Customer Reviews

A Case of Two Cities

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is another fine entry in Xiaolong Qiu's Inspector Chen series. Once again, Qiu has produced a novel that is both an excellent detective novel, and a window into contemporary urban China. Like the earlier books, it not only should be of interest to fans of mystery novels, but should be required reading for anyone who contemplates doing business in China, or who has even a passing interest in contemporary urban China.

Chen is assigned to a case that seems to been been inspired by a real and very important case, that of Lai Changxing, a businessman who fled from Fujian to Canada in 1999 and who the Chinese government wants extradited. Obviously, the details differ in key respects. Roughly half of the book is set in Shanghai, and the remainder, through what I thought was a very clever and in the end completely plausible twist, is set in the United States.

In the tradition of the Martin Beck novels by Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall, and in the same vein as the earlier Inspector Chen novels, Case of Two Cities offers the same rich ethnographic detail about life in contemporary Shanghai as the earlier ones, evolved somewhat from the earlier novels to reflect the rapid pace of change in urban China. One key difference from the earlier novels is that whereas in those Qiu used the conventions of the detective novel to explore the lives of the working class, this novel spends more time on the nouveau riche and their otherworldly and otherwise inaccessible demesne of gated estates, exclusive restaurants, private clubs, and entertainment complexes.

Perhaps more so than the earlier Inspector Chen novels, this also has elements of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch or Ian Rankin's Rebus mysteries: Inspector Chen, like Harry Bosch, spends as much time on departmental and other political intrigue as he does gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses. He comes across as more isolated and hard-boiled than in the previous novels, representing a fairly natural revolution. Given the situation, a high profile case with very high stakes that may affect very powerful people, such intrigue is entirely likely, and indeed its absence would make the novel unrealistic. The way in which Chen and the other characters mobilize their webs of personal connections to achieve their ends is a quick education in the culture of guanxi, and should be an eye-opener to anyone who has a naive view of guanxi as a simple matter of exchanging gifts or hosting meals.

Chen's trip to the United States turns out to be a novel and interesting vehicle for presenting the United States as experienced by someone from China here on a short trip. Indeed, the last half of the book should be an eye-opener for anyone who has hosted a group or delegation visiting the U.S. from China. The last half of the novel will also be a treat to anyone who is a fan of David Lodge's academic novels, but to avoid spoilers I won't offer any further detail.

I should add that the Inspector Chen novels are also a wonderful introduction to classical Chinese poetry. Chen was a poet before he was a policeman, and throughout this and the earlier novels, he recites classic poems to himself in response to developments. I hope that at some point Qiu publishes a companion volume to the Inspector Chen series that includes the original Chinese characters and pinyin, his translations, his exegesis, and a more detailed discussion of the link to the text.

Again, while this book can be read on its own, it will be more rewarding if you read the others first. In particular, Chen's connections to some of the other characters who play key roles will be much clearer, and make more sense.

As at least one of the other reviews notes, the novel is marred by what I would regard as a higher than average number of typos. Most jarring are a few cases where words are missing and a passage has to be reread for it to make sense.

My wife is from Shanghai. I have read the Inspector Chen series aloud to her over the past few years. She enjoys hearing about and explaining to me the various Shanghai expressions that Qiu Xiaolong uses. She also enjoys hearing and then back-translating much of the Tang dynasty poetry that is included in the stories.

However this time, I'm finding the story heavy going. Qiu is not a native English speaker and he's no Joseph Conrad. The language is pretty pedestrian and the story lacks drama.

With Chen's visit to the USA, I was hoping for similar poignant descriptions of culture shock to what Martin Cruz Smith used in Polar Star when he had his Soviet fishing crew come ashore in Alaska for a shopping spree.

I will continue following the story of Chief Inspector Chen but only because of my particular "China interest".

