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secstraus's review against another edition
2.0
This was a mess!
The good:
Detective Yu, Peiqin, and Old Hunter. All of the local Shanghai characters and locations. I love all the specificity of the food and the streets mentioned in the story.
The okay:
The general outlines of the story were fine. It wasn't a twisty-turny plot, by any means, but it seems like a plausible set up and then an acceptable element of fantasy gangland drama.
The dreadful:
U.S. Marshal Catharine Rohn was a disaster. At no point did her dialogue or interior monologue read as American. Occasionally she sounded like a robotic voice from nowhere providing prompts for Inspector Chen's monologues. Other times she sounded like a sock-puppet Westerner spouting stereotypical things in ways that didn't fit the conversation. When a building romantic tension started to be introduced, I was so disappointed. The romantic interests of Qiu's first book were light and multifaceted. This was just terrible. Probably because Catherine failed to solidify as a woman or Marshal.
The execution of dialogue and interpersonal relations was just generally poor. Often the interstitial writing between quotation marks would tell us what the author thought he had put in there (a stinging rebuff, a devastating argument, a romantic aside), but I would scroll back, wondering what I missed. I hadn't missed anything. The subtle nuances of character were never fully realized.
I hate that this story was essentially about a woman crushed in the jaws of history only to... return her to her abusive husband? Maybe not? Supposed American Marshal Rohn diffidently offers some kind of non-specific alternative. I feel like it's fair to guess that's what would have happened in real life, but because of the general clunkiness of the characterization it wasn't handled in a way that passed for "realistically grim depiction of life tragedy."
The good:
Detective Yu, Peiqin, and Old Hunter. All of the local Shanghai characters and locations. I love all the specificity of the food and the streets mentioned in the story.
The okay:
The general outlines of the story were fine. It wasn't a twisty-turny plot, by any means, but it seems like a plausible set up and then an acceptable element of fantasy gangland drama.
The dreadful:
U.S. Marshal Catharine Rohn was a disaster. At no point did her dialogue or interior monologue read as American. Occasionally she sounded like a robotic voice from nowhere providing prompts for Inspector Chen's monologues. Other times she sounded like a sock-puppet Westerner spouting stereotypical things in ways that didn't fit the conversation. When a building romantic tension started to be introduced, I was so disappointed. The romantic interests of Qiu's first book were light and multifaceted. This was just terrible. Probably because Catherine failed to solidify as a woman or Marshal.
The execution of dialogue and interpersonal relations was just generally poor. Often the interstitial writing between quotation marks would tell us what the author thought he had put in there (a stinging rebuff, a devastating argument, a romantic aside), but I would scroll back, wondering what I missed. I hadn't missed anything. The subtle nuances of character were never fully realized.
I hate that this story was essentially about a woman crushed in the jaws of history only to... return her to her abusive husband? Maybe not? Supposed American Marshal Rohn diffidently offers some kind of non-specific alternative. I feel like it's fair to guess that's what would have happened in real life, but because of the general clunkiness of the characterization it wasn't handled in a way that passed for "realistically grim depiction of life tragedy."
andrew61's review against another edition
3.0
This is the second in the series and its a fascinating look at police procedure in Communist China.
Inspector Chen is a poet policeman who is tasked with investigating in cooperation with a female US marshal the disappearance of the wife of a witness in a people smuggling case in US. Chen is faced with Triads and government officials spying on him as the clock ticks and the safety of Wen(the wife) is in jeopardy.
I can't say it was the greatest crime novel I've read this year but the fascination of this series is the cultural aspects , including how politics and crime solution don't always mix. I also love the descriptions of food, poetry, the country and its people. Worth a read if you want to try something different.
Inspector Chen is a poet policeman who is tasked with investigating in cooperation with a female US marshal the disappearance of the wife of a witness in a people smuggling case in US. Chen is faced with Triads and government officials spying on him as the clock ticks and the safety of Wen(the wife) is in jeopardy.
I can't say it was the greatest crime novel I've read this year but the fascination of this series is the cultural aspects , including how politics and crime solution don't always mix. I also love the descriptions of food, poetry, the country and its people. Worth a read if you want to try something different.
ronald_schoedel's review against another edition
4.0
The politics, culture, cuisine, and poetry outshine the mystery, which is just fine by me. I see the Inspector Chen mysteries as providing a vehicle (which is entertaining, don't get me wrong) by which the other topics can be explored in a realistic context without coming across as contrived or patronising. I'm looking forward to starting the next instalment in the series.
claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
4.0
Argh! I hate that we can't add new books anymore! *grumbles*
Second book in the series and I'm still loving it. An interesting plot, a new character, the US Marshall Catharine Rohn, some well-placed twists and what I think it's the trademark of the series: food and literary references. I loooooove it!
But, in between all of this, there is also a lot of information about life in Shangai at that time, how the true 'money' is favours and China's history, all done in a way in that is not intrusive nor annoying. It's a captivating series and I'll go right to the next book.
Second book in the series and I'm still loving it. An interesting plot, a new character, the US Marshall Catharine Rohn, some well-placed twists and what I think it's the trademark of the series: food and literary references. I loooooove it!
