Welcome to Litsy!

Inspector Chen is taking vacation time to work on a translation and so takes something of a back seat in this story of the murder of a dissident writer, with most of the investigation being undertaken by Detective Yu.

It is still the picture of Chinese life during the transition from communism to a mixed economy under Deng Xiaoping that fascinates me, though the mystery element gets better with each installment.

This is a book for everyone who's interested in China and its society. In the west we barely know how Chinese people feel and think, especially when it comes to the Cultural Revolution. The author, living and working in America, helps the reader understand a strange and foreign culture via his book.

#LitsyAtoz X 24th on my crime challenge was 3rd in series set in 1990's China. The plot in these books for me takes 2nd place to the picture of the culture in a communist China dealing with the gradually creeping influence of capitalism. Insp chen is a poet policeman, a great character as is his colleague yu. The highlight is however the description of food.

#bizness #nofemmeber
Weirdly the chapter of the book im on for X in my crime A-Z seemed littered with business references including insp chen translating a contract from Chinese to english, and the conflict of capitalism against communism. But i cannot resist a book which includes some local food description even braised tripe.

I'm currently on an Inspector Chen binge and really enjoying the books especially the historical aspects of communist China and the day-to-day realities of living in 90s Shanghai. I can't wait to find out what happens to Detective Yu's family!