Death of a Red Heroine

Written by Qiu Xiaolong

Narrated by David Shih

Qiu Xiaolong's Anthony Award–winning debut introduces Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police.



A young "national model worker," renowned for her adherence to the principles of the Communist Party, turns up dead in a Shanghai canal. As Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Special Cases Bureau struggles to trace the hidden threads of her past, he finds himself challenging the very political forces that have guided his life since birth. Chen must tiptoe around his superiors if he wants to get to the bottom of this crime, and risk his career—perhaps even his life—to see justice done.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Dec 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9781977371058

Qiu Xiaolong

Anthony Award winning author Qiu Xiaolong was born in Shanghai and moved to Washington University in St Louis, US, to complete a PhD degree in comparative literature. After the Tiananmen tragedy in 1989 he stayed on in St Louis where he still lives with his wife. Qiu's sold over two million copies of his Inspector Chen mysteries worldwide and been published in twenty languages. On top of his fiction, he is a prize-winning writer of poetry. All the titles in the Inspector Chen series, including Hold Your Breath, China, have been dramatized in BBC Radio 4 productions. www.qiuxiaolong.com

Reviews for Death of a Red Heroine

[Anne Mowat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Richly layered intrigue, coupled with nuanced cultural and political detail, kept me interested. The murder mystery serves as a narrative vehicle for a fascinating exploration of Chinese life and history.

[tess_w · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an inspector Chen mystery. More than crime, politics drove the plot. This took place after Deng Xiaoping began his reform. It's Mao politicans vs. Xiapoing politicians; interesting, though. Besides being a chief inspector, Chen is a poet. This is book #1 in the series. I might read another one; hoping to get more culture and less politics!

[bettesbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A murder mystery in Shanghai. The body of a woman has been found in a little visited canal. The case is investigated by the Shanghai Burea of Police Special case squad, led by leader of the squad, Chief Inspector Chen and his administrative assistant Detective Yu Guangming. The murder mystery frequently gets lost in the minutia of the explanation of the government of Shanghai in the 1990’s and the ruling communiist party. I forgot that this was a murder mystery but instead read this as a “fictionalized” history of Shanghai and it’s political commitment to China. Interesting. It will also be interesting where the next book in this series takes the reader.

[sadiesforsythe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

On finishing this book, I closed it feeling satisfied. This is generally all I ask of a book, but if I think back, I also remember that it took a good 200 pages for this book to get rolling and for me to really become interested and vested in it.

Part of this is probably do to the fact that I only have a loose understanding of the events surrounding the Cultural Revolution and the subsequent Party politics that play an important part in this book. But it also just has a slow start, which isn't helped a lot by the rather dry tone Chinese literature always seems to have.

In the end, however, what I liked so much about the book is that it's about good men trying, against almost impossible odds, to be good men. I don't mean John McClane type heros, but ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances.

Chen, the main character is a coming to terms with the fact that his life has not turned out the way he hoped. He shows a consistent moral mettle that is impossible not to respect. His partner, Yu, is a man who was given very few choices in life but his dedication to both his job, doing the right thing and his wife are heart melting. It was these men and their character that carried the day for me. I'm glad to have read the book.

[milliehennessy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. The writing style is very different from American mysteries, and I enjoyed that. Chief Inspector Chen is investigating the murder of a political party member and it's interesting to see the pull between politics and doing what Chen believes is right. Chen is a character that grew on me. From the start he's very poetic, and the way he views the world around him is poetic too. Normally I'm not big on poetry, but there were a lot of nice quotes in this book, and Chen had a way of making them fit his life. The pace of the book was very relaxed, not a usual fast paced mystery. I liked that. There was a concentration on details and relationships and it was interesting to read about the changes that were affecting China in the 1990s. Like others have said, it wasn't really about finding out who the killer was, but the journey that Inspector Chen took, and the discoveries he made along the way, as well as his perserverance.

