"A serial killer in Shanghai cuts short Inspector Chen's leave of absence."
Red Mandarin Dress
By: Qiu Xiaolong
Genres: Mystery Police Procedural
Posted: November 19, 2007
This comes at an unfortunate time for Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department as he's just taken time off to take an advanced literature course at the university. Instead of pursuing his education, he's persuaded to return to the police force to catch this criminal. As he investigates, he learns that the killings may be related to some high-powered individuals and the case becomes more sensitive than he ever thought possible.
RED MANDARIN DRESS is a good mystery novel but is perhaps not the best choice for a reader unfamiliar with the previous Inspector Chen novels. I found it difficult to really get engaged with this book. I think it was a myriad of factors, including that the story takes place in a city I am in no way familiar with, involves a culture I have little knowledge of and Xiaolong's writing style takes some getting used to. However, I think the novel is approachable for most people and once you get into it, the mystery is compelling enough to make you want to figure it out.
Book Summary
Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department is often put in charge of politically sensitive cases. Having recently ruffled more than a few official fathers, when he was asked to look into a sensitive corruption case, he takes immediate action - and goes on leave from work. But while on vacation, the body of a murdered young woman is found in a highly trafficked area and the only notable aspect is that she was redressed in a red mandarin dress. When a second body appears, this time in the People's Park, also in precisely the same kind of red mandarin dress, the newspapers start screaming that Shanghai is being stalked by its first sexual serial killer. With the Party anxious to resolve the murders quickly, Chen finds himself in the midst of his most potentially dangerous and sensitive case to date.
by: Qiu Xiaolong
Inspector Chen Minotaur Books
December 1, 2007
On Sale: November 27, 2007
Featuring: Chief Inspector Chen Cao
320 pages
ISBN: 0312371071
EAN: 9780312371074
Hardcover