A review by balthazarlawson
A Loyal Character Dancer by Qiu Xiaolong

informative slow-paced

1.0

If you like lots of, and I do mean lots of, references to poetry than you will probably like this. I don't and, therefore, didn't. Inspector Chen is a strange character but has many of the traits of the author. The story is just as strange and confusing. Too confusing. Too contrived. I really didn't enjoy this at all. 

It's less a crime story and more an examination of the history of Chinese poetry as conveyed to a visiting US Marshall, there to collect a woman to take back to the US so her husband will give evidence against people traffickers. 

Barely worth the one star.