But, in between all of this, there is also a lot of information about life in Shangai at that time, how the true 'money' is favours and China's history, all done in a way in that is not intrusive nor annoying. It's a captivating series and I'll go right to the next book.
vanessakm's review against another edition
3.0
I really struggled with what to rate this book. This is one of those times when 3.5 stars would be more accurate. I feel guilty giving the book only three but four was just a bit too many.
This is the second in Qiu Xiaolong's series about a Shanghai police inspector, Chen Cao. In this entry, Cao stumbles on the body of an axe murder victim in Bund Park the same day he is assigned to babysit a female US Marshal who has come to collect the wife of a witness in a human smuggling case. Her visit marks a landmark cooperation between the US and China. Party politics and the successful navigation thereof play a huge role in this book like the first and also adds assorted triad gangs into the mix. This book has a bit more of a mystery element than the first book, which was a police procedural.
Like the first book, the Shanghai atmosphere is fantastic. I learned so much from this series about China in this time period (approximately one year after Tiananmen Square.) The characters discuss topics ranging from the Cultural Revolution's continuing after-effects to overcrowding to government corruption. My favorite character, Detective Yu, returns in this book and provides a classic double-take moment. While he is interrogating a prostitute about the whereabouts of a gang member, she mentions she was coerced into a threesome with him and another triad gang member. Yu tells her she's in big trouble now as group sex is expressly illegal. Wait-what?? Try learning that tidbit from most travelogues. The addition of the US Marshal gives the reader the chance to see Americans through Chinese eyes which was my favorite part of the book.
Alas, this also was where I had some minor complaints. I liked the relationship between the Marshal, Catherine Rohn, and Cao. But occasionally she said or did something really daft (like arguing with Cao about the One Child Policy, something she would most certainly have been aware of as someone with a degree in China Studies) and it just annoyed me. Also, when I read the first book I found the dialogue stilted but I assumed that Xiaolong was attempting to render Chinese into English so the reader could get the genuine flow of the language rather than an Anglicized version. I still think maybe that's the case and while I appreciate it, some of the conversations are distractingly stilted. Was it necessary to have Cao and Rohn address each other by their full titles multiple times in the course of every conversation?
I do enjoy reading this series and the chance to learn more about China from the inside and while I have minor complaints, I do recommend it and will continue to read it.
This is the second in Qiu Xiaolong's series about a Shanghai police inspector, Chen Cao. In this entry, Cao stumbles on the body of an axe murder victim in Bund Park the same day he is assigned to babysit a female US Marshal who has come to collect the wife of a witness in a human smuggling case. Her visit marks a landmark cooperation between the US and China. Party politics and the successful navigation thereof play a huge role in this book like the first and also adds assorted triad gangs into the mix. This book has a bit more of a mystery element than the first book, which was a police procedural.
Like the first book, the Shanghai atmosphere is fantastic. I learned so much from this series about China in this time period (approximately one year after Tiananmen Square.) The characters discuss topics ranging from the Cultural Revolution's continuing after-effects to overcrowding to government corruption. My favorite character, Detective Yu, returns in this book and provides a classic double-take moment. While he is interrogating a prostitute about the whereabouts of a gang member, she mentions she was coerced into a threesome with him and another triad gang member. Yu tells her she's in big trouble now as group sex is expressly illegal. Wait-what?? Try learning that tidbit from most travelogues. The addition of the US Marshal gives the reader the chance to see Americans through Chinese eyes which was my favorite part of the book.
Alas, this also was where I had some minor complaints. I liked the relationship between the Marshal, Catherine Rohn, and Cao. But occasionally she said or did something really daft (like arguing with Cao about the One Child Policy, something she would most certainly have been aware of as someone with a degree in China Studies) and it just annoyed me. Also, when I read the first book I found the dialogue stilted but I assumed that Xiaolong was attempting to render Chinese into English so the reader could get the genuine flow of the language rather than an Anglicized version. I still think maybe that's the case and while I appreciate it, some of the conversations are distractingly stilted. Was it necessary to have Cao and Rohn address each other by their full titles multiple times in the course of every conversation?
I do enjoy reading this series and the chance to learn more about China from the inside and while I have minor complaints, I do recommend it and will continue to read it.
mbjrose99's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
left_coast_justin's review against another edition
2.0
I was deeply unimpressed with the first of these Inspecter Chen books that I read, which was the fifth in the series. However, I resolved to read one of the earlier books, which were apparently better received. And indeed, "Loyal Character Dancer," the second book in the series, was much more successful on the atmosphere / cultural level, even if Qiu really doesn't seem to understand how to write crime fiction.
As a strategy, using whodunits to introduce an English-speaking audience to Shanghainese society might have been a canny move. But given the ineptness of the plotting in both of his books that I've read, I really think it's time for Qiu to tackle a straightforward novel about real adults in real situations in Shanghai. That's one I might be tempted to read. These Inspector Chen books? No, thank you.
As a strategy, using whodunits to introduce an English-speaking audience to Shanghainese society might have been a canny move. But given the ineptness of the plotting in both of his books that I've read, I really think it's time for Qiu to tackle a straightforward novel about real adults in real situations in Shanghai. That's one I might be tempted to read. These Inspector Chen books? No, thank you.
jpmedina's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75