Rote Ratten: Oberinspektor Chens vierter Fall Kriminalroman

Inspector Chen Cao #4

by Qiu Xiaolong

Eine Reise nach Amerika, davon hat Oberinspektor Chen schon lange geträumt. Und nun soll der dichtende Polizist eine Schriftstellerdelegation in die USA begleiten. Doch die einmalige Gelegenheit kommt für Chen mehr als ungünstig. Denn er hat einen Auftrag erhalten, der eigentlich seinen vollen Einsatz in Shanghai erfordert: Nach dem Tod eines Polizisten in einem Bordell verpflichtet ihn die oberste Parteibehörde, endlich den »Roten Ratten« - korrupten Beamten und Schmiergeld zahlenden Neokapitalisten - das Handwerk zu legen. Doch schon bei den ersten Recherchen muss Chen feststellen, dass er es mit einflussreichen Parteikadern zu tun bekommen wird, die vor nichts zurückschrecken …

Genres: Mystery, China, Fiction, Crime, Asian Literature, Thriller, Asia

384 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2006

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

[Cheyanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my least favorite in the series so far. It's not bad-- in fact, it gets off to a good start exploring corruption among the "high cadres" of The People's Republic, just like the first novel in the series Death of a Red Heroine. But this case has two many murders, with victims and killers we barely get to know. We also get barely a glimpse of several recurring characters. Inspector Chen Cao's trip to the U.S. with a writers' delegation is not very convincing, despite the fact that the author has lived in this country for decades.

However, I still like Inspector Chen and his assistant Yu, and the novel does advance their personal stories a bit. (My favorite scene was a joint interrogation run by Yu and his father, the retired cop called "Old Hunter.") So I will doubtless check out the next novel in the series in the hope they get a stronger plot and a more interesting supporting cast.

[Orion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't often read mysteries or what are called Police Procedurals, but I have become fond of Qui Xiaolong's series about Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department. The inspector is a poet who has become a cop, and he navigates the complex political and social milieu of modern Shanghai while solving difficult cases with a poet's mind. With a lot of emphasis on the local foods, I have fallen in love with this author's depiction of life in the city he grew up in as seen through the eyes of a poet detective.

In the fourth volume of the series, A Case of Two Cities, he is given a case dealing with corruption that may lead to the highest levels of Chinese government, but the culprit has fled to Los Angeles. Filled with food, poetry and politics, this is a detective story with a unique perspective that I find irresistible.

[Georgiana 1792 · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'ispettore Chen questa volta indaga sulla corruzione nella Cina post Rivoluzione Culturale, una rete fittissima che coinvolge anche diversi personaggi governativi e membri della polizia. L'ispettore Chen Cao viene chiamato a indagare infiltrandosi nella fitta rete, ma questo fa sì che venga uccisa la sua amica An dei tempi del gruppo di lettura, anche lei invischiata nei traffici loschi.
Sul più bello, però, Chen viene nominato capo delegazione degli scrittori cinesi al convegno letterario America-Cina che si deve tenere a Los Angeles. È un modo per sbarazzarsi di lui? O per tenerlo meglio sotto mira, visto che Xing Xing, il principale indagato, si trova negli Stati Uniti?
Negli Stati Uniti, Chen incontrerà di nuovo Catherine, l'agente della CIA con cui c'era stato una scintilla di sentimento nel secondo romanzo della serie. Ancora una volta, entrambi soffrono per la distanza culturale che li tiene necessariamente separati. E Chen ne approfitta per visitare Saint Louis, la città in cui il suo papà/alter ego Qiu Xiaolong vive da dopo i fatti di Piazza Tienammen.
«Continui a ripetere di non essere qualificato. Ma chi lo è? Abbi un po’ più d’indulgenza con te stesso. Nella Cina di oggi, dove tutto è capovolto, conviene sfruttare al meglio le situazioni. Basta non agire a spese degli altri. Che altro si può fare?»

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fascinating and compelling book in the inspector Chen series - this time involving corruption and a delegation of writers visiting the USA.
Complex plotting but if you’ve read the previous three books in the series then you’ll be familiar with Qiu Xiaolong’s style and the cultural details included in the plots.
A worthy addition the series … book four

[Sae-chan · Rating 2 out of 5]

What an ending! Maybe my copies lacks something like 100 pages at the end.

The way the writer quoted Chinese poetry in every other page was tiresome, but in the end some of the poems were the only redeeming value of this book.

