Red Mandarin Dress: Inspector Chen 5

Description

Political corruption, capitalist greed and past injustices are all revealed when Inspector Chen investigates a serial killer in Shanghai. An early morning jogger found her. Clad in nothing but a red mandarin dress, she had been dumped, barely concealed, on a traffic island. The death of a dancing girl was unpleasant but this was particularly unusual in that she had been left openly in the centre of town. She had probably angered one of the Mr Big Bucks that were taking over and transforming Shanghai. Inspector Chen is an intuitive investigator, a talented poet and an honourable man on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Desperate to find a way to release himself from the perilous police career that had been chosen for him, he takes time off to begin an MA in Literature. Then another girl is found dead . . . With a serial killer on the loose. Chen is pulled back to work and into his most dangerous assignment yet.

Qiu Xiaolong was born in Shanghai. He was selected for membership of the Chinese Writers' Association and published poetry, translations and criticism in China. He has lived in the United States since 1989. He has been the recipient of the Missouri Biennial Award, the Prairie Schooner Readers' Choice Award, a Yaddo and a Ford Foundation Fellowship.

'[Xiaolong] vividly details the human cost of a city (the new consumer crazy Shanghai) devouring itself ... Yet even in these dangerous surroundings, culture and beauty endure and an honest man can still chart a path for good, no matter how perilous' -- Economist 'The creation of Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau is a very successful addition to the detective genre ... a fresh, fast-paced detective thriller that will keep you turning those pages' -- Sunday Express '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 ... Morse of the Far East' -- Independent '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 luminescent synthesis of thriller and literary novel' -- Independent on A LOYAL CHARACTER DANCER 'Stupendous' -- Fresh Air, National Public Radio, USA on DEATH OF A RED HEROINE '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 'Compelling ... this fast-moving crime novel admirably depicts the intriguing struggles of characters grasping a foothold in a new and rising China.' -- TLS on A CASE OF TWO CITIES 'A great read.' -- Guardian on WHEN RED IS BLACK 'Chen is an irresistible protagonist ... Qiu's portrait of China in transition, a potential eye-opener for many of his Western readers, is an equally compelling attraction.' -- Kirkus Reviews on DEATH OF A RED HEROINE 'A vivid portrait of modern Chinese society ... full of the sights, sounds and smells of Shanghai ... A work of real distinction.' -- Wall Street Journal 'A great read' -- Weekend Australian on DEATH OF A RED HEROINE 'In a word: brilliant' -- Herald Sun on DEATH OF A RED HEROINE 'Chen is a great creation, an honourable man in a world full of deception and treachery' -- Guardian "fascinating and essential reading... Chen is a delightful and humane guide." -- Reviewing the Evidence 20080331