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stelaw's review against another edition
1.0
This was a painful and boring end to an otherwise enjoyable series. The books end almost literally mid-sentence as though the author was contracted to write a set amount of words and once reached simply stopped writing.
charles_fried's review against another edition
3.0
The book was more interesting for the small details about life in China than for the mystery story. Although the author did not explain enough of the details with many left for the reader to ponder about.
susand3pa's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
readbooks10's review against another edition
4.0
Chief Inspector Chen is asked to help investigate a death, allegedly by suicide, of an official who was under house arrest for being caught in a scandal embarrassing to the communist party. Chen has to carefully navigate the case to avoid internal affairs and competing party officials from both Beijing and Shanghai. The case involves crowd-sourced Internet research that uncovered the scandal. Chen is becoming more of an outlier and questioning his future in the party.
pearl35's review against another edition
3.0
When a government official, target of an internet crowd-sourced corruption investigation, dies in a suspicious suicide while in extra-judicial custody, Inspector Chen of the Shanghai police must weigh duty against political expedience and tangle with the attempts by the Chinese government to control media and internet commentary. This is a pretty good entry in an interesting procedural series set in contemporary China.
dennisfischman's review against another edition
4.0
I think it was somehow fated that I read #9 before coming back to this one, because this really should be the end of the series. It's a summation of what's come before: Chen's devotion to being an honest cop with the Confucian virtues increasingly conflicting with the demands of being a Party man. In this book, someone he respects gets killed for his dogged detective work, and Chen seems to take some refuge from his moral dilemmas in poetry, fine food, and flirtation. Ultimately, however, he keeps the woman he's beginning to have feelings for, safe, and it is his own career and life he puts on the line.
This is one of the best books in the series, and if it's the last one I ever read, I will be content.
This is one of the best books in the series, and if it's the last one I ever read, I will be content.
spacepandita2022's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
En su momento me gusto la historia, porque mostraba ciertos aspectos sobre la sociedad china de los 90, peroo después de un año de haberlo leído, la verdad es que no recuerdo nada. Fue una lectura entretenida, pero olvidable.
arwy's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It's full of references to classic Chinese literature, like the Dream of Red Mansions, which is L.'s and my favourite book. It's a great detective story set in modern Shanghai. I've asked L. Wenhui newspaper and "shanggui" do exist in modern China. I'm sure if he read it, he would recognize the streets and places, maybe even the people. But the most charming part for me was not svn a compelling detective story set in modern China. Most charming part for me was the storytelling, such a beautiful, poetic prose. And when I finished reading the story I felt like I parted with an old friend, reluctant to let him go and willing to see him again immediately. I was smitten off my feet by this calm, beautiful, peaceful story.
d_night's review against another edition
3.0
There was some profanity and one suggestive scene where Xiaolong described pictures taking of Zhou and his mistress which is why I took away 2 stars. I cannot stand cursing and really dislike sexual content.
Other than that the book was easy to read and interesting. It did have an open ending, which usually bothers me, but I didn't mind all that much in this case. If you dislike them though you might not like this book.
Other than that the book was easy to read and interesting. It did have an open ending, which usually bothers me, but I didn't mind all that much in this case. If you dislike them though you might not like this book.
gabsalvas's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0