This is the fourth Inspector Chen novel in what is becoming a favorite guilty pleasure of mine. As I have mentioned in previous reviews I am no big Mystery book fan. However, Xiaolong has been able to infuse his investigations in settings with enough political and cultural information as Modern china transitions to capitalism in the 1990s. On one web page I noticed the book was tentatively titles "Red Rats, A Case of Two Cities" which I think would have been a better title. Why? Because this time Chen is assigned a highly political case of corruption where the old corrupt guard (Red Rats as Old Hudson calls them) are living off bribes and favoritism. (Interesting enough, Chen has his own network of friends too. Does he see paying a visit to a friend who owns a restaurant as stepping stone to more major corruption on his part?) Chen is to investigate Xing Xing who left (escaped) leaving the country for wealthy communities in Southern California leaving behind a half brother no one can find. The book opens with the last officer in charge of this investigation found murdered in highly embarrassing circumstances. Does Chen understand the danger he is in as he is assigned the case? The case, like all of Chen's takes a back seat to his daily living, coping for example with is elderly mother, and his real desire to be a poet as he plods from interview to interview. And when he gets a clue the informant does not call him back, she has been killed. Then out of no where he is assigned to head a delegation of authors to the United States where in St. Louis he meets up with US Marshall Catherine Rhone (who visited China in the second installment, "Loyal Character Dancer". What I thought was a bit heavy handed in that prior book works much better here as "Two Cities" is the best of the books since the first, most excellent, "Death of a Chinese Heroin". Chen's partner Yu ( whole series could be written about detective Yu and his wife and father) is left along in Shanghai to investigate while Chen is in the United States. I do wish Xiaolong would expand on some of the minor characters as he did in the first book. And perhaps Xiaolong needs to begin to have Chen reveal more of him self and what toll these cases are having on his personality and character. Did he for example really expect the relationship with Rhone to go someplace romantically? How does this affect him as he grows older? Does he have the desire for a private life? At the moment he caught between the old China and the new China and he understands both oh so well. I will be in line for the next Inspector Chen novel and would hope that Qiu Xiaolong would attend next years Los Angeles Times book festival at UCLA so I could meet him and hear more of his experience with this series as it is being translated into Chinese for the modern Chinese reader.

I've enjoyed all of the books in Qiu's Inspector Chen series, but it's clear from this book that Qiu's long residence outside China (he's been in the US since 1989) is starting to diminish his "feel" for his homeland. In particular, the beginning of this book is slow, with the characters giving each other long speeches about the deeper meaning of corruption in China. For readers just discovering the series, I recommend "A Loyal Character Dancer" or "When Red is Black" instead.

I was very conflicted by this fourth book in the Chen series. On the one hand, with this

series (and this author) like Mankell's Wallender series and Robert Wilson's Seville series, etc. as well, I am , like so many mystery book junkies --I am one of the first on the block to purchase each new additon to these respective series--but, and here is the big but, while I enjoyed the continuation of this series and I particularly enjoyed the author's inclusion of Inspector Chen's "own" poetry to advance the story as well as the many references to early poetry lines and literary references and putting these frequent references into the mouths of many of the main characters I did find aspects of the plot to be somewhat careless and at times diverting (like the temple scene in LA) and I also have real issues with the number of typos and missing words throughout this book. I'm sure, like most readers, we can overlook one or two of these slips in editing but this book had more than a dozen omissions of articles and mispellings. However, saying all that I did enjoy the book and assume there will be a sequel since more things were left dangling than were resolved at the end of the book. One other point, I must say I find Detective Yu, Chen's sidekick, more interesting and more fulfilling as a character along with his very resourceful and loyal wife and, of course, his venerable father, Old Hunter by contrast to Chen who, at times, I find overly passive and not fully realized as a peersonality. As you can see, I am very involved in this series which is obviously a positive response to the writer's effort.

Qiu Xiaolong writes in a way that is so wonderful on several levels:

1. He is a superb writer.

2. These are very good mysteries/crime stories. No pat endings and detailed characters with complex motives and relationships.

3. This view into modern life in China and the effects on its people of that nations recent history are not to be missed. Nowhere will you find such a detailed and eye-opening look at "real life" in China unless you have friends from there!

I am a fan of Inspector Chen and have been from the very first book The Death of a Red Heroine.

I pre-ordered this book sometime last year. I wish Qiu Xiaolong could retire from his other jobs and just write about Inspector Chen and his pals - especially "Old Hunter" so we could enjoy a new tale every year.

This book starts a little slowly and ends before I was ready to have it end, but the plotting is good, the characters are interesting and I do not tire of the descriptions of the food and meals and the novelty of the setting. (I do get a little tired of the poetry sometimes but it generally adds charm.)

I loaned my new copy to a friend to cheer her up after she had had a few rough days, but I couldn't stand to wait until she finished it for my turn - so I ordered another copy - overnight delivery. And so enjoyed reading the book this week-end.

