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Inspector Chen Cao #9
Shanghai Redemption
"The system has no place for a cop who puts justice above the interests of the Party. It's a miracle that I survived as long as I did."
For years, Chen Cao managed to balance the interests of the Communist Party and the promises made by his job. He was both a Chief Inspector of Special Investigations of the Shanghai Police Department and the deputy party secretary of the bureau. He was considered a potential rising star in the Party until, after one too many controversial cases that embarrassed powerful elements in the Party, Chen Cao found himself neutralized. Under the guise of a major promotion, a new position with a substantial title but no power, he's stripped of his job duties and isolated. But that's still not enough, as it becomes increasingly clear that someone is attempting to set him up, for public disgrace and possibly worse.
Chen Cao is technically in charge of the corruption case of a "Red Prince"---a powerful, high Party figure who embodies the ruthless ambition, greed, and corruption that is increasingly evident in the new China. This "Red Prince" has the kind of connections and power to deflect any attempts to bring him to justice. Now with no power, few allies, and with his own reputation on the line, the former Inspector Chen is facing the most dangerous investigation of his career, and his life.
For years, Chen Cao managed to balance the interests of the Communist Party and the promises made by his job. He was both a Chief Inspector of Special Investigations of the Shanghai Police Department and the deputy party secretary of the bureau. He was considered a potential rising star in the Party until, after one too many controversial cases that embarrassed powerful elements in the Party, Chen Cao found himself neutralized. Under the guise of a major promotion, a new position with a substantial title but no power, he's stripped of his job duties and isolated. But that's still not enough, as it becomes increasingly clear that someone is attempting to set him up, for public disgrace and possibly worse.
Chen Cao is technically in charge of the corruption case of a "Red Prince"---a powerful, high Party figure who embodies the ruthless ambition, greed, and corruption that is increasingly evident in the new China. This "Red Prince" has the kind of connections and power to deflect any attempts to bring him to justice. Now with no power, few allies, and with his own reputation on the line, the former Inspector Chen is facing the most dangerous investigation of his career, and his life.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 6, 2014
68 people are currently reading
607 people want to read
About the author
Qiu Xiaolong
75 books473 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.
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November 14, 2016Conspiraciones en las altas esferas del poder. La verdad se esconde entre oscuros callejones. Las luces de neón e Internet dejan entrever la silueta. Los amigos es lo único que le queda a Chen Cao para no acabar olvidado. Esperar a que el viento sople a favor su única esperanza.
October 22, 2015
While this book started off quite sluggishly and took a while for this reader to get into the poetic prose and languid pacing, it eventually improved to sustain interest. It was thought-provoking to ponder the chaos and corruption faced by citizens trapped in an "enlightened" communist regime. Thus the setting's ambiance proved a compelling and fascinating element.
Unfortunately, between the similarity of some names, titles, and all-too-frequent shifting locales, the enjoyment of following the meandering plot became annoying. Moreover, the too frequent inclusion of poetic quotes and Chinese proverbs grew old. The book morphed from a police mystery with social implications into a fortune cookie nightmare. Most disappointing was the ending that seemed haphazardly cobbled together and left this reader wondering about the fate of several key characters.
Unfortunately, between the similarity of some names, titles, and all-too-frequent shifting locales, the enjoyment of following the meandering plot became annoying. Moreover, the too frequent inclusion of poetic quotes and Chinese proverbs grew old. The book morphed from a police mystery with social implications into a fortune cookie nightmare. Most disappointing was the ending that seemed haphazardly cobbled together and left this reader wondering about the fate of several key characters.
March 10, 2025
It's a better book than the last one in the series. The plot is pretty much straight out of recent headlines from China - Bo Xi Lai, the dead pigs in the river in Shanghai, official corruption, but it is still fairly well done. The most interesting things in the book deal with the food, the cemetery rituals in Suzhou, and the decline of the Suzhou opera.
The minor characters are more interesting than Chen, who is is still comparatively flat, and the poetry is more of a distraction than a revelation.
The minor characters are more interesting than Chen, who is is still comparatively flat, and the poetry is more of a distraction than a revelation.
August 13, 2020
Much, much better than the previous volume in the series. Interesting to note the contrasts between it and Enigma of China. In my review of that book, I said that Chen seemed to be in a last-bus scenario; in this one, he starts by taking a bus to visit his father's grave, but the bus leads to more trouble than he expects. In "Enigma", Chen was seriously considering quitting the police force; here the force seems to want to quit Chen by shuffling him into a "directorship", a basically phony job, to get him out of the way--of what? You want a week or two off? Take it, no problem! Leave your stuff (including your computer) here, no problem! Chen is understandably suspicious. He is no longer a Chief Inspector, but he doesn't seem to be having money problems; he may take the subway instead of a company car, but he's still a lavish tipper who has no trouble eating in pricey Shanghai restaurants.
After the death of a pretty young woman for which Chen feels responsible, he wants to redeem himself. The author certainly has, after two lacklustre novels. There is less information dump of things a person born in China would already know all about and would not feel drawn to discuss at length with another person born in China, and the proofreading/language is more effective and less bizarre. The ending is still abrupt, but I think that's because the author really had taken the tale as far as it could go.
After the death of a pretty young woman for which Chen feels responsible, he wants to redeem himself. The author certainly has, after two lacklustre novels. There is less information dump of things a person born in China would already know all about and would not feel drawn to discuss at length with another person born in China, and the proofreading/language is more effective and less bizarre. The ending is still abrupt, but I think that's because the author really had taken the tale as far as it could go.
September 16, 2025
When I find out that a new Inspector Chen is coming out I immediately pre-order it. Qiu Xiaolong never lets me down. This is an intelligent well written series. I suggest that the reader start with the first one Death of a Red Heroine, any mystery lover will be hooked and the series continues to get better.
In this one Chen finds himself promoted to a new position which signals that he is in a very precarious position.
In this one Chen finds himself promoted to a new position which signals that he is in a very precarious position.
July 21, 2018
I've read several other books in this series, and generally find the author's portrayal of modern China to be riveting. Since my last foray into his work, though, I've actually visited Shanghai briefly. On the one hand, I enjoyed the experience of recognizing some of the places he describes. On the other, I have become a bit tired of his relentlessly negative view of Chinese political and social reality. Perhaps his view is more accurate than mine, but one always should question the perceptions of a deliberate expatriate.
While I was reading the book, I could hardly put it down. Still, when I'd finished, I felt more disappointment than satisfaction. Of course, the plot isn't really the point in these stories, but still, I'd like something more than just China-bashing.
While I was reading the book, I could hardly put it down. Still, when I'd finished, I felt more disappointment than satisfaction. Of course, the plot isn't really the point in these stories, but still, I'd like something more than just China-bashing.
October 26, 2015
This book held so much promise. I'm a big fan of this series and it appeared as if all of the elements were in place for a big payoff, but, in the end, poof? We have Chen in a new position. We have the whole host of characters - his mother (unresolved), Yu, Mr. Gu, White Cloud, Melong, Peqin and in the end they're really all left hanging. I guess we have a resolution in the epilogue, but it is most unsatisfying given the intensity of the book and the large themes dealt with. I feel letdown.
November 5, 2017
I would have given the book two stars, but its cardinal sin is the utter dullness of it. The book pretends to start 60 pages in, but is actually a treatise on poetry masquerading as a cop story. The characters do a whole lot of nothing, and there's a conspiracy that amounts to something, maybe. I'm not sure.
A complete waste of time, could have been interesting too.
A complete waste of time, could have been interesting too.
April 14, 2025
A guide to modern China with plenty of culinary references; ho-hum as a detective novel.
Xialong has written about T.S.Eliot and translated Chinese poetry, so it is no surprise that his detective protagonist, Inspector Chen, also translates in his spare time and frequently quotes Tang and Song dynasty poets.
This was my first experience with the Inspector Chen series and I was left unconvinced. Xialong gives us insights into post-communist China (though it’s unclear how reliable they are, since he moved to the US some thirty years before Shanghai Redemption was published). There are also plenty of mouth-watering references to Chinese cooking. But neither are good reasons to read a 300-page detective novel.
Despite Xialong’s literary chops (with dozens of poetry quotes throughout the novel), the writing lacks grit and punch. Too tasteful, cerebral, careful. It reads like a cross between a Lonely Planet travel guide, a poetry compilation, and a detective novel. The other major let-down was the plotting. Chen makes little progress in understanding a series of murders and suspicious attempts to block his investigations until the penultimate chapter, when one of the minor characters explains it all to him.
This proved to be a diverting read during a much-delayed airport flight connection; but I won’t be looking to read other books in the Inspector Chen series.
Xialong has written about T.S.Eliot and translated Chinese poetry, so it is no surprise that his detective protagonist, Inspector Chen, also translates in his spare time and frequently quotes Tang and Song dynasty poets.
This was my first experience with the Inspector Chen series and I was left unconvinced. Xialong gives us insights into post-communist China (though it’s unclear how reliable they are, since he moved to the US some thirty years before Shanghai Redemption was published). There are also plenty of mouth-watering references to Chinese cooking. But neither are good reasons to read a 300-page detective novel.
Despite Xialong’s literary chops (with dozens of poetry quotes throughout the novel), the writing lacks grit and punch. Too tasteful, cerebral, careful. It reads like a cross between a Lonely Planet travel guide, a poetry compilation, and a detective novel. The other major let-down was the plotting. Chen makes little progress in understanding a series of murders and suspicious attempts to block his investigations until the penultimate chapter, when one of the minor characters explains it all to him.
This proved to be a diverting read during a much-delayed airport flight connection; but I won’t be looking to read other books in the Inspector Chen series.
May 28, 2018
From BBC Radio 4 - Drama:
Inspector Chen finds himself "promoted" sideways from the Shanghai Police Bureau before narrowly escaping a night-club trap and exposing a web of financial and sexual corruption. Dramatised by John Harvey.
Director: David Hunter
"Shanghai Redemption" is the 9th of Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen novels, all 9 of which have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4. They have sold over 1 million copies and been translated into 20 langauges.
"Witty and thrilling" The Daily Telegraph
"A welcome alternative to Scandi-noir" The Observer.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b3...
Inspector Chen finds himself "promoted" sideways from the Shanghai Police Bureau before narrowly escaping a night-club trap and exposing a web of financial and sexual corruption. Dramatised by John Harvey.
Director: David Hunter
"Shanghai Redemption" is the 9th of Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen novels, all 9 of which have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4. They have sold over 1 million copies and been translated into 20 langauges.
"Witty and thrilling" The Daily Telegraph
"A welcome alternative to Scandi-noir" The Observer.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b3...
April 20, 2016
Shanghai Redemption is one of the most complex mysteries I've read in some time. The plot lines are quite intense and very indirect. This aspect of literature with an Asian flavor has always been great fun. Chen is, himself, being hunted while trying to solve couple of cases before dealing with his promotion out of the Shanghai Police. Fighting against the hidden enemy while trying to fulfill his code of justice and honor proves a captivating story.
This story very much fits with the sequence begun in Enigma of China (#8 in the Inspector Chen Cao series), but stands well enough on its own. The interplay of technology-internet, social media, flash drives, and the standard threads of politics and philosophy from much older eras is fascinating. That said, the technology does not interfere with a great story.
The literary content of this story is equal, in its way to anything Umberto Eco has done. The more interesting thing is that none of the poetry, philosophy, religion, and historical citations are redundant or simply add-on decoration to the story/plot. They are all important to understand the full sense of what happens. The range of reference is amazing. From Eliot to ancient Chinese poets. For me the most striking was the, again indirect, reference to Blake's Tiger which, as it turns out, is the pivot for understanding the key to resolution of the plot against Chen as well as the case he is investigating. Blake would have been delighted as would Frye in the usage of the lines and reference.
The references and discussion of food in the story are a gem not to be missed. What Donna Leon does for Venetian cuisine, Qiu Xiaolong does for Shanghai and environs. I can tell you the Green Tea Shrimp is mouth-watering.
As the mystery itself goes Chen does well on his own against amazing difficulties. The more remarkable aspect of this story as well as #8 is the part friends and associates play in his work. This makes for great character development and provides a sense of social fabric one does not often see in contemporary mysteries. Peiquin is amazing in her work on the net. Melong is equally intriguing. Significant and remarkably understated are the roles the female characters play in the story. Each, in their own way, provides a thread that contributes notably to the fabric of the story.
All this put together made me delighted with the decision to change my reading list and move this one up to read immediately after Enigma of China. It is a great story in a great series. There is the obscure, and somewhat unresolved, status of Chen at the end which is different from Western story lines. That said, I can't wait to see where the next book in this series takes him and all around him. Definitely worth putting on the "must read" list.
This story very much fits with the sequence begun in Enigma of China (#8 in the Inspector Chen Cao series), but stands well enough on its own. The interplay of technology-internet, social media, flash drives, and the standard threads of politics and philosophy from much older eras is fascinating. That said, the technology does not interfere with a great story.
The literary content of this story is equal, in its way to anything Umberto Eco has done. The more interesting thing is that none of the poetry, philosophy, religion, and historical citations are redundant or simply add-on decoration to the story/plot. They are all important to understand the full sense of what happens. The range of reference is amazing. From Eliot to ancient Chinese poets. For me the most striking was the, again indirect, reference to Blake's Tiger which, as it turns out, is the pivot for understanding the key to resolution of the plot against Chen as well as the case he is investigating. Blake would have been delighted as would Frye in the usage of the lines and reference.
The references and discussion of food in the story are a gem not to be missed. What Donna Leon does for Venetian cuisine, Qiu Xiaolong does for Shanghai and environs. I can tell you the Green Tea Shrimp is mouth-watering.
As the mystery itself goes Chen does well on his own against amazing difficulties. The more remarkable aspect of this story as well as #8 is the part friends and associates play in his work. This makes for great character development and provides a sense of social fabric one does not often see in contemporary mysteries. Peiquin is amazing in her work on the net. Melong is equally intriguing. Significant and remarkably understated are the roles the female characters play in the story. Each, in their own way, provides a thread that contributes notably to the fabric of the story.
All this put together made me delighted with the decision to change my reading list and move this one up to read immediately after Enigma of China. It is a great story in a great series. There is the obscure, and somewhat unresolved, status of Chen at the end which is different from Western story lines. That said, I can't wait to see where the next book in this series takes him and all around him. Definitely worth putting on the "must read" list.
September 30, 2015
First Sentence: April is a cruel month, if not the cruelest.
Chen Cao was on an upward track within the Shanghai Police Department and the Communist Party. Now he has been “promoted” to a position with no power and few responsibilities. He suspects, but can’t prove, that he’s being set up for disgrace. Technically, Chen is in charge of a corruption case against a powerful Party figure. But without any support, just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re not following you.
There are many reasons to read a book by Qiu Xiaolong, but one is how much one learns about a place, history, culture and people many of us will never visit. What’s even better is when the author has a style and voice that brings it all to live and makes us feel as though we are there. Even the occasional awkwardness of the dialogue remind us that this is not a translation, but written by someone for whom Chinese his first language, which simply reinforces the sense of place.
The literary and poetry quotations interspersed within the story, along with descriptions of meals “…crispy fried green onions and shredded port. Qiun ordered plain noodles with peeled shrimp friend with Dragon Well tea leaves, in across-the-bridge style.”...further add to a very clear sense of place and culture. Xiaolong also makes us stop and consider…”To do nothing, it says in the Taoist classic “Dao De Jing,” makes it possible for one to do everything. Chen wanted to make his enemy believe that he was doing nothing, thereby allowing him to do whatever was necessary while they weren’t watching.”
Whilst some in this country may complain about government surveillance, Qui makes it very clear as to what it is like living under a one-party system where surveillance is everywhere and in every form. He also makes learning about Chinese history and tradition fascinating, including that of the ernai, who are similar to concubines but hold a different status and relationship.
Chen is a wonderful character. He is ethical, moral and loyal to his family and friends. He immediately protects someone who is innocent
Just when one thinks Chen truly is paranoid and we are all being led astray, there is a powerful twist that ratchets up the suspense.
“Shanghai Redemption” is a fast-action read and an engrossing one which should be savoured. The ending is very satisfactory and yet elicits an intriguing sense of future uncertainty for Chen, which is always fun.
SHANGHAI REDEMPTION (Lic. Invest-Chen Cao-China-Contemp) - VG
Xiaolong, Qiu – 9th in series
Minotaur Books – Sept 2015
Chen Cao was on an upward track within the Shanghai Police Department and the Communist Party. Now he has been “promoted” to a position with no power and few responsibilities. He suspects, but can’t prove, that he’s being set up for disgrace. Technically, Chen is in charge of a corruption case against a powerful Party figure. But without any support, just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they’re not following you.
There are many reasons to read a book by Qiu Xiaolong, but one is how much one learns about a place, history, culture and people many of us will never visit. What’s even better is when the author has a style and voice that brings it all to live and makes us feel as though we are there. Even the occasional awkwardness of the dialogue remind us that this is not a translation, but written by someone for whom Chinese his first language, which simply reinforces the sense of place.
The literary and poetry quotations interspersed within the story, along with descriptions of meals “…crispy fried green onions and shredded port. Qiun ordered plain noodles with peeled shrimp friend with Dragon Well tea leaves, in across-the-bridge style.”...further add to a very clear sense of place and culture. Xiaolong also makes us stop and consider…”To do nothing, it says in the Taoist classic “Dao De Jing,” makes it possible for one to do everything. Chen wanted to make his enemy believe that he was doing nothing, thereby allowing him to do whatever was necessary while they weren’t watching.”
Whilst some in this country may complain about government surveillance, Qui makes it very clear as to what it is like living under a one-party system where surveillance is everywhere and in every form. He also makes learning about Chinese history and tradition fascinating, including that of the ernai, who are similar to concubines but hold a different status and relationship.
Chen is a wonderful character. He is ethical, moral and loyal to his family and friends. He immediately protects someone who is innocent
Just when one thinks Chen truly is paranoid and we are all being led astray, there is a powerful twist that ratchets up the suspense.
“Shanghai Redemption” is a fast-action read and an engrossing one which should be savoured. The ending is very satisfactory and yet elicits an intriguing sense of future uncertainty for Chen, which is always fun.
SHANGHAI REDEMPTION (Lic. Invest-Chen Cao-China-Contemp) - VG
Xiaolong, Qiu – 9th in series
Minotaur Books – Sept 2015
August 29, 2017
Sloppy, lazy plotting cannot be redeemed by exotic locales. The author is a Chinese translator and poet who now lives in the US. He writes mostly about Shanghai. His stories rely on quotes from both Chinese- and English-language poets, which would be nice in moderation but are overdone. What is worse is the laziness of the writing. The book's first section is all about a woman in another city who hires ex-chief inspector Chen Cao to spy on a woman in Shanghai. When he returns to Shanghai from the suburb, this work is not mentioned once as Chen starts investigating the cases he had right before his worrisome reassignment. And when he meets the woman again, he doesn't even acknowledge that he was supposed to do something for her, instead asking her to investigate something for him. And there are many other signs that the author barely read over his work. People offer him places to hide and other help that is never referenced again. He climbs the stairs to a second floor opera club with a beaded curtain for a door and hears no sound as he approaches, even though when he is in the room, he says that students are playing instruments. Also, the many nefarious doings of high-level Communist Party cadres are not tied together at the end. The ending sort of dribbles off a cliff when enough words have been written to satisfy the publisher and pay the electric bill.
Read the first couple books in this series, and then forget about it.
Read the first couple books in this series, and then forget about it.
November 28, 2015
Shanghai Redemption is book #9 in the Inspector Chen Cao series. This book was originally written in English, although the author was born in Shanghai in 1953 and lived in China until 1988, when he went to study to the United States.
Inspector Chen is a policeman in modern Shanghai, an honest man amid rampant corruption. Now he has been "demoted" to a job that will get him away from his police duties. Somebody high up in the government wants to get rid of him (permanently, if possible).
The beauty of Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen books is not only that the mysteries are so, so good, but that we get a view of modern China that feels as if you're reading a modern history book. And also, the books are full of ancient China history and literature, of quotes and beautiful poems.
For me, these series perfectly combine a view of modern China but also of it's traditions. Another part that I love is the description of the food, it just makes you imagine yourself in front of a big bowl of noodles!
Inspector Chen is a policeman in modern Shanghai, an honest man amid rampant corruption. Now he has been "demoted" to a job that will get him away from his police duties. Somebody high up in the government wants to get rid of him (permanently, if possible).
The beauty of Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen books is not only that the mysteries are so, so good, but that we get a view of modern China that feels as if you're reading a modern history book. And also, the books are full of ancient China history and literature, of quotes and beautiful poems.
For me, these series perfectly combine a view of modern China but also of it's traditions. Another part that I love is the description of the food, it just makes you imagine yourself in front of a big bowl of noodles!
September 28, 2019
I had read the first book in the series and had to go to Shanghai for business. It looked like a good idea to read Inspector Chen adventures. And indeed it was a good idea. One feels closer to the subject in this city of contrasts.
Chen is a filial son, committed to his family and to the people he serves as a policeman and Party member. But he knows where his allegiances are. And this causes him some trouble. Throw in the corrupt environment of Chinese politics, add many drops of old Chinese wisdom, old poetry of many dynasties and you start getting the flavour of things. The book is thrilling in its intrigue and slow in its evolution, with so many teas and poetic citations. It makes a very pleasant moment, nothing to do with the classical hard-boiled detective stories that I cherish, but of equally high quality.
Chen is a filial son, committed to his family and to the people he serves as a policeman and Party member. But he knows where his allegiances are. And this causes him some trouble. Throw in the corrupt environment of Chinese politics, add many drops of old Chinese wisdom, old poetry of many dynasties and you start getting the flavour of things. The book is thrilling in its intrigue and slow in its evolution, with so many teas and poetic citations. It makes a very pleasant moment, nothing to do with the classical hard-boiled detective stories that I cherish, but of equally high quality.
January 6, 2018
Slow paced and coming from all directions at once. Chief Inspector Chen of the Shanghai police force is “reassigned “, but why? Is this promotion or an attempt to discredit him? That question persists for most of the book and even when the answer is revealed, the questions still remain. Some nice descriptions of Shanghai and Suchou, but few and far between. Too many threads in too many directions. Too many quotes from operas and ancient poetry. Too many characters who end up dead. Too much time wasted on this book.
October 2, 2015
3.5 stars. I liked this book a bit less than the preceding ones. At the beginning it felt like I had missed a book when Chen was removed from his position. It had many of the familiar characters from the previous books but the plot didn't really engage my interest.
June 1, 2019
Ninguna libro chino para mi en mucho tiempo, presentación cultural y política de china a mi parecer bastante tedioso, ¿Acaso Chen se la pasó comiendo a lo largo de toda la trama?
December 10, 2019
Empieza un poco lento, no se si porque lo vi como novela policiaca. A decir verdad sus argumentos son muy buenos, el lugar de ambiente para mí totalmente distinto y al final te envuelve. Gracias a Dios le di oportunidad.
June 1, 2015
Dragon bleu, tigre blanc reprend l'affaire Bo Xilai, un scandale bien connu en Chine, celui qui a été au centre de toutes les conversations l'année dernière et qui a fait couler tellement d'encre. Je ne vais pas en faire un résumé ici, car je ne saurais lui rendre justice. De plus, de nombreux points restent encore bien sombres. Mais faites une petite recherche, et vous trouverez de nombreux articles dessus.
Qiu Xialong reprend les mêmes personnages, change leur noms, déplace l'affaire à Shanghai, et comble les trous à sa manière, pour nous offrir ce superbe thriller. Tous les évènements et faits du roman sont plus improbables et scandaleux les uns que les autres, et cependant, je ne doute pas que la réalité soit bien pire.
L'enquête est prenante, le mystère épais, Chen Cao attaqué de toutes part sans raisons apparentes. Malgré tous les obstacles sur son chemin, il reste fidèle à lui-même et ses principes d’honnêteté, et parvient peu à peu, grâce à sa ténacité, à démêler les fils de l'énigme.
Mais comme d'habitude avec Qiu Xiaolong, ce livre est plus qu'un simple roman policier, il s'agit d'une véritable plongée dans la Chine d'aujourd'hui et tous ses remous politiques, avec ses guerres d'influence qui ont généralement lieux à l'abri du regard du public, et dont nous ne savons pas grand chose, si ce ne sont des bribes ici et là. Qiu Xiaolong, grâce à son imagination, nous donne une idée de ce qui peut peut-être se passer au sommet de l'organigramme chinois.
Qiu Xialong reprend les mêmes personnages, change leur noms, déplace l'affaire à Shanghai, et comble les trous à sa manière, pour nous offrir ce superbe thriller. Tous les évènements et faits du roman sont plus improbables et scandaleux les uns que les autres, et cependant, je ne doute pas que la réalité soit bien pire.
L'enquête est prenante, le mystère épais, Chen Cao attaqué de toutes part sans raisons apparentes. Malgré tous les obstacles sur son chemin, il reste fidèle à lui-même et ses principes d’honnêteté, et parvient peu à peu, grâce à sa ténacité, à démêler les fils de l'énigme.
Mais comme d'habitude avec Qiu Xiaolong, ce livre est plus qu'un simple roman policier, il s'agit d'une véritable plongée dans la Chine d'aujourd'hui et tous ses remous politiques, avec ses guerres d'influence qui ont généralement lieux à l'abri du regard du public, et dont nous ne savons pas grand chose, si ce ne sont des bribes ici et là. Qiu Xiaolong, grâce à son imagination, nous donne une idée de ce qui peut peut-être se passer au sommet de l'organigramme chinois.
October 7, 2015
The writing here feels like classic Chinese translated into English. Not so. Qiu Xiaolong, while born in Shanghai, lives in St. Louis where he writes and translates.
When we enter China through the 3rd person narrator, we follow Chen Cao, who has just been relieved of his duties as Chief Inspector of Special Investigations, and given a promotion to a non-police position. He recognizes that in China this is a harbinger of disaster.
As Chen fills his duty as a filial son by tending to the restoration of his father's grave while he tries to find out what he has done to earn such disfavor from 'the Higher Ups', we are given a tour of today's China, its political make-up, its food and its fascination with 'sayings' both ancient and recent. Not so much a mystery as an adventure, we are here to enjoy the tone, observe the streets and customs, and get a feel for the problems faced by people in a quickly and profoundly changing society.
Recommended.
When we enter China through the 3rd person narrator, we follow Chen Cao, who has just been relieved of his duties as Chief Inspector of Special Investigations, and given a promotion to a non-police position. He recognizes that in China this is a harbinger of disaster.
As Chen fills his duty as a filial son by tending to the restoration of his father's grave while he tries to find out what he has done to earn such disfavor from 'the Higher Ups', we are given a tour of today's China, its political make-up, its food and its fascination with 'sayings' both ancient and recent. Not so much a mystery as an adventure, we are here to enjoy the tone, observe the streets and customs, and get a feel for the problems faced by people in a quickly and profoundly changing society.
Recommended.
October 26, 2015
Inspector Chen Cao just gets better and better at investigation and skirting catastrophe and keeps me keen with his quotes from Chinese poetry and his larding of T.S. Eliot, my favorite poet in English, into the pages. The problem of the novel, Chen's comedown and the political mess he is in and the specters chasing him and just missing blowing him up more than once, is a plot that goes on and on but I didn't mind because of the rich Chinese life that so realistically spreads out on the pages. Yes, based on a real Chinese scandal, the book gives Westerners some insight into the dark alleys if Chinese politics and policing.Not to mention the food and the culture and women's lives! Richness in a deceptively simple story. More Chen Cao, please.
October 18, 2015
Inspector Chen at his most cynical and paranoid, justifiably so as it turns out.
The book relies and builds upon relationships established and developed in earlier stories. As a result there is less growth among the supporting characters. On the other hand Chen has to rely on his friends and associates more than ever.
For most of the book Chen, and the reader, is confused and befuddled by both the change in his position and seemingly unrelated events that seem somehow to be connected to his situation. Also, people surrounding Chen begin suffering (some fatally) simply because of their association with the Inspector.
It is not until the very end of the book before Chen, with critical help from friends, that he is able to patch together a bizarre scenario to explain it all.
The book relies and builds upon relationships established and developed in earlier stories. As a result there is less growth among the supporting characters. On the other hand Chen has to rely on his friends and associates more than ever.
For most of the book Chen, and the reader, is confused and befuddled by both the change in his position and seemingly unrelated events that seem somehow to be connected to his situation. Also, people surrounding Chen begin suffering (some fatally) simply because of their association with the Inspector.
It is not until the very end of the book before Chen, with critical help from friends, that he is able to patch together a bizarre scenario to explain it all.
April 15, 2018
All the Inspector Chen books are entertaining and are fascinating especially because of the poetry that Chen quotes often. This book is so real and current that I found it somewhat depressing, a bit too close to home as so many of the issues are relevant in South Africa at present as well.
August 10, 2015
A great police procedural series set in Shanghai which offers insights into modern Chinese society.
October 8, 2015
Not quite as compelling as the earlier books but it's always fun to "visit" Inspector Chen. Light read - good for traveling.
September 23, 2015
I liked the poetry quotes.
The mystery had some complicated details and some of the case information was repeated unnecessarily.
The mystery had some complicated details and some of the case information was repeated unnecessarily.
March 19, 2021
Troppo piatto, purtroppo
March 3, 2022
Private Eye!
In this story, Chief Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police Bureau travels to the city of Suzhou, where his father is buried. It is the Chinese holiday of Qingming when the people of China honor their dead. All of the train tickets were sold out in advance, so Chen takes a special chartered bus on the four- or five-hour trip to visit the cemetery. Chen has no reason to be happy, in spite of the holiday. It had been announced the day before that Chen has been removed from his positions as Deputy Party Secretary and Chief Inspector positions in the Shanghai Police Bureau. He will now serve in the largely honorary position of Director of the Shanghai Legal Reform Committee. He has been stripped of almost all of his authority. This move was a familiar trick in Chinese Communist politics. It was a demotion in the guise of a promotion.
The Party's national conference has been scheduled for the end of the year, and Chen thinks there might be something that the "powers that be" do not want him to investigate. So, he has found himself sitting on an old, worn-out, smelly bus traveling to Suzhou. Squabbles soon break out between the passengers, and Chen muses that "The myth of Maoist egalitarianism, promoted by the Party authorities for so many years, was fading into a lost dream." Perhaps "nightmare" might be a more accurate description, given the bloody and violent history of modern China.
Chen arrives at the Gaofeng Cemeterey and manages to find his father's gravesite, which had fallen into considerable ruin. He decides to renovate the grave, so he meets with the manager of the cemetery and begins negotiating prices and work to be accomplished. Unfortunately, this causes him to miss the bus back to Shanghai, and he is forced to begin walking in the rain to find a hotel in which to spend the night.
A new white Lexus driven by a woman in custom-made fine clothing stops and offers him a ride to the train station. He accepts the offer and during their subsequent conversations she leaps to the conclusion that he is a private investigator, even though such positions do not really exist in Communist China. She takes Chen to a restaurant to eat while the heavy traffic abates, and there she tries to hire him to investigate a woman in Shanghai, along with whatever men that woman might be meeting. Chen declines the ten-thousand-yuan retainer she offers to pay him in advance, telling her that he must learn more about the case before accepting any money.
Ultimately, he looks into her case. He recruits a former acquaintance named White Cloud to assist him in his investigations. White Cloud is a former karaoke girl and college student that Chen had known well. She has now opened a high-end hair salon where she might be able to gather information for Chen.
In the meantime, we learn about the "dead pig" problem in Shanghai. It seems that a British visitor had come down with food poisoning, and the cause was traced to some sausage made with bad pork. Hundreds of dead pigs were photographed floating down the river, and the pictures were all over the Internet, embarrassing the government. Chen visits the foreign office where he learns more about the pigs, but not much else. Perhaps it is the fear of this investigation that has led to Chen's demotion, along with an attempt to destroy his reputation as an honest, hard-working cop.
He is invited to a "Book Launch" party at an exclusive night-club, and he is taken to a private room where two girls dressed as cats begin removing their clothes and trying to entice Chen into bed for "a special oil massage." It is clear to Chen what is really going on, and he is quite uncomfortable. Thankfully, his cell phone rings, and he steps out of the room to take the call. It is his mother on the phone, but her call has saved him from some embarrassment.
Maybe it was a bit more than just embarrassment. Chen slips out of the club and walks to a nearby convenience store to purchase cigarettes. He suddenly catches a glimpse of a black-clad man creeping toward the nightclub. He also spots several other similarly dressed men accompanying him, and he recognizes one of them as a cop from the Sex Crimes Squad of the Shanghai Police Bureau. The seven or eight black-clad sex cops enter the club while Chen watches from the convenience store. It is obvious that an elaborate trap has been set for Chen, and only the phone call from his mother has kept him from falling into it. Clearly, somebody very important wants Chen more than just demoted. They want him utterly destroyed. Who? Why?
Before this convoluted plot can run its course, a writer friend and staff member of the Shanghai Writers' Association is kidnapped and murdered. It happens right after the man has met with Chen to try to warn him to be careful. First an elaborate trap, and now the murder of his friends. Why?
Once again, this author exposes the utter hypocrisy and corruption of the Chinese Communist system. Unfortunately, it doesn't do so with the clarity of the author's previous works, and I did not really appreciate the story very much. It is difficult to follow, and I can't really recommend it to other readers. This novel rates only three of the available five stars.
In this story, Chief Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police Bureau travels to the city of Suzhou, where his father is buried. It is the Chinese holiday of Qingming when the people of China honor their dead. All of the train tickets were sold out in advance, so Chen takes a special chartered bus on the four- or five-hour trip to visit the cemetery. Chen has no reason to be happy, in spite of the holiday. It had been announced the day before that Chen has been removed from his positions as Deputy Party Secretary and Chief Inspector positions in the Shanghai Police Bureau. He will now serve in the largely honorary position of Director of the Shanghai Legal Reform Committee. He has been stripped of almost all of his authority. This move was a familiar trick in Chinese Communist politics. It was a demotion in the guise of a promotion.
The Party's national conference has been scheduled for the end of the year, and Chen thinks there might be something that the "powers that be" do not want him to investigate. So, he has found himself sitting on an old, worn-out, smelly bus traveling to Suzhou. Squabbles soon break out between the passengers, and Chen muses that "The myth of Maoist egalitarianism, promoted by the Party authorities for so many years, was fading into a lost dream." Perhaps "nightmare" might be a more accurate description, given the bloody and violent history of modern China.
Chen arrives at the Gaofeng Cemeterey and manages to find his father's gravesite, which had fallen into considerable ruin. He decides to renovate the grave, so he meets with the manager of the cemetery and begins negotiating prices and work to be accomplished. Unfortunately, this causes him to miss the bus back to Shanghai, and he is forced to begin walking in the rain to find a hotel in which to spend the night.
A new white Lexus driven by a woman in custom-made fine clothing stops and offers him a ride to the train station. He accepts the offer and during their subsequent conversations she leaps to the conclusion that he is a private investigator, even though such positions do not really exist in Communist China. She takes Chen to a restaurant to eat while the heavy traffic abates, and there she tries to hire him to investigate a woman in Shanghai, along with whatever men that woman might be meeting. Chen declines the ten-thousand-yuan retainer she offers to pay him in advance, telling her that he must learn more about the case before accepting any money.
Ultimately, he looks into her case. He recruits a former acquaintance named White Cloud to assist him in his investigations. White Cloud is a former karaoke girl and college student that Chen had known well. She has now opened a high-end hair salon where she might be able to gather information for Chen.
In the meantime, we learn about the "dead pig" problem in Shanghai. It seems that a British visitor had come down with food poisoning, and the cause was traced to some sausage made with bad pork. Hundreds of dead pigs were photographed floating down the river, and the pictures were all over the Internet, embarrassing the government. Chen visits the foreign office where he learns more about the pigs, but not much else. Perhaps it is the fear of this investigation that has led to Chen's demotion, along with an attempt to destroy his reputation as an honest, hard-working cop.
He is invited to a "Book Launch" party at an exclusive night-club, and he is taken to a private room where two girls dressed as cats begin removing their clothes and trying to entice Chen into bed for "a special oil massage." It is clear to Chen what is really going on, and he is quite uncomfortable. Thankfully, his cell phone rings, and he steps out of the room to take the call. It is his mother on the phone, but her call has saved him from some embarrassment.
Maybe it was a bit more than just embarrassment. Chen slips out of the club and walks to a nearby convenience store to purchase cigarettes. He suddenly catches a glimpse of a black-clad man creeping toward the nightclub. He also spots several other similarly dressed men accompanying him, and he recognizes one of them as a cop from the Sex Crimes Squad of the Shanghai Police Bureau. The seven or eight black-clad sex cops enter the club while Chen watches from the convenience store. It is obvious that an elaborate trap has been set for Chen, and only the phone call from his mother has kept him from falling into it. Clearly, somebody very important wants Chen more than just demoted. They want him utterly destroyed. Who? Why?
Before this convoluted plot can run its course, a writer friend and staff member of the Shanghai Writers' Association is kidnapped and murdered. It happens right after the man has met with Chen to try to warn him to be careful. First an elaborate trap, and now the murder of his friends. Why?
Once again, this author exposes the utter hypocrisy and corruption of the Chinese Communist system. Unfortunately, it doesn't do so with the clarity of the author's previous works, and I did not really appreciate the story very much. It is difficult to follow, and I can't really recommend it to other readers. This novel rates only three of the available five stars.
April 16, 2025
Spoilers ahead. This is definitely the best book of the series, way better than any of the others. Like many detective or police series I've read, it isn't really the mystery part that has been great, but the characters that have kept me interested and that is very true of this book.
I'm primarily vested in Chief Inspector Chen, and like many protagonists, a good cop in a tide of corrupt and/or indifferent ones and that is especially true in this setting since the author paints a very dark picture of Chinese politics, which is a central theme in the series.
Many of the times, we get bogged down in poetry, some small detail, side plots or inconsequential romances which fill the pages. But in this case, this book was actually a page turner and I stayed up late to finish in despite other pressing matters.
To put the summary in a nutshell: In the start of the book Chen is sideways promoted to the position of Director of some legal department. He is basically stripped of his powers as a Chief Inspector and he doesn't know why. He can only guess that he's stepped on some important toes in the observance of his duty.
He is furthermore almost honey trapped when he is sent to a dance club for a book signing. During an interlude he is whisked off to a back room for a rest by two girls who prepare to "service" him. As he is rather prim, he is prepared to stave off the offer and he is saved by a phone call from his mother which he steps outside the club to take. As he is outside he sees the Vice Squad raid the club.
He decides to lay low by traveling to Suzhou for a few days ostensibly to take care of his father's gravesite but continues to try figure out what's going on. After a few days he does find out that he is the subject of a purge but he still doesn't know why.
The main plot is that a businessman named Liang had been making oodles of money by manufacturing seats and fixtures for the Shanghai high speed rail and seriously overcharging it. This came to the attention of netizens and Liang disappeared as a result. It's obvious that Party officials were involved since such purchases require bidding and approval from someone high up.
The second part of the plot was the death of an American businessman living in Shanghai. He had been doing business as a broker introducing foreign businesses to invest in Shanghai. Apparently he had also been doing shady business with a high up Shanghai city official and threatened to expose him.
Chen eventually uncovered everything because the plotters sought to silence everyone who could expose them and Chen was able to figure out who the plotters were by investigating the deaths by himself. The investigation consisted of him questioning anyone involved methodically and getting a hacker to uncover/steal the email communications of the high up peoples. In the end, he found that the plotters were going to kill Liang's wife to silence her and he got her to spill the beans (by reading the hacked e-mails).
And the reason why the plotters sought to silence Chen was because they were afraid of his reputation as a good detective and that he would uncover their crimes, which he did, in a round about way.
The plotters turned out to be Shanghai Party Secretary Lai and his wife Kai, who were corrupt up the ying yang. They were so high up in the Party hierarchy that the Party would normally cover this up to save face, but that the fact that an American was killed gave Chen the opportunity to get Liang's widow to submit the evidence to the American consulate.
The book ends with the Party throwing Lai and Kai to the wolves and Chen reinstated. This book was a page turner because both Chen and the reader were kept in the dark at the beginning. Chen didn't even know if he was in danger at the time. And we know things were getting serious when Chen was investigating because witnesses were getting killed left and right to prevent the truth from coming out. We never even saw Lai or Kai or the killers but that was immaterial, the danger was palpable. Anyway, good book and I'm already starting on the next one.
I'm primarily vested in Chief Inspector Chen, and like many protagonists, a good cop in a tide of corrupt and/or indifferent ones and that is especially true in this setting since the author paints a very dark picture of Chinese politics, which is a central theme in the series.
Many of the times, we get bogged down in poetry, some small detail, side plots or inconsequential romances which fill the pages. But in this case, this book was actually a page turner and I stayed up late to finish in despite other pressing matters.
To put the summary in a nutshell: In the start of the book Chen is sideways promoted to the position of Director of some legal department. He is basically stripped of his powers as a Chief Inspector and he doesn't know why. He can only guess that he's stepped on some important toes in the observance of his duty.
He is furthermore almost honey trapped when he is sent to a dance club for a book signing. During an interlude he is whisked off to a back room for a rest by two girls who prepare to "service" him. As he is rather prim, he is prepared to stave off the offer and he is saved by a phone call from his mother which he steps outside the club to take. As he is outside he sees the Vice Squad raid the club.
He decides to lay low by traveling to Suzhou for a few days ostensibly to take care of his father's gravesite but continues to try figure out what's going on. After a few days he does find out that he is the subject of a purge but he still doesn't know why.
The main plot is that a businessman named Liang had been making oodles of money by manufacturing seats and fixtures for the Shanghai high speed rail and seriously overcharging it. This came to the attention of netizens and Liang disappeared as a result. It's obvious that Party officials were involved since such purchases require bidding and approval from someone high up.
The second part of the plot was the death of an American businessman living in Shanghai. He had been doing business as a broker introducing foreign businesses to invest in Shanghai. Apparently he had also been doing shady business with a high up Shanghai city official and threatened to expose him.
Chen eventually uncovered everything because the plotters sought to silence everyone who could expose them and Chen was able to figure out who the plotters were by investigating the deaths by himself. The investigation consisted of him questioning anyone involved methodically and getting a hacker to uncover/steal the email communications of the high up peoples. In the end, he found that the plotters were going to kill Liang's wife to silence her and he got her to spill the beans (by reading the hacked e-mails).
And the reason why the plotters sought to silence Chen was because they were afraid of his reputation as a good detective and that he would uncover their crimes, which he did, in a round about way.
The plotters turned out to be Shanghai Party Secretary Lai and his wife Kai, who were corrupt up the ying yang. They were so high up in the Party hierarchy that the Party would normally cover this up to save face, but that the fact that an American was killed gave Chen the opportunity to get Liang's widow to submit the evidence to the American consulate.
The book ends with the Party throwing Lai and Kai to the wolves and Chen reinstated. This book was a page turner because both Chen and the reader were kept in the dark at the beginning. Chen didn't even know if he was in danger at the time. And we know things were getting serious when Chen was investigating because witnesses were getting killed left and right to prevent the truth from coming out. We never even saw Lai or Kai or the killers but that was immaterial, the danger was palpable. Anyway, good book and I'm already starting on the next one.
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