Hsiao-lung Ch'iu Knihy

Další román ze série případů šanghajské policie, v němž šéfinspektor Chen na žádost nejvyšších komunistických papalášů vyšetřuje velmi delikátní zločin. Popis vyšetřování doplňují poznámky o životě a politické situaci v Číně. Za toto propojení i své mistrné vypravěčské umění získal autor mnoho cen a uznání po celém světě. Největší filmová hvězda čínského filmu třicátých let Šang Jün-kuan tančila s velkým Maem a její dcera Čchien a vnučka Ťiao kvůli tomu byly pronásledovány. Po vydání knihy o soukromém životě Maa Oblak a déšť v Šanghaji je vrchní inspektor Čchen pověřen tím, aby zjistil, zda Šang své vnučce Ťiao nezanechala něco důvěrného o Maovi, něco natolik intimního, co by mohlo ohrozit jeho pověst, a nesmí se to proto dostat na veřejnost.

Bestseller emigranta z komunistické Číny, v němž se mísí erotika, politika a napětí s úryvky ze staré čínské poezie, podává autentické svědectví o měnící se tváři asijské velmoci. Autor se inspiroval klasiky britského detektivního žánru a vytvořil originální postavu kriminálního inspektora Čchena, zapáleného idealisty, básníka, přítele žen, milovníka dobrého jídla a v neposlední řadě oddaného straníka. Po objevení mrtvoly mladé ženy Kuan, vzorné národní pracovnice, začíná Čchen rozplétat předivo intrik, maskovaných jako zájem strany, ale ve svém důsledku jen směřujících k získání absolutní moci. Před čtenářem defiluje na pozadí Šanghaje, velkoměsta plného protikladů, řada postav inspirovaných soudobou čínskou realitou - ať už je to úspěšná novinářka ve stranických novinách, rafinovaný policista na odpočinku či zvrhlý „buržoazně dekadentní“ syn prominentních funkcionářů. Příběh plný nečekaných zvratů ústí v překvapivé vyvrcholení a s (ne)příjemným mrazením připomíná českému čtenáři doby, které jsou pro něj naštěstí už jen minulostí.

When Chief Inspector Chen Cao is offered a week's break at a luxurious resort near Lake Tai, he accepts immediately. Increasingly worn out by the politics of his job, the opportunity to relax and recover sounds like heaven. But the beautiful lake he remembers is much changed: covered by algae, its waters have been polluted by waste from local manufacturing plants. Even the local food is dangerous to eat. Is this the cost of progress in the new China? Then his holiday is fatally disturbed: the boss of one of the most polluting businesses has been murdered and the leader of a local ecological group is the prime suspect. Inspector Chen must tread carefully if he is to uncover the truth behind the death and find justice for both the victim and the accused.

Removed from his position as chief Inspector, Chen Cao has been installed as director of the Shanghai Judicial System Reform Office but immediately placed on involuntary 'convalescence leave.' Despite being on leave, the murder of an acquaintance leads Chen to get involved in an investigation that shares a striking similarity to a Judge Dee novel.

Chief Inspector Chen Cao never had a choice about his career. A poet by training, he was assigned to the Shanghai Police Department after college. To his own surprise, he became an excellent detective, and now he's in line to take over the top political position in the department. Which is why the Party has chosen him for the investigation into the death of Zhou Keng. Zhou Keng was running the Shanghai Housing Development Committee when a number of his corrupt practices were exposed. Removed from his position and placed into detention, he apparently hanged himself while under guard. The Party is anxious to have Zhou's death declared a suicide, but the sequence of events doesn't quite add up. Now Chen will have to decide what to do - follow the party line, or seek the justice his position requires and risk angering powerful people...

Prizewinning debut showcasing a remarkable new talent in crime writing.

Chief Inspector Chen is assigned to investigate a group of environmental activists trying to tackle the pollution issues in China. The case is supposed to be simple, but it is complicated by Chen having history with the leader of the group. Meanwhile Detective Yu is on the trail of a serial murderer.

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 feathers, when he is asked to look into a sensitive corruption case he takes immediate action - he 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.

Set against the backdrop of modern China, this collection of linked short stories chronicles fifty years of transformation through the lens of Red Dust Lane in Shanghai. It captures the evolution from the optimism following the Communist revolution in 1949, through the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, to the pro-democracy movements and Tiananmen Square riots. Each story reflects the broader historical shifts while revealing the personal experiences of those living in this small yet significant street, making history both epic and intimate.

"Dark, gorgeous...feels authentically Chinese and it works like a charm." --Washington Post Book World on A Case of Two Cities Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department is offered a bit of luxury by friends and supporters within the Party - a week's vacation at a luxurious resort near Lake Tai, a week where he can relax, and recover, undisturbed by outside demands or disruptions. Unfortunately, the once beautiful Lake Tai, renowned for its clear waters, is now covered by fetid algae, its waters polluted by toxic runoff from local manufacturing plants. Then the director of one of the manufacturing plants responsible for the pollution is murdered and the leader of the local ecological group is the primary suspect of the local police. Now Inspector Chen must tread carefully if he is to uncover the truth behind the brutal murder and find a measure of justice for both the victim and the accused.