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.