'With strong and subtle characterisation, Qiu Xiaolong draws us into a fascinating world where the greatest mystery revealed is the mystery of present-day China itself' -- John Harvey 'gripping ... Chen stands in a class with Martin Cruz Smith's Russian investigator, Arkady Renko, and P.D. James's Scotland Yard inspector, Adam Dalgliesh.' -- Publishers Weekly starred review 'As modern Chinas profile rises, so too does the stock of literature from and about it. But Shanghai-born Qiu Xiaolongs Inspector Chen detective series is one of the freshest and most unpredictable of the lot. He is deft at delivering clever insights and plot twists that entangle both Communist Party officials and their critics. His protagonist, Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau, tracks down murderers and cheats against the backdrop of ordinary folks struggling to reconcile social upheaval and their lingering nostalgia for Chairman Mao. An honest cop whose personal ethics often conflict with the politically expedient orders from above, Chen embodies the confusionboth ideological and spiritualthat haunts modern China.' -- Newsweek 'Qiu gives a fresh perspective on the forces shaping a new China and the influences of the Cultural Revolution and then Tiananmen in 1989.' -- Sunday Morning Post, Hong Kong 'A CASE OF TWO CITIESis Qiu Xiaolong's fourth novel in a series of compelling Shanghai crime novels... This fast-moving crime novel admirably depicts the intriguing struggles of characters grasping a foothold in a new and rising China.' -- TLS 'Leisurely, atmospheric and rich in behind the scenes detail, Qiu Xiaolong's mysteries pit the poetry-loving Inspector Chen of Shanghai against criminality and corruption in the new China. Here, the Morse of the Far East tangles with bathhouse sex (and murder) and massive kickbacks as he traces, to St Louis, the path of a cadre-cum-crook on the run. As enjoyable as the scrumptious Shanghai meals often scoffed.' -- Independent 'A fascinating picture of the new China emerges, with its bars, brothels, black economy and nouveau riche: fast-changing yet traditional, permissive yet repressed, egalitarian yet hierarchical. It's a complex society in which connections are all-important, no one ever speaks their mind directly, and merely offereing a cup of tea is fraught with significance. The gentle, erudite Chen is the ideal interpreter.' -- Independent on Sunday 'Chen is a great creation, an honourable man in a world full of deception and treachery' -- Guardian 'A luminescent synthesis of a thriller and a literary novel' -- Independent on A LOYAL CHARACTER DANCER 'A vivid portrait of modern Chinese society ... full of the sights, sounds and smells of Shanghai.' -- Wall Street Journal 'Stupendous ... It does what detective fiction can do best: it captures the details, the grit of everyday life ... A matchless pearl.' -- Fresh Air, National Public Radio, USA on DEATH OF A RED HEROINE 'Gripping ... Chen stands in a class with Martin Cruz Smith's Russian investigator, Arkady Renko, and P.D. James's Scotland Yard inspector, Adam Dalgliesh.' -- Publishers Weekly starred review 'With strong and subtle characterisation, Qui Xiaolong draws us into a fascinating world where the greatest mystery revealed is the mystery of present-day China itself' -- John Harvey 'Qiu gives a fresh perspective on the forces shaping a new China' -- Sunday Morning Post, Hong Kong 'Compelling ... this fast-moving crime novel admirably depicts the intriguing struggles of characters grasping a foothold in a new and rising China.' -- TLS