What I really can't stand was the way the writer's defense against his grammatical errors. Unacceptable.

[Shabbeer Hassan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rather disappointing book in the Inspector Chen series, with a weak story (as usual) but much weaker character motivations and horrid pastiche of Inspector Morse by Colin Dexter.

My Rating - 2/5

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

Golly I hate to say this, but I was disappointed. Four novels into the Chen Cao chronicles, I guess it's normal that the author should lose a bit of headway. The case looked promising: an older, respected cop is found dead in a fancy brothel, and Internal Security gets a "confession" from the terrified young prostitute far too quickly. What's up? Well, you won't find out here. This intriguing case gets lost as Chen is shuffled off to the US to head a delegation of Chinese writers who are to travel the States for a couple of weeks exchanging views with US university professors...but the death of their interpreter strands them in St Louis, of all places, for days on end.

And that's about it. The action, such as it is, is slow. The threads are tangled and lead pretty much nowhere, and there isn't any resolution as such; they just eventually go home, after a lot of "telling instead of showing" that takes place in Chen's mind as he thinks about the case. I don't know if any threads will be picked up in the next volume, but I felt impatient and annoyed, waiting for something--anything--to be resolved.

I can't shelve this as I normally would, under "China is Not Japan," as the majority of the action doesn't take place there, and the Chinese culture as such is not integral to the story. It's not even a police procedural, as Chen is far from having any jurisdiction. Catherine reappears but as an interpreter, not a cop--and spends most of her time giving him significant looks and rubbing her (yet again twisted) ankle.I've heard the meme that Asian men have a thing for feet. Maybe there's some truth in it, given the amount of time given to describing women's feet, ankles and toes in these books. Chen's poetic flights are in English this time, obviously dealing with being a fish out of water in another culture, but even the usual classic quotes don't really fit. How could they? This is a scrap bag, not a mystery novel. Eh.

Not only that, but either the book was extremely poorly proofread, or they decided to leave it as-was; there are many misused prepositions and strange changes in idiomatic expressions, such as "behind the scene" instead of "behind the scenes."

I usually read one of these books straight through without picking up anything else until I'm done; the fact that it took me two weeks and I read a couple of other books in there, and actually had to go back and start over, tells you something.

Tis true, tis pity--and pity tis, tis true.

[Alice]

Read until around 100 pages, and just wasn't feeling it. Didn't feel any connection to the main character, though that's probably because it's not the first one in the series with the same main character.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more a study of the difficulties faced by ethical Chinese law enforcement officials in their efforts to route systematic corruption from the communist Chinese government. than it is a mystery. The book conveys a lot of information on the communist system and contains many literary references and poems, both Chinese and English. Indeed Inspector Chen Cao is a poet and, in the midst of investigating a corruption case, is suddenly appointed to head a literary delegation visiting the US. Why this sudden assignment occurres is part of the mystery and the difficulties that he faces in his mission.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspector Chen, Detective Yu and Yu's irrepressible wife, Peiqin, are beginning to feel like old friends and not just because I was "social distancing" myself from family and flesh-and-blood friends when I read A Case of Two Cities. Shanghai, in the throes of rapid Westernization, and a rapidly changing political system make an interesting setting, and this time author Qiu brings Chen to the United States as the head of a delegation of Chinese writers, some interesting personalities who have some pithy comments to offer on U.S. culture and capitalism. Yu and Peiqin work hard to stay on top of Chen's anti-corruption case in his absence. Very entertaining read during a distracting time.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the one I less liked so far. It's not bad, don't get me wrong, but it was a bit... directionless? We have an interesting case with the murder of a cop in a brothel that opens a gigantic can of worms, but it goes nowhere because Chen is sent to the USA with a delegation of Chinese writers. Guess what? They all got stuck in St Louis because their interpreter is killed. And that is it. That's all that we have when it comes to the cases.

There is, nevertheless, a lot about Chinese politics, the corruption inherent in countries going through quick economic and social changes and the usual poetry, which I love.

Not the best in the series, but still good.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fourth in a police series which features a very enjoyable character Inspector Chen of the Chinese police. The main thing I enjoy about the stories is the immersion in the culture as the author peppers his tale with various wonderfully described food , confuscist sayings and Chinese poetry, economic conditions and party hierarchy , and Chinese politics. I love the complexities of policing in a communist state where every crime has political implications so Chen is constantly looking over his shoulder.
Here a criminal has built up an empire on the back of property deals involving high up political figures before seeking asylum in the USA. The death of a police officer in unusual circumstances leads Chen to have an open letter allowing him to investigate the corruption and leads him to visit USA as head of literary delegation.
I will definitely be reading book 5 soon.

[Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my favorite in the Inspector Chen series so far. My favorite scene is Inspector Chen visiting the Buddhist temple.

I like the emphasis on writing as practice and as a political tool. The mystery/investigation aspects somewhat fall to the background, which is completely fine with me while the characters remain vivid and personal in the foreground.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery was a bit difficult to follow but I enjoyed the development of the characters, especially Yu and his wife.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series and the main character: Inspector Chen Cao. He is a police investigator, but also a poet and translator of English books into Chinese. This installment of the series sees Chen travel to the United States as part of a Chinese Writer's Delegation. I found it interesting to learn that the Chinese are familiar with Western writers and Canon, while most Americans know so little about Chinese literature.

The author does a great job in giving a sense of atmosphere and describing all the Chinese meals the characters have. Way beyond the Chinese restaurants I've been to. I also love the group of recurring characters in the series: Chen's partner Yu, Yu's wife Peiqin & Yu's father Old Hunter. I enjoyed this book so much that I hope it doesn't take me 5 years to pick up the next one in the series.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

No. 4 in the series but my first. Inspector Chen is an honourable Chinese cop amidst the flotsam of Party political deception and corruption in the new Shanghai. I suppose it us what is called 'cosy crime' pleasant enough easy read, but Scandinoir is more my taste

[Mal Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A DETECTIVE INVESTIGATES CORRUPTION IN THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY

Corruption plagues all authoritarian systems no matter how idealistic their origins may be. The absence of checks on the supreme ruler radiates downward throughout the system. Opportunities open for officials high and low to abuse their authority for personal gain. And by the 1990s that pattern was clear to everyone in China. Corruption reigned in the Chinese Communist Party. From Zhongnanhai in Beijing to villages and towns throughout the country, wealth was accumulating in the hands of officials. In response, Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin launched China’s first nationwide anticorruption campaign. And an order from Beijing propels Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau into a high-stakes investigation into corruption. This is the setup in A Case of Two Cities by the superb Chinese American mystery author Qiu Xiaolong.

THE HIGHEST-PROFILE ANTICORRUPTION CASE IN CHINA

In three previous novels in this series, Inspector Chen resolved some of the country’s most politically sensitive cases. He is a “rising cadre” marked for higher office in the Party. His girlfriend in Beijing is an “HCC,” a child of a high cadre who may be a Politburo member. And Chen is a modernist poet of distinction who has gained literary renown. But because neither his poetry nor his job earns him enough to live comfortably, he supplements his income by translating American mystery novels. And those books demonstrate how much more politics complicates his investigations than those of any American detective. But never before has Inspector Chen been assigned a case with more sensitive implications. Because a high official in Beijing has just dumped in his lap the highest-profile anticorruption case in China.

A “CASE OF TWO CITIES” THAT SPREADS TO THE UNITED STATES

A newly rich businessman named Xing Xing has fled to the United States with a fortune gained through high-level connections in the Chinese Communist Party. Xing is “a high-ranking Fujian Party cadre and business tycoon with an empire of smuggling operations under him, run through his connections at all government levels.” He’s seeking political asylum, claiming to be the victim of a power struggle, and threatening to reveal the criminal activities of high-ranking Party officials.

Xing’s case has risen to the top of the agenda for the Central Party Discipline Committee in Beijing, and its “retired” chairman taps Inspector Chen to lead the investigation in Shanghai. But Chen and his trusted aide, Sergeant Yu, will find their inquiry spread from Shanghai to Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province. It thus becomes a “case of two cities,” as the title suggests. And eventually Chen will continue the investigation in Los Angeles and St. Louis as well, where he has been sent as head of a writers’ delegation by forces in Beijing determined to sweep his inquiry under the rug.

CAREERS—AND LIVES—ARE AT STAKE

The stakes are high for all concerned. For the Party, which fears that the extent of corruption will be exposed to Western media. For Xing himself and his connections, all of whom know too much. And for Chen and Yu, when a single misstep might sideline their careers—or endanger their lives and those of their families. Because first one, then another, of the key figures in the case die under mysterious circumstances. And along the way one of the powerful officials Chen interviews threatens the life of his ailing mother.