Another winner for Qiu Xiaolong! I hope he is working on the next Inspector Chen story - how about something with Old Hunter???

I've enjoyed all his books, but this one faltered. It had a classroom, somnolent feel, lacking genuine conflict and risk. I looked forward to the contrast between America and Shanghai and to the reunion of Chen with the CIA's Catherine. Neither fulfilled the potential of heightened drama. The familiar characters were just that--familiar. Nothing advanced.

The anonymous call to the Fujian Police Bureau sent Sergeant Lou Xiangdong to the Inebriating Money and Intoxicating Gold karaoke center that serves as a sexual service locale for the corrupt officials and businessmen. There he is shocked by who he finds murdered, Fujian Special Squad Police Detective Hua Ting. Though he wants to believe that one of his mentors when he started was clean, Hua postulates whether the highly regarded dead cop was on the take?

Retired Comrade Secretary Zhao Yan of the Central party Chinese Discipline Committee assigns a major business corruption case to Shanghai Police Bureau Chief Inspector Chen Cao, explaining that the top gun Xing Xing already fled to the States. Comrade Zhao wants Xing's gang still flourishing at the cost of the country to be stopped. As Chen investigates, he ties the Hua homicide to the corruption scandal as the late sleuth had found ties between officials of the party and the self-exiled business mogul. Soon, Chen realizes he was selected not to solve the case, but because the party VIPs thought his reputation for honesty would give credibility to an investigation intended to fail.

In his fourth appearance (see WHEN RED IS BLACK and DEATH OF A RED HEROINE) Inspector Chen remains an honest, diligent and dedicated cop trying to insure justice is served while doing so under an oppressive government in which the truth is only what the Communist Party claims it to be. The story line is action-packed as Chen knows the so-called blank check Zhao gives him to weed out corruption at the highest levels of the government is a sham, but that does not stop him from following all the key threads to wherever they lead including America. THE CASE OF TWO CITIES is a superior police procedural.

Harriet Klausner

As a native Chinese about Mr. Qiu's age and a fan of Harry Bosch books, I was very excited when I found the Detective Chen stories, written by a fellow Chinese of my generation in English. Since Mr. Qiu's most favorably rated books were not available, I checked this book out from the library. But I barely got past the first chapter and then put it down. Since I'm reviewing book (almost) by its cover I give it 3 stars to be fair. Otherwise I probably would give a lower score.

In the first chapter, the young detective is not very professional. When he finds a senior officer dead, he doesn't call for backups or medical examiners. Instead, he ramages through the deadman's clothes and even pulls out a pack of cigarets from the dead person's pants without wearing gloves. Alright, let's say Chinese police isn't as well trained as their American counterparts. It's the details unrelated to police works that are more disturbing to a person who lived in China through the various political eras.

The dead police officer was in his early 50's, according to the book. That places him into Mr. Qiu's and my generation. The books also says the deadman's son died in a tractor accident in the countryside when the son was an educated youth. The word "educated youth" in Chinese political dictionary has well defined meanings. It's a generation of middle school and high school graduates sent by Great Leader Chairman Mao to the countryside, to be "re-educated" by the poor peasants. This movement lasted about 10 years during the Culture Revolution (shall we say Culture Destruction), from 1966 to 1976. Now you can see that the dead police officer was in his teens during that period and he was most likely an educated youth himself, not his son who could have not been born then!

Since Mr. Qiu had almost certainly experienced that movement personally (only a few privileged could escape that fate), I can't imagine that he got the facts wrong by mistake. Overall, I feel the book (or the first chapter I read) tries a bit too hard to create a political atmosphere as the backdrop for the stories to unfold. To do that, conversations seem loaded with political jargons and details don't hold. Don't get me wrong that I wish the book were apolitical. I think China's corruption problem is huge and political reform is not only in order but overdue. However even in a novel which aims to entertain, the basic facts must be correct or the reader can be mislead. Like it or not, the reader does get educated when reading a fiction. Who would not be impressed by the great battled described in Gone with the Wind or War and Peace? What if the time of Atlanta's siege were set 10+ years off by Margaret Mitchell? If we look back in history, a timeless fiction invariably paints a faithful picture of its era as the stage for the fictitious stories to play out.

I thank Mr. Qiu to be one of a few Chinese-born English writers and look forward to reading more of his good works.