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claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
4.0
This is the one I less liked so far. It's not bad, don't get me wrong, but it was a bit... directionless? We have an interesting case with the murder of a cop in a brothel that opens a gigantic can of worms, but it goes nowhere because Chen is sent to the USA with a delegation of Chinese writers. Guess what? They all got stuck in St Louis because their interpreter is killed. And that is it. That's all that we have when it comes to the cases.
There is, nevertheless, a lot about Chinese politics, the corruption inherent in countries going through quick economic and social changes and the usual poetry, which I love.
Not the best in the series, but still good.
There is, nevertheless, a lot about Chinese politics, the corruption inherent in countries going through quick economic and social changes and the usual poetry, which I love.
Not the best in the series, but still good.
indio_ink's review against another edition
5.0
Probably the most literary of the Inspector Chen series books I've read so far. The fortune-telling scene was hilarious. I also now have an official crush on Catherine Rohn and her weak ankle. I didn't find the ending satisfying but that was apparently the author's intention. After these 4 books"","" the series is looking more and more like a roman-fleuve.
magis1105's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The story is not for me.
The victims are not someone we care about, the detective is bland, the poetry threw here and there was off-putting.
This is definitely not for me, also I guess I will not be continuing this series.
The victims are not someone we care about, the detective is bland, the poetry threw here and there was off-putting.
This is definitely not for me, also I guess I will not be continuing this series.
ladydewinter's review against another edition
3.0
I read the first three volumes of this series last year, but then was hit by crime fiction fatigue. I picked this up yesterday and finished it this morning - it's definitely a page-turner. I have to say, though, I didn't like Chen as much as I think I liked him last year. And there definitely wasn't enough of Yu and his wife in this novel.
In this book, Chen is tasked with uncovering a corruption case. And of course since corruption seldom is restricted to a small group of people, I expected the resolution to be a bit unsatisfying, but in the end it was really quite disappointing. For me this was one of the weaker books in the series, still a good read, but not as convincing as I remember the others.
In this book, Chen is tasked with uncovering a corruption case. And of course since corruption seldom is restricted to a small group of people, I expected the resolution to be a bit unsatisfying, but in the end it was really quite disappointing. For me this was one of the weaker books in the series, still a good read, but not as convincing as I remember the others.
tenisonpurple's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
gannent's review
3.0
A good mystery story for some light reading. I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, Chen Cao. He was a little too stereotypical male novelist for me, the "I lit my cigarette and thought of the enchanting woman in the garden" type. (Look up the male novelist youtube video) But the case was interesting and so were the other perspectives. It was a good beach read.
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