Director of the Shanghai Legal Reform
Committee: such a lofty and meaningless title. What passed
for a promotion, was in fact a demotion for now ex-Chief
Inspector Chen Cao, formerly of the Shanghai Police Bureau
Special Case Squad. As hard as he tried to toe the Party
line, Chen has always been an honest man dedicated to
justice, and this is what happens when you try to do your
job properly in a country where everything changes before
you know it. The day after his "promotion," Chen has some
time off before he starts in his new functions, and he
decides it's time to visit his father's grave in Zuzhou
for the Qingming Festival. Chen misses his return bus to
Shanghai, and a lovely young woman, Qian, offers him a
ride. Chen tells Qian that he is a PI, which is not
exactly true, and in China a PI can work outside the law.
Qian has a proposition for him, which could also benefit
Chen. It all looked quite simple, really.
But, SHANGHAI REDEMPTION is as far from simple as you can
get. In the latest Inspector Chen novel, Qiu Xiaolong has
woven one of the most intricate mysteries I have ever
read. We're in the dark as much as Chen. Someone,
somewhere -- most likely high-up -- wants to get back at
Chen, but who and why? Chen has no idea. He is perfectly
conscious that he often pokes his nose where he shouldn't,
but if it concerns the last sensitive cases that fell on
his desk, since he barely glanced at them, he wouldn't
know which it could be. What adds much to the mystery is
the exceedingly delicate and volatile structure of Chinese
politics, which are inseparable from the layers of
deception, corruption and secrecy that permeate every
level of society. The author paints such a vivid picture
of Shanghai that I feel I know the city, without ever
having been there, down to the food. I loved all the local
color, which by never feels like a travelogue; everything
is essential to the comprehension of what is going on,
especially for a Westerner. I savored every detail, and
the plot left me completely dumbfounded, because the new
China is nearly impossible to decipher, not because the
plot doesn't make sense! It's the maze that Chen has to go
through to get at the most minute detail that is maddening
for him, and so entertaining for the reader!
SHANGHAI REDEMPTION has a large cast of secondary
characters, and even with the Chinese names, I never felt
confused because each and every one of them is so crisply
drawn. I had absolutely no idea where it was all going,
but I was enjoying every minute of the ride, and I was as
shocked as Chen when one specific murder occurred, I
hadn't seen that one coming! I loved the marvelous White
Cloud, and I hope it's the not the last we see of this
fabulous character.
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