[maya47bob46 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book. For all of the trappings of Communism beginning to add private enterprise, the book showed that people are pretty much the same and that only the context is different.

[dbsovereign · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book, ostensibly a murder mystery, deals with a surprising array of existential and societal issues. A police procedural mostly set in Shanghai, it also explores characters torn between their own priorities and those imposed on them by their government. We are also given a glimpse of how Western influences are starting to impact Chinese society. With a huge, culturally diverse cast of characters (nota bene: keep a list), we are provided a fascinating insight into the lives of people from a wide range of levels within the Communist Party. The Party is almost a character of its own as it pervades the story and impacts the characters’ decisions. Compelling and gritty.

[electrascaife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Detective Inspector Chen investigates the murder of a young woman who was a famous model citizen and slowly discovers that she may have been devoting her daytime life to the good of the Party but spent her evenings in other pursuits. Set in Shanghai in the early 90s, this first novel in a series creates a nice balance between the actual police procedural plot and an interesting social commentary on the tricky political atmosphere in China at the time. There aren't a lot of fancy twists to the mystery itself, but the characters are very nicely drawn - I particularly like Chen as an unassuming yet tenacious detective - and the details about life in China in the 1990s were fascinating.

[picathartes · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought this book was okay, but not great in any way. It took me about a quarter of the book, 125 pages or so to get into it at all. It was certainly well written and in a unique writing style, but I have never been to China so the countless lines of descriptions like... Chengdu Road was between street such and such and lane so and so etc was tiresome. Ultimately I never really got into any of the characters with the possible exception of Overseas Chinese Lu... although Old Hunter turned out to be pretty cool. But all the central figures, Chen, Yu, Wang Feng, Ling, they were all over the place, going in different directions the entire book. On a few occasions I felt that there was a surprising depth to the book or a character, and I should bump up my review a star, but then the narrative would instantly fall back into the same drawn-out scenes.

Long review short, this book is more about the politics of being Chinese in China rather than crime fiction. Interesting in that respect, but that’s not what I was expecting when I picked it up to read.

[Tina Glez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book won the award for best first novel in 2001; it deals with the socio-cultural situation of present-day China regarding the pollution of Lake Tai, defended by a group of environmental activists, while the businessmen only care to defend their interests with complete indifference. It is a police-themed story, attractive for its pleasant and well-written style, in which Commander Chen cleverly dedicates his vacation to hunting down a murderer. The suspense is minimal, with a touch of romance and a good, very entertaining read. (Translated from Spanish)

[Florenpz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Qiu Xiaolong was born in Shanghai in 1953 and dedicated his writing to revealing the secrets of modern China's development. Exiled due to the persecutions he faced, Qiu currently resides in the United States, from where he conducts his research, occasionally traveling back to his homeland to then return and dive fully into his books.

Xiaolong wrote a series of novels based on the work of Detective Cheng Cao, a Shanghai police officer who solves various crimes, intertwined with the issues affecting China in pursuit of the economic development it experienced from the mid-20th century to the early 21st century. In this installment, which is the seventh of his nine adventures, Detective Cheng is about to enjoy a well-deserved vacation on the outskirts of the capital when a murder occurs. At this point, it might be said to be normal for noir literature; however, Xiaolong's stories include a descriptive framework that takes you on a journey through the Eastern country. On each page, one can find notes on food, architecture, history, politics, Chinese poetry, and philosophy, as well as a harsh critique of the ecological/environmental disaster to which they are subjected due to the indiscriminate advance of industries and their waste.

In conclusion, it is a book with a reading experience that at times becomes heavy, requiring a willingness to learn and understand more about its culture, and it sidelines the crime as it appears to be an excuse to publicly denounce the state's management and its powers, as well as the major businessmen of the country. (Translated from Spanish)

[stephanyT · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The first part of the Chen Cao saga, a police officer in China, set in Shanghai.