Ever since the 1980s, when China took its first tentative steps along the “capitalist road,” stories have surfaced in the Western press about corruption in the Party. A few dramatic stories have highlighted individual cases. But Qiu’s novel is the first book I’ve come across that details precisely how corruption operates and the futility of the campaigns periodically launched by Beijing to stamp it out.

COMMON THEMES IN THE INSPECTOR CHEN NOVELS
The dominant theme in this novel is official corruption. But three other themes surface prominently as well.

FOOD

Author Qiu Xiaolong celebrates Chinese cuisine in his writing. But you’re unlikely to recognize any of the dishes he describes because they bear no resemblance to what usually passes for Chinese food in the United States or Europe. For example, Qiu describes a meal shared by Chen and Yu at a Shanghai restaurant: “Yu chose his noodles with dried shrimp and green onion; Chen had his with deep-fried rice-paddy eel. In addition, they ordered a small bamboo steamer of pork-and-crab soup buns with the lotus leaf–covered bottom. And two side dishes of the famous xiao pork.” But there are numerous other meals described in similar detail.

POETRY

Like Inspector Chen, Qiu is a widely published poet. He’s intimately familiar with the classics of Chinese poetry through the ages, and that knowledge frequently surfaces in the pages of these novels. Inspector Chen quotes poetry extensively in conversation and recalls passages from the classics as he thinks through the steps of his investigations. If, like the author, you’re a poetry aficionado, you’ll enjoy reading this novel.

For example, when Chen begins to understand the dimensions of the task he’s been handed, an eighth-century Tang dynasty poem comes to mind:

Oh, do not laugh

if I fall dead

drunk on the battlefield.

How many soldiers

have come really back home

since time immemorial?

SUBTLETY

Americans have a reputation throughout the world for frank talk. But nowhere do people find this habit more dismaying than Eastern Asia, especially Japan and China. And Qiu demonstrates over and over again in the pages of A Case of Two Cities (as he does in the other novels in this series) how very different is communication in China even among colleagues and friends. Subtlety, innuendo, and indirection reign. Rarely do two people speak forthrightly about sensitive subjects.

For instance, Inspector Chen confronts a high-level official early in the story. In the course of the pleasantries, the man says, “People know a lot about you, our poet chief inspector. Someone just told me about your hongyan zhiji [girlfriend] not only in Beijing but in the United States, too.” It came like a seemingly effortless blow delivered by a tai chi master: we know everything about you, so you’d better look out.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Qiu Xiaolong was born in Shanghai in 1953. He holds degrees from East China Normal University (BA), the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (MA), and Washington University in St. Louis (MA and PhD). (Qiu relocated to the United States following the Tienanmen Massacre to avoid persecution by the Chinese Communist Party.) He was on the faculty of Washington University from 1996 to 2005 and continues to live in St. Louis with his family.

Qiu is an accomplished poet as well as a crime novelist. He is the author of thirteen novels to date in the Inspector Chen Chao series as well as four other books. He has won awards for both his poetry and his crime novels.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one's a page-turner, with the added bonus of a marvelous parody of T. S. Eliot's "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." The two cities in question are Shanghai and St. Louis, although there's a stop in L.A. along the way. Chen is investigating corruption in China and naturally those in high places are ready to protect themselves and their cronies. When Chen's investigation stirs them up, he is ordered to take two weeks off and lead a delegation of poets to a conference in the USA, where the subject of his investigation is seeking political asylum. His American friend Catherine turns up in St. Louis to interpret for the group and her help is key to the success of his investigation.
If you know the series, you will recognize many familiar characters, but I particularly enjoyed the incidental comedy of the Chinese poets and their clashing personalities and opinions, especially their behavior when they visit a riverboat casino.
As usual, there is wonderful poetry along the way - St. Louis itself inspires some lyrical passages, which may seem odd unless you've been there. Qiu is the kind of writer who, like Chen, finds poetry wherever he goes...

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this Inspector Chen book, though not quite as much as the previous three in the series...perhaps I should have taken more of a break between them, but I felt compelled to get the next one and then to finish it. I do highly recommend the series though; very enjoyable. Also, as a side note, great little descriptions of meals throughout, making me crave Chinese food, especially dumplings...

[Booknblues · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a Case of Two Cities Inspector Chen is given a political corruption case to work on. It is a very dangerous case and he soon has a trail of corpses. To add to the difficulties he is being sent to the US for lead a conference of Chinese writers.

