When Red is Black - Softcover

'This third novel offers further fascinating insights into a country and procedures so far neglected by mystery fiction. Chen is a great creation, an honourable man in a world full of deception and treachery who is trying hard to apprehend the new world of China in transition, where communism still reigns but blatant capitalism is also tolerated, with its ensuing waves of criminality ... Connections and motives unfold like clockwork, and make for a great read.' -- Guardian 'Chen is the fascinating creation of poet and translator Qiu Xiaolong ... As in Qiu's first two books, the ghosts of Mao's bloody Cultural Revolution ... lead to murder.' -- Chicago Tribune 'Read When Red is Black" for insights into understanding today's Shanghai and China.' -- St. Louis Post Dispatch 'Compelling' -- Times-Picayune (New Orleans) 'A vivid portrait of modern Chinese society ... full of the sights, sounds and smells of Shanghai ... A work of real distinction.' -- Wall Street Journal 'These are mysteries to savor.' -- Booklist (starred review) '[A] terrific series ... a cultural twist and unusual direction that make [Qiu's] books well worth reading.' -- Rocky Mountain News 'Shanghai in transition ... fascinating' -- Kirkus Reviews 'Insightful.' -- Publishers Weekly 'The most sophisticated of the series to date and one feels Qiu pushing the envelope of the detective series genre.' -- Asian Review of Books 'A terrific murder mystery.' -- Midwest Book Review 'Captivating and intriguing.' -- Mystery News '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 '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 '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 'A vivid portrait of modern Chinese society ... full of the sights, sounds and smells of Shanghai ... A work of real distinction.' -- Wall Street Journal '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 'This third novel offers further fascinating insights into a country and procedures so far neglected by mystery fiction. Chen is a great creation, an honourable man in a world full of deception and treachery who is trying hard to apprehend the new world of China in transition, where communism still reigns but blatant capitalism is also tolerated, with its ensuing waves of criminality ... Connections and motives unfold like clockwork, and make for a great read.' -- Guardian

When Inspector Chen Cao agrees to do a translation job for a Triad-connected businessman he is given a laptop, a 'little secretary' to provide for his every need, medical care for his mother. There are, it seems, no strings attached ...Then a murder is reported: Chen is loath to shorten his working holiday, so Sergeant Yu is forced to take charge of the investigation. The victim, a middle-aged teacher, has been found dead in her tiny room in a converted multi-family house. Only a neighbour could have committed the crime, but there is no motive. It is only when Chen returns and starts to investigate the past that he finds answers. But by then he has troubles of his own. This is the third critically acclaimed Inspector Chen mystery set in post-Cultural Revolution China.