Throughout the story, the author describes the police and detective work of Chen Cao, investigating the death of Guan, a model for the Chinese socialist party, a very important woman who was murdered and found at the bottom of the water. Chen Cao follows the nearly invisible steps left by the killer until he finally tracks him down.

It is a very entertaining crime story. Still, more than just telling a story about police and murders, the author also expresses what China was like a few years after the Cultural Revolution, and how traditions and the Western market are gradually penetrating a very reserved China.

It is a very interesting book about a murder and the gradual progress of China, politically and economically. It also shows us how important politics is among the people of China and immerses us in excerpts of poetry from the dynasties that China had in its history.

It is definitely worth reading, especially if you have an interest in Asia and want to learn a bit about everything while enjoying an entertaining mystery story. (Translated from Spanish)

[El lector utópico · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I chose this book because I have had it for a long time in my reading queue. Not for its genre but for the descriptions of the everyday life of the Chinese people today. In that regard, it did not disappoint me. The police plot is well-constructed; gradually, it opens doors and clues until reaching the end of the narrative. Very entertaining. (Translated from Spanish)

[acgarcia 1972 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Who says that the splendor of a blade of grass brings back the love of spring, which always returns?"

I continue with my travels, now to China, a noir novel (very dark) set in 1990, in a country that is opening up to the world and beginning to become the economic and production power that it is today. A novel that transports us to a world very different from ours, difficult, harsh, in a society that we as Westerners find hard to understand... Highly recommended... (Translated from Spanish)

[Tina 8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book won the award for Best First Novel in 2001; it deals with the socio-cultural situation of contemporary China regarding the pollution of Tai Lake, defended by a group of environmental activists, while the businessmen only defend their interests with utter indifference. It has a crime theme, appealing due to its pleasant and well-written style, in which Commander Chen cleverly dedicates his vacation to hunting down a murderer. The suspense is minimal, with a touch of romance and a good, very entertaining read. (Translated from Spanish)

[Artemisa1951 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Engaging police story, social commentary, the protagonist struggles between good or ... (Translated from Spanish)

[Tina Lectora · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book won the award for Best First Novel in 2001; it deals with the socio-cultural situation of present-day China concerning the pollution of Lake Tai, defended by a group of environmental activists, while businessmen only defend their interests with complete indifference. It has a police theme, appealing for its pleasant and well-written style, in which Commander Chen cleverly dedicates his vacation to hunting for a killer. The suspense is minimal, with a touch of romance, and it makes for a good and very entertaining read. (Translated from Spanish)

[ameise1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am glad that I read the first book of this series after all. It makes much of what Inspector Chen experienced more sense.
In his first case, many protagonists, which are also encountered in later books, are presented. Likewise, one becomes more familiar with the Chinese customs, which are enormously important to know, since a determination is not necessarily designed as you are used to crime thrill. The face on the political level has to be kept constant and this makes it very difficult when the villain comes from the establishment.
A young woman is found dead. She is a model worker and represents an important part of the Chinese working class. Why did she have to die? Did she lead a hidden second life that does not fit into political China? While Chen and Yu investigate, they often come up against a wall of silence.
Very exciting written, it grabbed me from the first to the last page.

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The mystery is good but the main appeal of this police procedural is seeing something of life in Shanghai China in 1990 for mid-level people. Chen & his poetry reminds me a bit of P.D. James’ Dalgliesh...

[drled_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Synopsis: Two fisherman pull in a plastic garbage bag and discover the body of a young woman. She is a party member in good standing, but she lives a very solitary life. No one seems to know her well and no one has much good - or bad - to say about her. Through a very round about series of connections, Chen finds that she was involved with a married party leader and that this man was also into sexual perversion.
Review: This is a really interesting look at life in China. It presents some reasons for people in that society behaving as they do. It's also a pretty good mystery.