[Viva · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars round up to 5. Spoilers ahead. This book really isn't any good but I'm hooked on the series in general so I'm continuing to read it.

The book is about corruption again, which is a big theme running through the series. This book explains it a bit more. One example was about land. There was a state run factory that was losing money. Someone wanted to buy the factory and promised to keep it running. Once they bought the factory, they razed it to build housing and made a lot of money but kept a small workshop running which fulfilled the requirements of keeping the workers working. And of course many palms were greased in order for the buyer to get the land and the permits.

Anyway, there's a big anti-corruption purge going on and one of the suspects (Xing) had escaped to the US seeking asylum, having first sent his family over there. Comrade Zhou (a retired powerful cadre) has now tasked Chen with looking into this case. He is given a special dispensation called the Emperor's Special Envoy, a document that gives him special powers to arrest people without a warrant. Basically it was like in the old days acting in the king's name, like being a Censor. He is also warned that the corruption is spread wide and far, even up to the top so powerful people might stop him.

He starts off by interviewing people who had interactions with Xing in order to learn what he was actually doing. He doesn't get very far when one of his sources is murdered. She was a TV personality who had started her PR company that specialized in connecting people who needed to get things approved.

Next, he is suddenly asked to head a delegation of Chinese writers to visit the US for a tour. It's an invitation he can't turn down so he's forced to go. I don't really understand this side plot since it's a ploy to slow him down. And this side plot is 1/2 the book where we follow Chen as he visits a few cities and even gets to meet Catherine Rohn again. It's a tour that doesn't advance the plot and even the romantic twist with Rohn doesn't go anywhere.

While he is in the US, he tasks his assistant Detective Yu to continue. Not much happens there either. The break comes when a phone call between certain parties is tapped by the CIA and the info is passed to Chen and Yu who figures out where Xing's younger stepbrother is hiding in Shanghai. They grab him and in return Xing gives himself up.

That's basically the story. We get to see the US from Chen's POV and we see the story from Yu's POV but the whole thing is a bit of a letdown. I will still continue the series as I'm vested in Chen and wants to know what happens to him next. It's like watching a TV series where you like the characters but there are a few boring episodes and this is one of them.

[Warren Fretwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is another in the Inspector Chen series that is written about a Chinese police inspector in modern, mainland China. Chen is not only a police detective, but a scholar whose specialty is T.S. Eliot and poetry. Consequently, we get healthy dose of poems throughout the book. I found many of these poems to be rather obscure and, for me at least, they do not always add very much to the immediate story. Poetry from old China often requires considerable reflection and introduction of these works interrupts the story.

Nevertheless, the Inspector Chen series gives us a perspective on China from an author who grew up in Shanghai. Nice to have an insider's viewpoint.

Chen is assigned to a special unit under the authority of the Party to investigate corruption in high places and, as his investigation starts to gain some momentum, he is suddenly assigned as head of a Chinese literary delegation that is visiting the United States for a couple of weeks. He does not believe he is qualified to take the lead and wonders if his new assignment has anything to do with getting him out of the mainland so his investigation will be delayed.

A couple of murders later has Chen wondering where this is headed and if he is, in fact, a target.

Chen works with his trusted aid Yu Guengming and his family who are back in China trying to put clues together while the Inspector is aided in the states by an old flame who is assigned to keep an eye on the Chinese delegation by American authorities. There is a relationship brewing between these two, but conflicts as well that seem to have predestined just how far things can go.

Some critics have suggested Xiaolong reveals just how corrupt nations like China have become. But, that misses the point. After all, one could argue the USA is a prime example of how money corrupts politics. Just look at our campaign finance system to see how monied-interest have influenced American laws and regulations. Corruption is inherent in most political systems to one degree or another. So, Xiaolong is not demonstrating an exception when he writes about special interests within the PRC.

Chen must balance his role as a police investigator looking for justice versus his position within the Communist Party, towing the line for the Party hierarchy. It's not easy, but Xiaolong's rendering creates an interesting tale of political intrigue and murder that is a worthy addition to the series.

