.
Chen must balance his role as a police investigator looking for justice versus his position within the Communist Party, towing the line for the Party hierarchy. It's not easy, but Xiaolong's rendering creates an interesting tale of political intrigue and murder that is a worthy addition to the series.
Nevertheless, the Inspector Chen series gives us a perspective on China from an author who grew up in Shanghai. Nice to have an insider's viewpoint.
Chen is assigned to a special unit under the authority of the Party to investigate corruption in high places and, as his investigation starts to gain some momentum, he is suddenly assigned as head of a Chinese literary delegation that is visiting the United States for a couple of weeks. He does not believe he is qualified to take the lead and wonders if his new assignment has anything to do with getting him out of the mainland so his investigation will be delayed.
A couple of murders later has Chen wondering where this is headed and if he is, in fact, a target.
Chen works with his trusted aid Yu Guengming and his family who are back in China trying to put clues together while the Inspector is aided in the states by an old flame who is assigned to keep an eye on the Chinese delegation by American authorities. There is a relationship brewing between these two, but conflicts as well that seem to have predestined just how far things can go.
Some critics have suggested Xiaolong reveals just how corrupt nations like China have become. But, that misses the point. After all, one could argue the USA is a prime example of how money corrupts politics. Just look at our campaign finance system to see how monied-interest have influenced American laws and regulations. Corruption is inherent in most political systems to one degree or another. So, Xiaolong is not demonstrating an exception when he writes about special interests within the PRC.
Chen must balance his role as a police investigator looking for justice versus his position within the Communist Party, towing the line for the Party hierarchy. It's not easy, but Xiaolong's rendering creates an interesting tale of political intrigue and murder that is a worthy addition to the series.
March 30, 2025
Seuraava osa tarkastaja Chen sarjassa. Chen on kiinalainen poliisipäällikkö, joka on myös runoilija ja kääntää kirjoja englannista kiinaksi. Hän saa erityismääräyksen ja erityisvaltuudet selvitellä korruptiota, joka vaikuttaa ylettyvän korkeimmille puoluekaadereille asti. Kukaan ei ole halukas keskustelemaan hänen kanssaan, ja kun hänen vanha ystävänsä, TV-toimittajana toiminut kaunis nainen löytyi kuolleena vain muutama päivä heidän tapaamisensa jälkeen, vaikuttaa siltä, että tutkimuksia eivät katso hyvällä jotkin tahot. Chen saa sitten yllättäen määräyksen johtaa kirjailijadelegaatiota, joka on menossa vierailulle Yhdysvaltoihin. Miksi tämä tapahtuu, yrittääkö joku riittävän korkeassa asemassa oleva siirtää hänen huomionsa pois menossa olevasta tutkimuksesta tai viivyttää sitä? USA:ssa hän tapaa jo entuudestaan tuntemansa naispoliisin (johan hän on enemmän kuin vähän ihastunut), joka on tietoinen kiinalaisten korruptiotutkimuksista. USA:n liittovaltion organisaatiot eivät pidä kovasti ajatuksesta, että kiinalaisia lahjontaan syyllistyviä oligarkkeja pakenee USA:han ja näin tarjoutuu mahdollisuus epäviralliseen yhteistyöhön. Kun kirjallisuusdelegaation kääntäjä tapetaan kadulla, asiat alkavat vaikuttaa aikaisempaakin kuumemmilta.
Kirjan alkupuoli vaikutti varsin hitaalta ja tuntui keskittyvän melkein enemmän Chenin miettimiin runoihin sekä ruoka-annoksien kuvailuun kuin varsinaiseen poliisityöhön. Kiinalaiseen kulttuurin ajattelumallien kuvaaminen vaikutti olevan myös tärkeämpää kuin se varsinainen dekkarijuoni. Tämäkin tietysti oli aika kiinnostavaa sinällään. Loppua kohden kirja lähti lopulta vetämään - alkupuolella mietin jo, että tämä on viimeinen osa tätä sarjaa, mutta ehkä jossain vaiheessa näitä voi lisääkin vielä lukea. Ihan loppu toisaalta oli ehkä vähän lässähdys, kaikki asiat eivät selvinneet ja tarina kurottiin kasaan hyvin nopeasti ja tuntui oikeastaan jäävän hiukan kesken.