[antao-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

eath of a Red Heroine (Soho Crime) - Qiu Xiaolong

"Who says that the splendor of a grass blade returns
The Love of the spring that forever returns?"

With this ends "Death of a Red Heroine". Here the main protagonist wonders whether a son's return for his mother's love is always inadequate, as well as one's responsability to one's country.

When I tackled this book, I didn’t know what to expect.

Xiaolong’s main protagonist is not an ordinary Chinese policeman. He’s a poet and translator of T. S. Eliot. There is a tendency to quote Chinese classical poetry as a counterpoint and commentary on the action. As usual in Crime Fiction, this is a device, a somewhat contrived one in my view, but crime novel protagonists seem to need an approach, and this one is Chen’s.


You can read the rest of this review on my blog.

[whitewavedarling · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in a long time that's drawn me immediately into a mystery series and every way, where I've enjoyed nearly every moment and had a hard time putting the book down. Xiaolong's balance of atmosphere, character, and plotting was masterful, and I can't wait to read the next book in the series. I will say that there were moments where the quoting was a bit on the heavy side (and this, coming from a reader who loves poetry), but on the whole, it didn't at all interfere with how much I enjoyed the book since the quotes were generally only snippets of two or three lines. And, for this being the author's first novel, I really can't complain.

All told, there's no question that I'll be reading the next book in the series sooner than later. Whether looked at as a mystery or simply as a good read, there's a lot to love here, and I'd absolutely recommend it.

[gayla.bassham · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The world-building is much, much more interesting than the actual mystery.

[reallifereading · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The rain has soaked the hair
Falling to your shoulders
Light green in your policewoman’s
Uniform, like the spring
White blossom bursting
From your arms reaching
Into the gaping windows -
‘Here you are!’

About the last thing I expected from this detective novel was a poetry-spouting Chief Inspector.

Chen not only recites classical Chinese poetry but is himself a published poet – as well as a translator of western poems and even mysteries. And he is a bit of a gourmet as well.

I love when writers detail meals. All too often I read of how characters ‘sat down to dinner’ and I’m just dying to know, yes but what exactly did they eat??

So when we first meet Chief Inspector Chen as he is prepping for a housewarming dinner at his new apartment, I am delighted:

“For the main dishes, there were chunks of pork stomach on a bed of green napa, thin slices of smoked carp spread on fragile leaves of jicai, and steamed peeled shrimp with tomato sauce. There was also a platter of eels with scallions and ginger, which he had ordered from a restaurant. He had opened a can of Meiling steamed pork, and added some green vegetables to it to make another dish. On the side, he placed a small dish of sliced tomatoes, and another of cucumbers. When the guests arrived, a soup would be made from the juice of the canned pork and canned pickle.”

It sounds like an interesting mix of gourmet and simple homecooked dishes, which reflects on the character of Inspector Chen. An educated man and a published poet who attended the Beijing Foreign Language College, he then heads the Shanghai Police Bureau’s Special Case Squad, a job that seems to be a bit at odds with his more intellectual, thoughtful personality.

But of course his insightfulness is key to this case.

“She had been lying there, abandoned, naked, her long dark hair in a coil across her throat, like a snake, in full view of two strangers, only to be carried away on a stretcher by a couple of white uniformed men, and in time, opened up by an elderly medical man who examined her insides, mechanically, and sewed the body together again before it was finally sent to the mortuary. And all that time Chief Inspector Chen had been celebrating in his new apartment, having a housewarming party, drinking, dancing with a young woman reporter, talking about Tang dynasty poetry, and stepping on her bare toes.”

Essentially, there is a dead woman whose body has been unceremoniously dumped in a garbage bag and tossed into a canal. It turns out that she is a celebrity in the political sense, as she is National Model Worker Guan Hongying, chosen as a role model by the Party. There soon emerges to be even greater political implications in this case, and Chen – as well as his subordinate Detective Yu – is forced to choose between doing what’s right for the case and the victim, or what’s right as determined by the Party.

