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A Case of Two Cities [Paperback]

Qiu Xiaolong
3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Book Description

10 Jan 2008
Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau is summoned by an official of the Party to lead a highly charged corruption investigation. Tentacles have spread through the police force, the civil service, the vice trade and deep into the criminal underworld. The principal figure and his family have long since fled to the United States, beyond the reach of the Chinese government. But the network is still intact and it is only a matter of time before it becomes stronger than before.

Chen is charged - and it is a job he cannot refuse - with uncovering those responsible, and destroying the organisation from the top down to its roots. In a twisting case that reunites him with his counterpart from the US Marshals service - Inspector Catherine Rohn - Chen must find a measure of justice in a corrupt, expedient world.

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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: Sceptre (10 Jan 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0340898534
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340898536
  • Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 2.6 x 19.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 351,205 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'Chen is a great creation, an honourable man in a world full of deception and treachery'

(Guardian )

'A luminescent synthesis of a thriller and a literary novel' (Independent on A LOYAL CHARACTER DANCER)

'Stupendous . . . It does what detective fiction can do best: it captures the details, the grit of everyday life . . . A matchless pearl.'

(Fresh Air, National Public Radio, USA on DEATH OF A RED HEROINE)

'A vivid portrait of modern Chinese society ... full of the sights, sounds and smells of Shanghai.'

(Wall Street Journal )

'Gripping . . . Chen stands in a class with Martin Cruz Smith's Russian investigator, Arkady Renko, and P.D. James's Scotland Yard inspector, Adam Dalgliesh.'

(Publishers Weekly starred review)

'With strong and subtle characterisation, Qui Xiaolong draws us into a fascinating world where the greatest mystery revealed is the mystery of present-day China itself'

(John Harvey)

About the Author

Qiu Xiaolong was born in Shanghai. He was selected for membership of the Chinese Writers` Association and published poetry, translations and criticism in China. He has lived in the United States since 1989 and has an M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature awarded by Washington University. His work has been published in many literary magazines in America and in several anthologies. He has been the recipient of the Missouri Biennial Award, the Prairie Schooner Readers` Choice Award, a Yaddo and a Ford Foundation Fellowship. He lives in St. Louis with his wife and daughter.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars The Fourth Book in the Inspector Chen Series 18 Feb 2008
By Sarah Durston TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
'A Case of Two Cities' is the fourth book in the Inspector Chen series. This time Chen is called upon to look into corruption across all levels of the Communist party. The previous officer charged with this duty was found dead in a brothel having taken a large dose of 'Chinese viagra' - seemingly framed and unable to clear his name. The stakes are high for Chen and he is in considerable danger as he pursues the Triad businessman, Xing.

It is as the investigation gets underway that Chen is sent to America to head a Chinese Writer's Conference and he reunites with his 'love interest' from one of the earlier novels - Catherine Rohn.

I had been becoming steadily more and more disappointed wth this series as I feel that none of the subsequent books match up to the first book in this series, 'Death of a Red Heroine'. This novel is slightly more involved, but again does not have the same depth of plot or character. Taking Chen away from Shanghai was also a brave move but it was quite nice to see him away from his usual environment.

Whilst you could read this novel on its own, it might be better to start at the beginning and work through, just so you can see the development of the charaters. I still don't think any of the other books in the series have lived up to 'Death of a Red Heroine' but this is still a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Pat45
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I read this book out of sequence because of some indifferent reviews. I enjoyed the book enormously & regret not reading it in sequence. I enjoyed the parts set in China & then the switch to the USA. I would recommend this book & having now read the whole series look forward to the next book.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Poor very 8 Jun 2010
Format:Perfect Paperback
Granted Qiu's first language is not English but seriously how could the editors have let this through? Maybe the publishers should have spent some more money on editing the thing as it felt like it was written by somebody in school. I felt it required reading of the previous books to get some insight and to be honest it felt like it was flogging a dead horse just to eek out a bit more money from the series.

But the plot is thin and it seems almost starship troopers monologs through the book to describe things.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Poetic justice 30 Aug 2011
Format:Paperback
Inspector Chen and his associate Detective Yu unpeel some of the layers of Chinese corruption, pursuing their investigations in Shanghai and the US. Chen is astute enough to recognise the constraints and to secure the best outcome in the circumstances. Lots of conversations where things are said obliquely or, more significantly, left unsaid, and lots of working through connections which characterise modern China. Extracts from classic Chinese poetry illuminate and inform.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Just as good! 5 Nov 2010
Format:Perfect Paperback
I simply cannot agree with the majority of the reviews. This the third of the series I have read ("A Loyal Character Dancer" is sadly out of print)and I felt it was as good as his first - with his new role in the second half of the book as Head of a visiting Delegation in the United States adding an interesting dimension (not least with the group dynamics). The information on Chinese eating is still there - with the contact with the Chinese community. My habit - generally with non-fiction books - is to pencil mark passages I would want to return to; fiction books have to be crafted very well to justify such marking and this was the first of the Chen books to get such marks! I particularly enjoyed the cheeky episode where he slipped into the role of a soothsayer!
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3.0 out of 5 stars Inspector Chen Goes To America 7 April 2010
Format:Perfect Paperback
Not as good as the other Inspector Chen books, but it was great to get reacquainted with him anyway..
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3.0 out of 5 stars Informative but not a great story 4 Nov 2008
By Sana
Format:Paperback
This book gives an excellent account of China, with a very good description of the political landscape. It has a great plot too - but it lacks in living up to all of this. The story starts strong and you learn a lot from it, but it leaves you longing for more.
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3.0 out of 5 stars A little dip in a beautiful series 21 Sep 2007
Format:Hardcover
Suddenly in a succesful series the author swithes from his/her usual location (in this case Shanghai) and confronts his hero with a strange culture. In this book it works but barely. Let's get Inspector Chen back to Shanghai. Partir c'est mourir un peu.
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