Chen Cao, Chief Inspector of the Shanghai Police Bureau is
asked to be a consultant in the death of Zhou Keng,
Director
of Shanghai Housing Development Committee, an important
government official. In fact, Chen is merely asked to
confirm that Zhou's death was a suicide. Apparently Zhou
hanged himself in a posh hotel, while he was detained for
corrupt practices by a government branch that deals with
the
law but has nothing to do with the police.
Zhou was apprehended after being exposed on the internet:
he
had a package of cigarettes worth more than his own large
monthly salary, and therefore an almost certain proof of
his
dishonesty. The internet is just about the sole outlet for
the citizens' frustration with the government, where they
must remain invisible. At first glance, nothing points to
a
murder, but as clues and secrets slowly surface, Chen's
perspective begins to shift. What at first seemed a
routine
investigation is made overwhelmingly tortuous by all the
red
tape involved: everything has to be conducted so that the
Party never loses face, and that a stable and harmonious
society is preserved, no matter what has to be hidden,
ignored or pushed aside. And as Inspector Chen's
investigation progresses, the truth becomes even more
difficult to uncover.
ENIGMA OF CHINA is a wonderfully written, captivating
mystery novel, but is so much more than that. While I had
some knowledge of how elusive, ephemeral and murky the
concept of freedom is in China, ENIGMA OF CHINA gives me
an
insight at how everything has to be done according to
party
rules and regulations, however they differ from one branch
of the government to the next, how everything is connected
and yet, how everyone hides things from the others, that
corruption is part of everyday life, thus making police
work
thorny beyond our understanding. Qiu Ziaolong has penned
an
utterly fascinating book; as a mystery novel, it succeeds
on
all levels: a strong story and complex and compelling
characters, as well as the importance played by the
internet
in the narrative.
What makes ENIGMA OF CHINA so fascinating is the myriad
details on everyday life and on the strain it puts on
pedestrian police work in modern China. I am very much
looking forward to reading more about Inspector Chen. A
most
entertaining and enriching read!
Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department
is in an unusual situation—a poet by training and
inclination, he was assigned by the party to the Police
Department after he graduated college, where he has
continued to shine. Now he’s a rising cadre in the party,
in line to take over the top politic position in the
police
department, while being one of most respected policeman in
the department. Which is why he’s brought in by the Party
to
sign off on the investigation into the death of Zhou Keng.
Zhou Keng—a trusted princeling, son of a major party
member—was head of the Shanghai Housing Development
Committee when a number of his corrupt practices were
exposed on the internet. Removed from his position and
placed into extra-legal detention, Zhou apparently hanged
himself while under guard. While the Party is anxious to
have Zhou’s death declared a suicide, and for the renowned
Chief Inspector Chen to sign off on that conclusion, the
sequence of events don’t quite add up. Now Chen will have
to
decide what to do – investigate the death as a possible
homicide and risk angering unseen powerful people, or seek
the justice that his position requires him to strive for.
Qiu Xiaolong's Enigma of China is one of Publishers
Weekly's
Best Mystery/Thriller Books of 2013
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