Politics is at the heart of this story.

“‘Everything can be seen in terms of politics,’ Chen got up, pausing in the doorway, ‘but politics is not everything.’
Such talk was possible now, though hardly regarded as in good taste politically. There had been opposition to Chen’s attaining promotion – something expressed by his political enemies when they praised him as ‘open’, and by his political friends when they wondered if he was too open.”

There are High Cadres who are at the top of the ladder, and their privileged children, the High Cadre Children (HCC), who have fancy cars and live in large mansions and all those other aspects of an extravagant lifestyle. While Chen is himself a rising star (although his artistic side leads to some doubts) and has a new apartment to himself, he ranks far below these HCs and HCCs. And all of this contrasts with the life of the victim Guan, who despite her ‘celebrity’ status lived in a dormitory:

“A closer examination revealed many signs of neglect characteristic of such dorm buildings: gaping windows, scaling cement, peeling paint, and the smell from the public bathroom permeating the corridor. Apparently each floor shared only one bathroom. And a quarter of the bathroom had been redesigned with makeshift plastic partitions into a concrete shower area.”

Death of a Red Heroine was steeped in such vivid details of everyday life in 1990s Shanghai, both the lives of regular folk and of the privileged, sometimes surprisingly seedy.

I have to add a note of warning to those expecting a fast-paced, exciting crime/mystery novel. This isn’t quite that. The case moves a little slowly, not just because of all that politicking going on, but because the detectives take buses, they do research at the public library, and towards the end, are forced to surreptitiously pass information to each other. It’s complicated, but the book still flows well despite its length (464 pages).

I had a great time with this book, reading some bits of classic Chinese poetry, learning about life in 1990s China, and best of all, learning about the diverse cuisine of China. Although I am ethnically Chinese, Chinese food in Singapore is probably different from that of China (I can’t say for sure, as I’ve never been). Like the ‘across-the-bridge noodles’ (过桥米线 or guòqiáo mĭxiàn) that Detective Yu’s wife Peiqin cooks for Inspector Chen, essentially a platter of rice noodles served along with side dishes like slivers of pork, fish and vegetables, and of course some steaming hot soup.

The story behind the noodles, according to the book, was that during the Qing Dynasty, a scholar studied on an island, his wife had to carry his meals across a long bridge and when it reached him, the noodles were cold and soggy. So the next time, she kept the noodles separate and only mixed them when with her husband. A recipe can be found here.

I’m looking forward to the next Inspector Chen book, and can only hope that there will be plenty of foodie details to chow on.

This review was first posted on my blog Olduvai Reads

[olivermagnus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Two old friends who haven't met for twenty years go fishing in a canal and discover the body of a young woman wrapped up in plastic. The case is assigned to Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police and his lieutenant Detective Yu Guangming. Chen and Yu are informed that the case has political implications and so they are going to be advised by an older party cadre. From the beginning interference comes from every one of their political superiors. They assemble irrefutable evidence that the person responsible for the murder is an HCC (High Cadre Children) who is the son of a well known older party member. Even at that stage attempts are made to move them in a different direction. Both are assigned to new investigations and both seem to be in real danger of losing their jobs. Set in the critical early years of the transition of China from communism to capitalism everything is justified in terms of "for the sake of the Party". Chen and Yu get frustrated because they can't bring the murderer to justice.

This is the first book in the Inspector Chen Cao series, set in Shanghai in the 1990s. Chen Cao is a sensitive, poetry loving, yet tough-minded police inspector who wants to do a good job but is hamstrung by the rules he must live with. The Chinese setting gives the reader a mix of historical fiction and political/social observation. Chen is a wonderfully developed character and I liked him enough to purchase the next in the series, Loyal Character Dancer.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The naked body of a young woman is found in a remote canal. Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Special Case Squad, Homicide Division, Shanghai Police Bureau and his deputy, Detective Yu Guangming, discover that she is Guan Hongying, a national model worker. How could a young woman with such a responsible position have come to this end? Who might have killed her? Her coworkers and neighbors all swear that she had no boyfriend, that she lived a quiet, exemplary life, devoted to the Party and her work. Chen’s supervisors, Party Secretary Li and Commisar Zhang, insist this is a political case, but the detectives feel it must have been a personal crime.

What a fascinating look at China in the nineties – a country moving into the future, affected by modern technology and Western influence, but with a cadre of political leaders who hold tight to the ideals of Communism. Or at least who give voice to those ideals. For, in reality, who you know is much more important than what you know. The children and friends of high-ranking officials get the plum positions, best apartments (or mansions), sleek cars and high-end consumer goods, while the masses struggle to raise their families on less-than-subsistence wages, queuing in ever-longer lines at state outlets or paying a premium to buy at “free” markets. Regardless, everyone must watch what s/he says and does, for anyone is subject to being charged with that most serious and nebulous of infractions: crime and corruption under Western bourgeois influence.

I really liked how Qiu wrote these characters. The evolving relationship between Detective Yu and Chief Inspector Chen was particularly interesting. Working independently for much of the book, they still manage to come together as a team and to truly support one another. I loved how inventive they were in communicating sensitive information to one another without drawing further attention to their continued efforts.

Some of the minor characters were a complete delight. Old Hunter, a retired police officer and Yu’s father, is now a volunteer neighborhood patroller, checking to make sure that private peddlers adhere to the socialist ideals in conducting their commercial transactions. Overseas Chinese Lu, Chen’s long-time friend, is an entrepreneur with a successful restaurant, Moscow Suburb. Little Zhao, a bureau driver, keeps his ear to the ground and passes along helpful gossip (or warnings) to Chen. Yu’s wife, Peiqin, is a valuable sounding board and go-between. Wang Feng, a reporter with the Wenhui Daily (one of China’s most influential papers), is a good friend, a valuable source of information, and a formidable ally.

But it is Chief Inspector Chen who truly shines. Chen is a contrast: a man educated in literature, a published poet, and frequent translator of mysteries, but who is also a methodical investigator concerned only with bringing the perpetrator to justice. The reader gains increased insight into the complicated workings of the Chinese Party system as Chen is forced to consider politics and to find a way to work within and around the system. I loved the poetry he quoted and how seamlessly Qiu wove these couplets into the story, showing how a remembered passage might give Chen an idea for which direction to next take his investigation.

The city of Shanghai is practically a character, the scenes are so vivid. Qiu describes the bustle of a major metropolitan area, the squalor of tenement living, the luxurious surroundings of a major hotel or old family mansion, and the quiet pleasure of a park. And the food – crab, dumplings, rice balls, perfectly ripe fruit, hot soups, fresh fish, succulent duck, and many delicacies unfamiliar to Westerners. I think even if I had never been to Shanghai I would have a clear picture in my head of the surroundings based on Qiu’s descriptive passages.

The suspect / perpetrator is pretty clearly identified early on, but that’s not a problem here. It is not the kind of suspense/thriller/mystery that relies on secrets, violent altercations and dangerous situations. Rather, the joy of this novel is watching how Chen builds his case. I’ll definitely read more of this series.

[bayardus-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I rounded up to get to my three star rating. Death of a Red Heroine combines a police procedural with the setting of Shanghai soon after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Unfortunately, the criminal investigation and central mystery are boring, and the setting is not developed organically but spoon-fed to you in didactic asides that kill the flow of the story.

I'm not a huge fan of mystery novels (though they're fine when done well), so what drew me to this book was the setting of China as rendered by a native but written in English, to avoid any problems in translation. As such, it seems appropriate to analyze the setting first. I'm a sucker for a good setting, and having a good setting can overshadow many other problems a novel has in my eyes. Much to my disappointment, however, Qiu Xiaolong's presentation of China in Death of a Red Heroine is one part setting and one part history lesson, with those two parts not melded very well. Inspector Chen will go to a temple-turned-market, following which you will get a paragraph about the history of the temple-turned-market. Inspector Chen will visit an apartment, and you will get a page on how housing allocation worked in Shanghai in 1990. Inspector Chen will walk down the street and notice a television on through a window, and you'll get a non sequitur sentence about how China is currently abuzz over a Japanese soap opera about a girl dying of cancer. There are authors that manage to give you a view into what life was like in that setting while simultaneously telling a strong story, just look at Zola, but unfortunately Qiu Xiaolong does not prove himself capable of such a feat in this book, and doesn't even really seem to try to mesh the story with the didactic asides that he delivers. The disjointed combination teaches you something about 1990 Shanghai, but doesn't do it in a very satisfying manner.

You at least get something out of the setting, even if it the delivery is amateurish, but the story doesn't have much in the way of redeeming features. The mystery is boring, with it taking chapters and chapters before the inspectors follow up on even the most obvious clues or put together the most basic extrapolations. This isn't a detective story with a Sherlock Holmes character that can make brilliant deductive leaps, instead I was under the impression it was trying to be a realistic portrayal of an investigation, but unfortunately these detectives are slower and more naive than even a below-average person would be in their position. At one point while discussing motive the inspectors hypothesize that if the victim was pregnant, the suspect might have killed her to cover that up. But then inspector Chen remembers that the victim was not pregnant, so that theory is discounted. Apparently it never crosses the inspector's mind that a woman having an affair with a married man might lie about a pregnancy in order to spur him to get a divorce. The inspectors are so bad at their jobs that I considered the possibility that Qiu Xiaolong was using their performance as a criticism of the Chinese job allocation system, but there's no tonal support for that idea. Beyond the case, inspector Chen's social life was boring. In the first part of the book he's attracted to Wang, in what is a very low-passion romance. Still, it seems hot and steamy compared to the second romance between Chen and Ling which is introduced two-thirds into the book, and which is one of the most boring segments I've read in a long time. At no point does the book make you care about this thrown-together love triangle. In general Death of a Red Heroine is terrible at creating dramatic tension. Chen simultaneously wants to be a poet and a police inspector, but very little is done with this internal struggle. Likewise, when Chen starts to get political push-back to his investigation he immediately adopts an attitude of "I have to do this or else I won't be able to look myself in the mirror." A more conflicted character might be less heroic, but could be significantly more interesting, but instead Qiu Xiaolong gives us a rather boring protagonist.

A setting that disappointed in delivery and a mediocre mystery and story more generally meant that this wasn't a very good book. Still, I learned something about 90s China and the story, while uninteresting, wasn't terrible and didn't irritate me in any particular way. I can't claim that it was any better than "functional," but that's enough to get you a 2.5 star rating, which I rounded up. This, however, is one of those 3 star books I'll not be recommending.

[jamespurcell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Tedious with too much detail. Lost interest and flipped to the end after 200+ pages

[pnorman4345 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Our hero, the police detective who spouts ancient poetry, investigates in the face of political pressure the death of a model worker. Author tries to introduce us to aspects of Chinese life and culture.

[tloeffler_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A prominent young Communist, a "national model worker," is found dead by two fishermen in a Shanghai canal. The case is given to Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Special Cases Bureau to solve, until his investigation starts to tread on party territory.

This was a very different kind of mystery, and it took me a while to get used to the rhythm of it. I don't pretend to have any knowledge of Chinese politics in the 1990's, and some of that knowledge would have helped me. But once I got into the swing of it, I liked this book. The killer is identified early, but the twists and turns of Communist party politics keep the story going. There are many references to Chinese poems, and although the story drags in a few places, I still think it is a worthwhile read. I'm anxious to carry on with the series.