Kirjan alkupuoli vaikutti varsin hitaalta ja tuntui keskittyvän melkein enemmän Chenin miettimiin runoihin sekä ruoka-annoksien kuvailuun kuin varsinaiseen poliisityöhön. Kiinalaiseen kulttuurin ajattelumallien kuvaaminen vaikutti olevan myös tärkeämpää kuin se varsinainen dekkarijuoni. Tämäkin tietysti oli aika kiinnostavaa sinällään. Loppua kohden kirja lähti lopulta vetämään - alkupuolella mietin jo, että tämä on viimeinen osa tätä sarjaa, mutta ehkä jossain vaiheessa näitä voi lisääkin vielä lukea. Ihan loppu toisaalta oli ehkä vähän lässähdys, kaikki asiat eivät selvinneet ja tarina kurottiin kasaan hyvin nopeasti ja tuntui oikeastaan jäävän hiukan kesken.
February 7, 2021
I loved Death of a Red Heroine the first novel of Qiu Xiaolong. A Case of Two Cities is the fourth in the series. The nightmare of endemic corruption and greed in modern China—and particularly the Chinese Communist Party—that he portrays feels entirely authentic, though deeply sad and depressing. Inspector Chen Cao, a sensitive policeman/poet from Shanghai in the Adam Dalgliesh mold (see the P. D. James series that debuted in 1962 with Cover Her Face), now seems weak and irresolute, even in his failure to pursue enticing sexual opportunities, and the story is simply disappointing. I also became bored with Chen's frequent quotations of poetry from the Tang and Song dynasties, works that I have always loved in moderation. Chen's "own poetry" is traditional, lackluster, and inauthentic for one who supposedly loves Eliot.
Like the boy who fell in the cesspit, Qiu was just going through the motions.
Like the boy who fell in the cesspit, Qiu was just going through the motions.
December 29, 2020
Xiaolong's Inspector Chen series offers a fantastic blend of character, atmosphere, and mystery, with all of the books being anchored in poetry and attention to the details of Chinese culture in Shanghai, especially when it comes to food and custom. This is the fourth book in the series, and was somewhat of a departure from the earlier books in the series. Where earlier books felt more centrally focused on a mystery, this one ranged across multiple cases/concerns (multiple continents, even), and seemed just as focused on attending to Chen's character and the literary aspect of the series. That took some getting used to, I admit--it wasn't exactly what I'd expected upon picking up the book--but I ended up enjoying it. And, as always, Xiaolong's inclusions of poetry made the book that much richer, even if it sometimes stretched believability that they'd come so easily to the characters' minds.
I would say that, so far, this book is an outlier in the series, and that readers would definitely want to start with the first three books. The other caveat is that it feels like this book ends on less firm footing than normal, and leads directly into the next book--to the extent that it almost feels like this is a two-parter more than a stand-alone in some ways. I'll be making a point of picking up the next book sooner than later because of it, but regardless, I certainly recommend the series.
I would say that, so far, this book is an outlier in the series, and that readers would definitely want to start with the first three books. The other caveat is that it feels like this book ends on less firm footing than normal, and leads directly into the next book--to the extent that it almost feels like this is a two-parter more than a stand-alone in some ways. I'll be making a point of picking up the next book sooner than later because of it, but regardless, I certainly recommend the series.
February 13, 2022
Now I need to read A Tale of Two Cities, but need to finish this series first (yeah, also Dream of the Red Chamber and Monkey: The Journey to the West, not only because they are mentioned in the series at least 15 times, but also because some of my favorite custom campaigns in AOE II DE are based on them - if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can ask).
In this book, I felt like the author relaxed and started exploring alternative case-building styles. Nice, we are getting out of the comfort zone. The story was well rounded, the cultural background is still very important in the story, the characters are growing.
There's still the emphasis on poetry and food, but it's not overpowering any more. It's mostly a leitmotif specific to this series. Sort of like an inside joke, but not funny.
In this book, I felt like the author relaxed and started exploring alternative case-building styles. Nice, we are getting out of the comfort zone. The story was well rounded, the cultural background is still very important in the story, the characters are growing.
There's still the emphasis on poetry and food, but it's not overpowering any more. It's mostly a leitmotif specific to this series. Sort of like an inside joke, but not funny.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews