Hold Your Breath, China

Inspector Chen Cao #11

by Qiu Xiaolong

Tutti, a Shanghai, pensano che l’ispettore Chen sia un poliziotto ormai leggendario. Perfino qualche alto dirigente del Partito della Città Proibita, a Pechino, come il potentissimo compagno segretario Zhao, che gli ha affidato un incarico a suo dire molto semplice ma in realtà delicatissimo: sorvegliare con discrezione le mosse segrete di un gruppo di ambientalisti e poi presentargli un rapporto dettagliato. Perché se l’inquinamento è ormai una catastrofe nazionale, il problema va tuttavia risolto tenendo conto solo ed esclusivamente degli interessi del Partito. Il punto è che «non si tratta soltanto dell’inquinamento dell’aria, dell’acqua e del cibo, ma anche di una forma di inquinamento della mente», quindi l’ispettore Chen, confuciano perplesso, si sente moralmente obbligato ad andare a fondo della questione, a ogni costo. Come se non bastasse, un’ondata di inspiegabili delitti sta colpendo Shanghai: nessun indizio, nessun movente, nessun sospettato. È imminente la sessione di apertura dell’Assemblea nazionale del popolo, a Pechino, e per il dipartimento di polizia sarebbe un disastro politico se il caso, che ormai fa pensare sempre più a un serial killer, rimanesse irrisolto. Chen è come un funambolo costretto a camminare su una corda tesa all’interno di un sistema per il quale i concetti di giustizia e libertà sono subordinati alle esigenze del Partito unico, e ora deve affrontare una nuova, pericolosa doppia indagine – letteralmente mozzafiato – dagli esiti imprevedibili, che va a toccare addirittura i vertici inarrivabili della Città Proibita. Per l’enigmatico ispettore-poeta il prezzo da pagare è sempre più alto, e risolvere il caso senza venir meno ai suoi principi sempre più difficile.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, China, Crime, Mystery Thriller, 21st Century

208 pages, Paperback

First published October 18, 2018

About the author

Qiu 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.

Reviews

[Herzog · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing. I've read all the books in this series, but this was very weak. I struggled to keep going. Chen is investigating serial murders involving air pollution in China. No suspense whatsoever.

[eyes.2c · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shanghai murders!

A serial murderer and extreme air pollution activists in China are the focus of Shanghai Chief Inspector Chen and Detective Yu Guangming, with of course, the requisite People's Party attendant. Chen however is diverted away from the murders and directed by Zhao, "Comrade Secretary Zhao, the retired first secretary of the Party Central Discipline Committee," to investigate a group of activists researching and filming about the pollution levels in the country. The figure of Zhao whom for Chen, "had been something of a political patron, having entrusted [Chen]with several high-profile cases and backed him up on a number of occasions. Chen could have long been crushed by his adversaries, as whispered in the inner circle, but for Zhao’s speaking out for him at the top."
Complex and intriguing developments are set against the modern Chinese background.
I must admit that I have long puzzled about how very wealthy Chinese people can exist in and side by side with that country's communist ideal.
I understood more when Chen referred to the "red princes." I was fascinated to discover that the Red "Princes [and Princesses] are are the descendants of prominent and influential senior communist officials in People's Republic of China."(according to Wikipedia). Their antecedents might go back to those involved with Mao on The Long March, or at least prior to the cultural revolution. Chen it seems has run afoul of those from this hierarchy in a previous case.
One of the activists is a woman Chen had spent time with some years before. A woman who inspired a poem he'd had published that had caught the public's imagination.
Various threads running throughout the plot that frame the story. I did struggle in the beginning placing the relationship between the characters, having not read any prior novels of Inspector Chen. Fortunately, I didn't feel too far adrift and was soon into the swing of things.

A Severn House ARC via NetGalley

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not his best,all the others were excellent.

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began my review for the last book, Shanghai Redemption which I read in the Inspector Chen series in December 2015 :
" 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."

I could very well start my review for Hold Your Breath, China, the same way, but I won't be redundant. It has been a long time, between books in the series and I have missed the suave, Inspector Chen and his more down to earth partner, Detective Yu and I wonder how much further Xiaolong will carry this series.

Briefly, this begins with Yu and Chen becoming involved in a case involving a serial killer, but Chen is called away and strongly encouraged to investigate a woman who is an activist , and environmentalist and is about to release a documentary about air pollution.

As always it is a satisfying read. I think this series isn't for everyone, but I love them. The latest is the 10th in the series.

[Melaslithos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Résidente depuis plusieurs années maintenant de la ville de Shanghai, je ne peux que me sentir touchée par cette nouvelle aventure de l'inspecteur Chen. En effet, comme pour tous les livres précédents, plus qu'une simple enquête policière, l'auteur nous offre surtout un reflet de la Chine d'aujourd'hui, avec ici, en premier plan, les problèmes de pollution et les enjeux sociaux et politiques que cela entraîne.

En lisant cet histoire, j'ai l'impression de revivre le fameux hiver apocalyptique 2013, qui fut pour moi le véritable moment de prise de conscience sur le sujet, et je suis ravie de voir que des progrès ont été fait depuis, même si la route est encore longue avant de pouvoir avoir de nouveau régulièrement du ciel bleu.

Sinon, je ne sais pas s'il s'agit de ma mémoire qui me joue des tours, mais j'ai l'impression de ressentir une pointe de mélancolie de plus en plus présente chez Chen Cao. Sont-ce les jeux de pouvoirs de plus en plus présents à mesure qu'il grimpe les échelons du parti qui lui font cet effet ? L'auteur qui projette ses sentiments en lui? Le sujet qui s'y prêtait particulièrement, avec le retour d'un amour passé? Ou tout simplement moi qui surinterprète ?

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 - Drama:
Inspector Chen Novels

by Qiu Xiaolong dramatised by Joy Wilkinson

Inspector Chen has fallen from the Party's grace thanks to his anti-corruption investigations but he is back on the case when a serial murderer is on the loose in the ever-thickening smog of Shanghai.

Chief Inspector Chen ..... Jamie Zubairi
Detective Yu ..... Dan Li
Detective Qin ..... Liz Sutherland-Lim
Lou/Huang ..... Andrew Leung
Shanshan ..... Rebecca Boey
Zhao ..... David Hounslow
Qiang ..... Sean Baker
Bian ..... Chris Pavlo
Bei ..... Kenny Blyth
Neighbour ..... Debbie Korley

Director: David Hunter

HOLD YOUR BREATH, CHINA is the 10th of Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen novels, all of which have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4. They have sold over 1 million copies and have been translated into 20 languages.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000...

[Rafa Sánchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leído en inglés por el desistimiento de la editorial Tusquets...

El título de la novela "Aguanta el aliento, China" hace referencia al protagonista absoluto de la trama, la atmósfera envenenada por la contaminación ambiental que desencadena la acción a través de los protagonistas habituales de Qiu, el Inspector Jefe Chen, su audante Detective Yu, la mujer de este Peiquin, el comisario Li, el alto cargo Zhou, etc. Todos ellos se ven avasallados por el aire emponzoñado de Shanghai en una entrega que mantiene el nivel de las últimas de la serie. Un asesino en serie aparece en Shanghai y su caracterización preliminar no aclara si es un caso policial o político (este último tipo de crímenes son los que ocupan a Chen). Por otro lado, Chen tiene que volver a un caso anterior en el lago Tai y el romance que tuvo allí, tipo película Casablanca.

La novela funciona bien y nos muestra los aspectos que tan exóticos a nuestros ojos occidentales tiene la cultura y sociedad china, lo que nos permite conocer ese país entretenidos con una novela policiaca, algo que siempre me hace disfrutar.

[Raymond Parish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful mystery series that offers an insider's view of modern China. The author once again rolls the story out slowly, bringing readers into Chen's world with care and suspense.

[Quoilire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Il y a des livres que l'on a du mal à classer et à dire s'ils sont bons ou mauvais. Chine, retiens ton souffle de Xiaolong Qiu fait partie de ces livres.

Tout d'abord, il est clairement un livre policier, un whodunit traditionnel, du genre old school, dans la lignée des reines du crime anglaises telle Agatha Christie. Aussi, il ne faut pas s'attendre à un roman palpitant, plein de rebondissements et de suspense. Bien au contraire, comme le peuple de l’empire du milieu, tout est en retenue, en douceur et philosophie. L'inspecteur Chen est le digne héritier d'Hercule Poireau en faisant travailler ses petites cellules grises pour résoudre les énigmes.

Mais c'est surtout le fait que l'enquête passe pratiquement au second plan tant le mode de vie des chinois, leurs us et coutumes, leur vie, leur société, la politique, son économie, la pollution et la corruption sont présentés ou dénoncés. C'est un véritable récit de voyage à Shanghai que nous découvrons au fil des pages. Je n'ai pas été vérifié si tous les lieux, magasins ou échoppes mentionnés dans le livre existent vraiment, mais on pourrait presque se servir de ce livre comme guide touristique.

Si la composition des personnages apparaît un peu simpliste, les annotations et références faites par des personnages secondaires à de précédentes affaires font penser qu'elle se dévoile et s'étoffe au fur et à mesure des enquêtes et des livres

Si c'est dépaysant et séduisant dans la présentation de ce peuple lointain, cela entretien la confusion des genres et décevra les amateurs de romans policiers aux intrigues alambiqués et enquêtes rondement menées.
(https://quoilire.wordpress.com/2019/0...)

[Megres. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mi aspettavo di meglio mooooolto meglio.
Prima di tutto, pensavo di stare leggendo un giallo, non un libro di poesie!
Alla prima può essere anche una cosa carina e interessante, alla seconda ok, alla terza uhm un'altra? ma non è uguale a quella di 2 pagine fa? Alla quarta giuro stavo per lanciare il libro dal finestrino del treno. Ogni 3-4 pagine c'è una citazione di una poesia etc. bastaaaa le poesie sono anche belle, interessanti, tutto quello che vi pare ma io non sto leggendo un libro di poesie quindi anche no.

Parliamo poi del protagonista, non fa assolutamente niente? A quanto pare l'Ispettore Chen è bravissimo e risolve sempre i suoi casi peccato che sia più per meriti di altri che suoi dato che non fa altro che intossicarsi con il caffè e mangiare zuppa di tartaruga, ah si anche citare quelle maledette poesie per una donna per cui si è preso una sbandata anni fa e che è sposata felicemente con un altro uomo.

[Antonella Moretti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sono un'accanita fan di Qiu Xiaolong, che tra l'altro ho avuto la fortuna di incontrare più volte alle sue presentazioni in Cina, ma questo libro mi è piaciuto molto meno degli altri. Perché? Forse ripetitivo quando descrive il processo mentale dell'ispettore Chen, forse deludente perché rievoca una storia d'amore ma poi non fa mai incontrare gli ex amanti, forse poco avvincente nella storia poliziesca. Ripete mille volte che l'aria era grigia e le persone indossavano la mascherina, vuole a tutti i costi che capiamo quanto sia inquinata l'aria di Shanghai e della Cina. Ma forse non serviva ripeterlo tanto. Ho dato quattro stelle perché a Qiu Xiaolong non potrei mai darne tre, ma nonostante la mia ammirazione per questo scrittore resto un po' perplessa.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Hold Your Breath, China, the tenth novel to feature Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police.

There is a serial killer in Shanghai but, for political reasons, Chen’s department has not been involved. Now they are needed but Chen is put on special assignment by high ranking Comrade Secretary Zhao, so the murder investigation is left to his friend and deputy, Yu. Chen, meanwhile faces the daunting and rather nebulous task of investigating a group of environmentalists led by a figure from his past.

This is the first time I have read this series so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but having read a few Chinese thrillers before I was expecting good things. It is very different and much more literary than my previous samplings so I enjoyed it in a different way. In this novel the plot isn’t the thing, being more of a vehicle to explore life in China and various issues, in this case the terrible pollution engulfing everyday life. To be honest I find it hard to believe that it’s as bad as it’s painted in this novel but, at one point, there are statistics offered so it must be so. It sounds like an absolute nightmare, face masks being the order of the day, with The Party doing nothing about it. The details of everyday life are fascinating with the clash of old ways and modern living. I could read about it all day and will probably read some of the other novels for more. It is very well done and immersive.

Chen’s plotline covers all of the above, including the constant surveillance by the state. It is all very nebulous, as I said, as he never really grasps what he has to investigate or why or what will be done with what he uncovers. It’s kind of frustrating from the reader’s point of view as there are no clear goals but it certainly underlines the uncertainties of life in an authoritarian state. From a crime fiction point of view Yu’s investigation is much more straightforward- catch a killer who leaves no forensic evidence and has chosen his victims at random. With guidance from Chen he approaches it logically and methodically.

Chen, in another facet of his life, is a poet, as is the author, so there are lines from his and others’ poems in the novel. I think they resonate but I’m not much on poetry so I didn’t take the time to really absorb them in any meaningful way as that would be a distraction from the storyline. I found the allusions to old Chinese proverbs and writings, notably the thirty-six stratagems that I’d never heard of before, much more interesting.

Hold Your Breath, China is not my normal fare but I found it recalling interesting so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

[Timons Esaias · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have discovered that in my youth I gravitated to cozy mysteries and 19th century detectives, but that now I seem to read mysteries to travel in time or culture: this Chinese detective, another Chinese detective in Tibet, two Roman detectives (one in the Republic, one under the Flavians), an African-American in the 20th century, a Botswanan, and an Irishman of the Garda.

These Inspector Chen mysteries are excellent at highlighting the difficulties of being a policeman in an essentially corrupt system, and writing poetry in an autocracy. The threat of prison, or worse, is always looming; and doing your job too well can be a threat to your own wellbeing. (I also read the Inspector Shan series, which follows a cop who ended up in the gulag for solving a crime.)

The one negative I would give this series, and it's not a big one, is that there is usually some systemic Chinese injustice being focused on in each volume, and you can feel the axe grinding as you move along. Water pollution was a recent topic, and this follows it up (including repeating some characters) with a discussion of air pollution. These are real problems, though, huge problems, so they are fair game as subjects, after all.

In this volume, Chen has been promoted sideways, and it's clear that it's actually meant to be punishment. He's on his way out. But a serial killer case is causing embarrassment and so he's being courted to solve it, and meanwhile a bigshot in the Party is giving him a "special assignment" that could help get his career back on track. Or it could blow up in his face. None of the bosses are being open about what's going on, everything is murky and dangerous, and people are dying. Not only is Chen at risk, but Yu is being put in the frying pan as well.

Oh, and there's an old flame being pulled into the mix.

It's dangerous, it's complicated, and the stakes are high. A successful formula.

Recommended.

[I see that there are only two more in the series that I haven't read. The prospect of actually being "caught up" with a detective series is too foreign to contemplate. I'm usually 10-20 years behind.]

Oh, yes, and the word grimace does not appear in this volume.

[Glen U · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting departure for Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen series, as the storyline continues to chronicle the devastating pollution in China. It is also a continuation of a romantic sidebar introduced in "Don't Cry, Tai Lake" for our intrepid inspector. I do feel that I enjoyed the earlier books by Qiu because the romanticism and elegant Chinese poetry were a bit more in evidence than in some of the later books. Qiu still remains one of the most accessible of Chinese authors with an excellent translator and a distinct flavor of a police procedural and socially conscious novel, all within the same volume. His look into the culture and politics of modern China are also very timely as he attempts to let the Westerner see the machinations of the Asian mind. An excellent read.

[Doreen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not holding my breath for this book... certainly not one of his best stories.

[Ben Cassidy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Plodding

Have really enjoyed the Inspector Chen series. Found “Hold Your Breath …” light on sense of place and slow in its pacing.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pollution!
The theme of this story, and the title of the book, is air pollution in China, which is some of the worst in the world. Shanshan, a character whom we first met in the novel Don't Cry, Tai Lake, reappears in this story, although she is now married and no longer available to Chief Inspector Chen.

The story begins with Detective Yu Guangming of the Shanghai Police Bureau attending a meeting at police headquarters called by Party Secretary Li Guohua, a politician through and through, to discuss a serial murder case in which the Homicide Squad had made no progress in solving after three weeks of investigation. The head of the investigation is Detective Qin Xiejun, and he is not happy to see Yu, or his boss Chief Inspector Chen, enter the investigation.

Three bodies have been found in public places, and the M.O. for the killings has been similar. Li did not really want Chen involved in such a potentially sensitive case, and Chen knows that, so he sits back and lets Detective Yu take the lead in the investigation.

The first victim was a night caregiver at a Shanghai hospital who was apparently on her way home from work when her skull was fractured by a heavy brick. The murdered woman had not been robbed and had nothing worth stealing in any event. The second victim was a weather anchorman for the weather bureau at the city government building. Again, there was no evidence that robbery might have been a motive. And again, the cause of death was a violent blow to the head, this time with a weapon that could have been a hammer. The third victim was a young woman who was killed while out for her morning jog. No connection between the three victims can be found, and all three of them were murdered in the early morning.

Before Chen and Yu can even begin their investigation, before the meeting has even ended, Chief Inspector Chen receives a telephone call from Comrade Secretary Zhao, retired First Secretary of the Party Central Discipline Committee in Beijing. Zhao has traveled to Shanghai with a personal assignment for Chen, and it supersedes anything else Chen might be doing. Chen leaves the meeting and immediately travels to the Hyatt hotel where Zhao is staying. Before he gets there, Yu calls him on his cell phone and tells him that Internal Security is also involved in the investigation, and it might be withholding some evidence from the Shanghai police. It is learned during the meeting that there might have been a fourth victim, one with political connections. Internal Security had taken over that case and kept it secret, so the Shanghai Police Bureau was not even aware that there was another victim. She was a journalist named Xiang, wife of the recently retired first vice mayor of Shanghai. This is the political connection that brought Internal Security into the investigation.

The Homicide Squad also seems reluctant to share information with Chen and Yu. This is looking like it might be a very difficult case.

It is soon clear that Comrade Zhao is much more interested in preventing a group of environmental activists from publishing a documentary on the Internet regarding the current state of air pollution in China than he is about a serial murderer, or about the actual poor quality of the air. He specifically tells Chen that the person he is most interested in is a woman named Yuan Jing, which is a micro-blogging name for the woman Chen has known as Shanshan.

Chen cares deeply about Shanshan, and he will do nothing to cause her harm. By the same token, however, he must accede to Comrade Zhao's assignment, so how will he proceed? At the same time as he must obey his superior's directive, he must also do whatever he can to assist Detective Yu in solving the serial murder case. Can he do it? Of course! He is, after all, Detective Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau.

The book appears to have an excessive number of editing errors, including spelling and typographical errors. In addition, the book uses the British system of indicating quotations: single quote marks instead of the double quote marks normally found in American literature. Poetry is also presented differently than in the author's previous works. The story is otherwise very well written and highly entertaining. It earned all five of the five stars I awarded, as well as my recommendations to readers.

[Viva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead. I'm a fan of the characters and the series. The series has hits and misses and I'm not a big fan of this book. There are two plots in one and both kind of have a bit to do with the unbridled pollution in China.

The first one concerns a serial killer. A caregiver is found murdered on the streets in the morning. 7 days later another person is found bludgeoned to death also in the morning. When the 3rd one is found, the police realize it's possibly a serial killer who strikes about once a week. It's been one book back that I read this book so I'm not sure, but I think the victims were disparate in professions, with one being a realtor, another being a journalist and I think one was a TV reporter(?)

The investigation doesn't swing into high gear until the journalist Xiang was killed. She was the girlfriend and soon to be wife of Geng who was the vice-mayor of Shanghai and also a Big Buck. There was also a sex video of the two of them prior to their marriage leaked on to the internet.

The other story was one of a documentary about to be released. This documentary was about the severe pollution that Shanghai was suffering from. The retired party cadre (yet still powerful) Zhou had asked Chief Inspector Chen to look into it, in fact he had pulled Chen from regular duty in order to do so. The long and short of this plot was that a petroleum company was being targeted by the documentary and the head of the company decided to dig up dirt on the producer (who happened to be Chen's love interest a few books back) of it. He hired a hacker who managed to find sex tapes and other information and put it all together to make a hit piece to smear her reputation. Chen hired his own hacker to discover this and then paid the other hacker to delay his hit piece. He then advised the producer to release her documentary a couple of weeks earlier so that the hit piece would be moot.

Going back to the serial killer, Chen and Yu found that the masks lying the around the crime scene had a special significance. At first the police thought these were just regular face masks everyone was wearing to guard against the bad air. But Yu found that these were special masks that came from hospitals that civilians normally wouldn't be able to buy. From this clue they discovered that the killer was the husband of a woman who had died from lung cancer and he had gotten the masks from the hospital. He blamed her death on the pollution and decided to avenge her on various people who had either slighted them during her sickness or who had otherwise disrespected them.

I gave this book a lower score not because of the story but the execution of it. There were longish boring parts that just seemed to prolong the book without moving the plot forward. And the bit about Chen's ex-lover was a bit overplayed. I would have liked it a lot more if the writing was more straightforward and focused more on the plot than peripheral stuff. I get that the whole series has a strong background of denouncing the CCP but you don't need to keep repeating it.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to tear through the first Chen Cao novels in a couple of hours, sometimes almost in a sitting; sadly, I could only read about 20 pages at a time of this one before putting it down, bored and annoyed. It reads like a recap of Don't Cry, Tai Lake; Qiu was content to tick all the boxes and phone this one in, just as Chen types his all-important report on his phone. The author repeats all the essential points of "Tai Lake" and fills space with the eponymous poem ad nauseum, whether it fits or not--and it often doesn't. Then we have Chen's character boxes, duly ticked:
-- he worries about his elderly mother but never actually visits her; this time he even gives the treats he bought specifically for her to someone else
-- he sits on the Bund and remembers his student days
-- he slips into coffee bars and obscure little eateries
-- he dreams about all the romantic opportunities he let slip through his fingers, with particular emphasis on women's naked feet
-- he quotes ancient Chinese poets
--he debates leaving the police force
making the text repetitive for those who've read all the previous books.
I did wonder about this supposed "coffee drunkenness" that makes him pale and sick to his stomach, though apparently all that late-night coffee doesn't keep him from sleeping, and a simple headache tablet makes him drowsy!

The ebook edition of this novel reads like a rough draft; do they just publish Qiu's work without a proofreader even glancing over it? Misused words ("illusive" for "elusive," "limpid" instead of "limp" referring to fried dough sticks, and many, many more) as well as misused prepositions abound, and completely unnecessary use of the word "the" litters the whole text. There are terrible phrases such as "once officially declared, there was no turning over the table" instead of "no turning back", and a long et cetera. As an ESL teacher and translator, I kept wanting to correct his English and send it back to him; such poor editing grated, spoiling the reading experience. Qiu's chronology gets away from him again; Yu's son is still in college, and yet supposedly Chen's adventures at Tai Lake were supposedly "several years ago."

How can the tale of a serial killer be so superficial and dull? I don't require gory details, but there just doesn't seem to be much plot here. All is revealed in the last 15 pages of the novel, and it felt rushed and patched on, followed by yet another non-ending.

[Ligeia · Rating 3 out of 5]

l'ultimo respiro del socialismo clientelare con caratteristiche cinesi
L'ispettore Chen è ormai un pain in the ass del Partito, l'unico motivo per cui non lo portano a prendere "una tazza di te" è perchè è misteriosamente protetto in alte sfere, ma stavolta si intravede la possibilità che venga del tutto destituito e mandato a rieducarsi attraverso il lavoro coi contadini dello Yunnan, e tutto questo solo perchè quegli stupidi americani si ostinano a misurare la qualità dell'aria fuori della loro ambasciata con sede a Pechino, dove come è noto splende sempre il sole e il cielo è azzurro e ci sono pure gli uccellini che fanno cip
nel mentre un poveraccio si mette ad ammazzare gente a caso lasciando sul luogo del delitto una inequivocabile mascherina di quelle per non respirare le polveri sottili che in Cina nemmeno esistono, il sottoposto di Chen si mette sulle tracce del poveraccio mentre Chen cerca di salvare la reputazione della sua vecchia amica Shenshen, rinata come ambientalista e decisa a mandare in vacca i tentativi del governo di glissare sullo stato dei polmoni della popolazione civile non iscritta al Partito...

come sempre Qiu Xialong approfitta della fragile ossatura da giallo mondadori per attirare l'attenzione su problemi e dinamiche proprie della sua terra natia, terra che lui ha lasciato da tempo e di cui ama scrivere, scrive libri che in Cina non vengono pubblicati, li scrive in inglese, quindi il tutto sembra avere il nobile scopo di attirare l'attenzione occidentale su quello che c'è dietro le manovre neanche tanto sottili del Partito comunista cinese e del suo portavoce Xi Jinping, operazione questa che gli riesce benissimo e di tanto in tanto getta una luce più chiara su avvenimenti di cui parlano anche i nostri notiziari, ma sempre attraverso il filtro di quello che Xi Jinping e il partito "armonizzano" per meglio spiegare ai barbari quello che succede in Cina

[Mish Middelmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's so much at stake in a society with the double-edged sword of economic progress at its throat. I really like the way the author and his Inspector Chen manage to find both the dirt and the positive forces for change in China, rather than the simplistic condemnation so popular in the west.

On the surface this novel tells the relatively simple story of climate activists struggling to bring hard truths about air pollution into the public domain, and brutal reaction from the reactionary part of government and greedy business that simply denies, discredits and attacks these activists and their truths.

Against this harsh and realistic backdrop, a more subtle story plays out. Because of his integrity, Chen is encouraged by a top party cadre to provide some protection to the activists, and to hold off the brutal reactionaries. In this task he gets help from progressive government officials and business leaders who see the long term benefit of environmental care and protection.

All of this aligns with what I have seen on repeated visits to China: it is not the monolithic monster portrayed in the west, but rather an emerging economy full of real, ordinary people grappling with the need for fast growth and the enormous human and environmental costs of that growth.

In the midst of all this systemic complexity is a personal romantic tragedy - yet another cop putting duty before his love life. And grappling with the sordid international reality of social media smears and "revenge-porn" type machinations.

I really felt the author's heart in this story, and for that reason forgave some of the rough edges mentioned in other reviews. For me, the way the story's rhythm jumps about is in line with the complexity of the subject matter. Less of the "old China" majesty and more of the difficult emerging reality.

[Wendy H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having lived in Hong Kong for two years and having spent quite a bit of time in China, I was looking forward to reading this book. I love China and the Chinese culture so I knew this would be a book I would enjoy. I was not disappointed. A crime book set in China is right up my street. The main Character, Chief Inspector Chen is fabulous. Although having to toe the part line, he is his own man. A well drawn character he is not cut from the usual Chinese Police mould. For a start he is not only a police officer but a published author and poet, an unusual combination. The cultural aspect is well handled and the interactions between the characters perfect. Chen is funny in an unintentional sort of manner and I like that. The scene is also extremely well set and I could picture it exactly. The plot is good - two different stories which converge and are both handled well. Although Chen is never very sure what he is supposed to be investigating, he still manages to investigate and solve the mystery. There are several twists and turns which kept me reading and I genuinely wanted to know the outcome. I loved the environmental storyline and this was handled sensitively yet strongly. This is the tenth book in the Inspector Chen series but it worked perfectly as a stand-alone. My first book by this author, would I read another. In a heartbeat, in fact I am off to purchase the first book now. Xiaolong is a skilled writer an this is apparent in every word of this book.

Thank you to both the Publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. At no point was I asked to write a positive review and my review is based on my enjoyment of the book.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi sono approcciata alla lettura di un giallo cinese, dove non pensavo minimamente di trovarmi in difficoltà nel leggere comunque lo svolgimento di un'indagine di polizia, e invece l'ingerenza del partito politico viene subito quasi "a disturbare" lo scorrere della trama.
L'ispettore Chen è alle prese con una serie di omicidi che fanno supporre di trovarsi di fronte ad un serial killer, solo che non riesce a comprendere bene cosa accomuni le vittime, che a primo impatto sembrano troppo differenti tra loro, per estrazione sociale, per lavoro, per vita privata.
Ma Chen viene richiamato da un esponente del Partito andato in pensione che ha bisogno di un'indagine privata e discreta su un movimento per l'ambiente, perché in Cina sempre più preoccupante è la situazione ambientale, precipitata a causa dell'inquinamento che ormai permette solo di poter andare in giro con le mascherine.
Nonostante sia un'appassionata di gialli/thriller e noir, non mi è piaciuta la trama, non mi piace la letteratura cinese nello specifico forse questo tipo di giallo, dove sempre presente è il Partito, l'ideologia vigente in quel periodo, la politica che entra nel merito di comportamenti, pensieri e anche movimenti, troppo lontano tutto ciò dalla mia cultura, nonostante riesca ad apprezzare la letteratura asiatica in particolar modo la letteratura cinese e giapponese, ma nello specifico mi è stato difficile entrare nella trama di questo libro giallo.
Come sempre facile poi appassionarsi all'indagine ma più che altro con la curiosità di sapere chi possa essere il colpevole

[Marie Lutz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve read and enjoyed all the Inspector Chen novels, but this book is disappointing. Nothing new happens to any of the main characters. Chen’s romance is about what happened in the past so there’s no drama because we know from the beginning that the woman married someone else. The main characters, especially Chen, are idolized. It became tiresome hearing how great Chen is.

The novel has two plot lines which have somewhat of a connection by the end. Yu and Chen attempt to stop a serial killer and Chen, at the request of a high Party official, investigates an organization that plans to publicize the extent of the pollution in China. The plot, which creeps along with little intensity, has numerous references to the earlier books in the series. Pollution in China and the corrupt attempt to cover it up should make for an interesting story, but the conflicts are so understated it just becomes dull and repetitious.

And, finally, I couldn’t relate at all to the sympathy shown to the serial murderer, crazy though he may have been. Overall, the book was difficult to get through.

[Cheyanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid installment in the Inspector Chen series, in which the Shanghai detective and his partner Yu— subtly aided by Yu’s wife, Peiqin— deal with crimes related to China’s terrible air pollution and cyber surveillance. As they pursue justice in a corrupt system ruled by an increasingly paranoid Communist Party, the trio must communicate with each other through coded messages over burner phones as well as notes hidden in baskets of Peiqin’s famous dumplings. Unfortunately, the characters’ personal lives are mostly in the past tense in this installment, more backstory than present action. You don’t need to read all ten of the previous novels to follow the plot, but no reader should skip the first of the series and, for my money, still the best: Death of a Red Heroine. Roughly twelve years have passed since then, Starbucks and skyscrapers are replacing the traditional food stalls and communal apartments in Shanghai, and the main characters are sliding into middle age, but they’ve got a few good moves left.

[Kiwi Carlisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Inspector Chen books, with their different perspective on the crime novel, their quotes from original and classic Chinese poetry and the delicious Chinese food that invariably shows up in them. Chen Cao is a troubled and complex man, always in and out of trouble with the Communist Party, and always knowing that he is a poet at heart. His friends and colleagues are more robust people, whose energy and affection for Chen often make him seem a tad attenuated, as he does in this book.
Some might complain about the somewhat colorful and archaic word choice by my local author (Mr. Qiu lives here in St. Louis), but I enjoy the fact that English is still a bit of a playground to him.
I also enjoy the fact that there always seems to be at least a little T S Eliot floating beneath the surface of Chen’s verse.
I hope we see another Inspector Chen book soon,

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It appeared as if the current scene was conjuring up just another apparition of déjà vu all over again.
Still, there’s no stepping twice in the same river, not for her, not for him.”

Chief Inspector Chen and his colleague Detective Yu Guangming are brought in to help when the homicide squad is baffled by a series of killings that seem to have no underlying pattern. Chen is not in favor in Beijing but cannot say no when an old patron asks him to investigate a group of activists. As the title implies, the central theme of the book is the devastating air pollution in China. Editorially speaking, the book gets off to a rough start with English usage that sometimes seems almost unconscious. Nevertheless, the two plots, along with the ongoing drama of the Chief Inspector negotiating the quagmire of Chinese politics, are quite engaging.

[Jean Vernade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toujours un plaisir de retrouver l'inspecteur poète fan de littérature américaine.

Le thème est d'actualité : les conditions sanitaires et environnementales qui ne sont pas au niveau de l'ambition chinoise.

On retrouve un personnage d'un précédent roman qui a croisé la route de l'inspecteur.
Le cadre dirigeant du parti lui demande de desamorcer une potentielle crise avec la publication d'un documentaire sur les scandales environnementaux.

En parallèle, l'inspecteur Yu enquête sur un serial killer.

Cela se lit bien mais j'ai été deçu par le manque de rebondissement au dénouement. Je m'attendais à qqchose de plus original.

Je recommande cependant tous les livres de cet auteur qui rend compte de l'évolution de la société chinoise de façon assez divertissante.

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read most (if not all) of the Inspector Chen series, and have enjoyed the glimpse into a life and culture different from my own.

The latest novel finds Inspector Chen pulled into an investigation of an environmental protester, who happens to be his old flame from a previous novel ("Don't Cry, Tai Lake"). Meanwhile, Chen's assistant Detective Yu is left on his own to solve the mystery of a serial killer who seems to pick his victims at random.

This latest story seems to be a little bit too preachy about China's air pollution, and the focus of both subplots seem to continually get drawn to the environmental disaster. I'm not saying that China's air quality isn't atrocious, but I would have liked to have seen more suspense and action in this book.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Chen and Detective Yu find themselves working on two different cases in the latest installment in a long running series. Yu is working a serial murder investigation while Chen has been assigned to deal with a group of environmentalists. Why are the latter such a threat? Anyone who has been to China will have experienced the horrid air pollution. Chen's got a personal connection but he's also under political pressure. How does this link up with Yu? No spoilers but it works. I'd not read any of the preceding novels and this worked fine for me as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For procedural fans looking for a different setting. Well done.