[Timo Pietilä · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seuraava osa tarkastaja Chen sarjassa. Chen on kiinalainen poliisipäällikkö, joka on myös runoilija ja kääntää kirjoja englannista kiinaksi. Hän saa erityismääräyksen ja erityisvaltuudet selvitellä korruptiota, joka vaikuttaa ylettyvän korkeimmille puoluekaadereille asti. Kukaan ei ole halukas keskustelemaan hänen kanssaan, ja kun hänen vanha ystävänsä, TV-toimittajana toiminut kaunis nainen löytyi kuolleena vain muutama päivä heidän tapaamisensa jälkeen, vaikuttaa siltä, että tutkimuksia eivät katso hyvällä jotkin tahot. Chen saa sitten yllättäen määräyksen johtaa kirjailijadelegaatiota, joka on menossa vierailulle Yhdysvaltoihin. Miksi tämä tapahtuu, yrittääkö joku riittävän korkeassa asemassa oleva siirtää hänen huomionsa pois menossa olevasta tutkimuksesta tai viivyttää sitä? USA:ssa hän tapaa jo entuudestaan tuntemansa naispoliisin (johan hän on enemmän kuin vähän ihastunut), joka on tietoinen kiinalaisten korruptiotutkimuksista. USA:n liittovaltion organisaatiot eivät pidä kovasti ajatuksesta, että kiinalaisia lahjontaan syyllistyviä oligarkkeja pakenee USA:han ja näin tarjoutuu mahdollisuus epäviralliseen yhteistyöhön. Kun kirjallisuusdelegaation kääntäjä tapetaan kadulla, asiat alkavat vaikuttaa aikaisempaakin kuumemmilta.
Kirjan alkupuoli vaikutti varsin hitaalta ja tuntui keskittyvän melkein enemmän Chenin miettimiin runoihin sekä ruoka-annoksien kuvailuun kuin varsinaiseen poliisityöhön. Kiinalaiseen kulttuurin ajattelumallien kuvaaminen vaikutti olevan myös tärkeämpää kuin se varsinainen dekkarijuoni. Tämäkin tietysti oli aika kiinnostavaa sinällään. Loppua kohden kirja lähti lopulta vetämään - alkupuolella mietin jo, että tämä on viimeinen osa tätä sarjaa, mutta ehkä jossain vaiheessa näitä voi lisääkin vielä lukea. Ihan loppu toisaalta oli ehkä vähän lässähdys, kaikki asiat eivät selvinneet ja tarina kurottiin kasaan hyvin nopeasti ja tuntui oikeastaan jäävän hiukan kesken.

[Graeme Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Death of a Red Heroine the first novel of Qiu Xiaolong. A Case of Two Cities is the fourth in the series. The nightmare of endemic corruption and greed in modern China—and particularly the Chinese Communist Party—that he portrays feels entirely authentic, though deeply sad and depressing. Inspector Chen Cao, a sensitive policeman/poet from Shanghai in the Adam Dalgliesh mold (see the P. D. James series that debuted in 1962 with Cover Her Face), now seems weak and irresolute, even in his failure to pursue enticing sexual opportunities, and the story is simply disappointing. I also became bored with Chen's frequent quotations of poetry from the Tang and Song dynasties, works that I have always loved in moderation. Chen's "own poetry" is traditional, lackluster, and inauthentic for one who supposedly loves Eliot.

Like the boy who fell in the cesspit, Qiu was just going through the motions.

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Xiaolong's Inspector Chen series offers a fantastic blend of character, atmosphere, and mystery, with all of the books being anchored in poetry and attention to the details of Chinese culture in Shanghai, especially when it comes to food and custom. This is the fourth book in the series, and was somewhat of a departure from the earlier books in the series. Where earlier books felt more centrally focused on a mystery, this one ranged across multiple cases/concerns (multiple continents, even), and seemed just as focused on attending to Chen's character and the literary aspect of the series. That took some getting used to, I admit--it wasn't exactly what I'd expected upon picking up the book--but I ended up enjoying it. And, as always, Xiaolong's inclusions of poetry made the book that much richer, even if it sometimes stretched believability that they'd come so easily to the characters' minds.

I would say that, so far, this book is an outlier in the series, and that readers would definitely want to start with the first three books. The other caveat is that it feels like this book ends on less firm footing than normal, and leads directly into the next book--to the extent that it almost feels like this is a two-parter more than a stand-alone in some ways. I'll be making a point of picking up the next book sooner than later because of it, but regardless, I certainly recommend the series.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I need to read A Tale of Two Cities, but need to finish this series first (yeah, also Dream of the Red Chamber and Monkey: The Journey to the West, not only because they are mentioned in the series at least 15 times, but also because some of my favorite custom campaigns in AOE II DE are based on them - if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can ask).

