Death of a Red Heroine

Inspector Chen Series, Book 1

By: Qiu Xiaolong

Narrated by: David Shih

Qiu Xiaolong's Anthony Award-winning debut introduces Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police.

A young "national model worker," renowned for her adherence to the principles of the Communist Party, turns up dead in a Shanghai canal.

As Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Special Cases Bureau struggles to trace the hidden threads of her past, he finds himself challenging the very political forces that have guided his life since birth. Chen must tiptoe around his superiors if he wants to get to the bottom of this crime, and risk his career-perhaps even his life-to see justice done.

©2000 Qiu Xiaolong (P)2017 Tantor

interesting insight into Chinese an Chines Culture

The book was a nice peek into Chinese culture and how PRC society functions. The ending had a different version of a plot twist; but nevertheless, it illustrated well how the government twist things to continue it's control over the population. The added literary references an added bonus.

Very good!

The story keeps your interest until the very end.. But it is also intriguing because of its description of everyday life in the 1990's in Communist China . There is tension between the character's desire to live an honorable life seeking justice and what is "in the best interests of the Party". Also notable in presenting both modern and traditional poetry and descriptions of food.

Interesting but slow

Not really a detective story but rather a police procedural novel with insight into the impact of communist party struggle between old and new. A bit sad as recently in China. the party has grown in power.

worth it for the history

Narrator David Shih is pretty good, but the storyline is far too slow-moving for the first half. I appreciated the picture of Chinese history, along with the subtleties, and terrors, of party politics. Qiu’s perspective is valuable, and I will read more to see if his plots get better, and clearer.

interesting for cultural context.

the story is nteresting for cultural context. but the investigation itself lacked suspense and intrigue.