In this book, I felt like the author relaxed and started exploring alternative case-building styles. Nice, we are getting out of the comfort zone. The story was well rounded, the cultural background is still very important in the story, the characters are growing.

There's still the emphasis on poetry and food, but it's not overpowering any more. It's mostly a leitmotif specific to this series. Sort of like an inside joke, but not funny.

[Marco Camillieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volendo fare un bilancio, promuovo certamente Xiaolong: il suo libro è ben costruito, ben scritto, con personaggi accuratamente tratteggiati e una trama che pian piano diventa sempre più avvincente. I pro superano decisamente i contro, ma voglio elencare gli uni e gli altri. Pro: è stato bello fare un viaggio in un mondo (per noi) esotico fatto di sapere zen, cavoli e anguille fritti, ritualità e sapori a noi sconosciuti. Non che fosse il primo, ma ogni volta c'è qualcosa di nuovo da imparare. È stato interessante leggere i retroscena - molti già noti - che si nascondono dietro una società, quella cinese, che anela a dei valori di comunismo ma è comunque fatta di persone, e pertanto di corruzione e imbestialimento.
Contro: belle le poesie della ottordicesima e noverdicesima dinastia Tang ma dopo un po' vengono a noia. I continui rimandi ad aforismi di Confucio, a poesie di Chiun Coso e Lao Cosa, finiscono per annoiare, tant'è che gli ultimi li ho saltati tutti. Probabilmente, anzi sicuramente, per un limite personale; magari rappresentano per altri un punto di forza del racconto.
Il succo è che cercavo un thriller e ho trovato un buon prodotto che oltre a coinvolgermi mi ha anche insegnato qualcosa. Dunque, promosso Qiu Xiaolong.

[Martina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I was hoping for China insights when I chose to read this book, so I can’t really feel disappointed... but it was definitely far from being a mystery novel.

Even without knowing a single thing about the author, it is immediately clear to the reader that he is probably a Chinese living abroad (US I would easily guess) and that he somehow misses his country. I felt like he was trying to make Chen impersonating a sort of Chinese version of the American dream, with him speaking his fair English, being recognized as a fine translator and having this perfect depiction of a good American girl falling for him.
The constant recalls of Chinese poetry, Party’s comradeship spirit and political issues are surely interesting, but a bit hard to follow if you were expecting to read a mystery novel. Still, i am aware of the strong meaning of sayings in Chinese culture, and it was nice to see how they are used in everyday life (and what frequency!).

I am not sure whether to suggest to read the book.. the plot doesn’t really have a point and it seems more like a necessary contour, rather than a real story!

[Martin Roth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review from Asia Thrills - https://asiathrills.com/a-case-of-two...

A supposedly honest cop is found dead in the arms of a prostitute. Enter Inspector Chen, in the fourth of the series featuring his gumshoe exploits.

A major state-sponsored anti-corruption drive has begun, and the poetry-quoting Chen is to be one of the leaders. In particular, he is charged with investigating the high-profile case of a corrupt local government official who has fled to the United States.

Chen travels to the US, ostensibly as head of a delegation of Chinese writers, but danger follows.

An intriguing portrait emerges of the new China, replete with brothels, bars, the newly rich and a black economy where back-door connections can make all the difference between a gated community or the gutter.

It is this mix – the suspense of a likeable, traditional cop on the beat, but set in modern, fast-changing China – that makes the Inspector Chen books such good value, and “A Case of Two Cities” is as good as the series gets.

[Brad McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

These books don't have very much in the way of a climax but they're so well-written that it doesn't matter.

This volume has Chen in the US. It's interesting seeing Chinese culture and how it informs the literary delegation's behavior in another country. The verses of poetry that are quoted throughout still bring me back to college. In a good way. The pronunciation of names, though, give me trouble! Especially ones that begin with X or Q!

I really love this series.

Now for some spoiler-y stuff to help me remember:

I guessed pretty quickly that the interpreter's death was a case of mistaken identity and was supposed to be Chen.

Bao and his dissatisfaction at not being delegation head was the unwitting inside source.

I like how Old Hunter got to help Yu solve the case.

The divination that Chen performed in the Buddhist Temple to get Xing unwittingly reveal some info was a bit of a stretch for me. It was interesting but didn't seem to fit his character.