Death of a Red Heroine

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Summary: A Chinese "Gorky Park"
Review: "Death of a Red Heroine" does for Shanghai and China in the'90s what "Gorky Park" did for Moscow and Russia in the 80s. It is a spell-binding mystery that transcends the genre to offer insight into the lives of ordinary Chinese in the aftermath of Tiananmen Square. This is a rare book that rewards the reader with a great detective story --and opens the door to another culture.

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Summary: Intriguing but talky glimpse into another culture
Review: "Death of a Red Heroine" is a police procedural with a twist - the victim is a Chinese "national role model worker" and Shanghai police Chief Inspector Chen Cao must conduct his investigation under the scrutiny of Party officials concerned more with political correctness than justice. Chen, a poet whose promotion beyond more experienced peers in the police department was politically motivated, is an unlikely but engaging hero. His story unfolds at a leisurely pace, as the author provides a fascinating look at a nation in transition as revealed in the daily lives of the people of Shanghai in the early 1990's. Chen muses poetically on the changes he observes in society, struggles with his literary and career aspirations, and finds unsettling parallels between the victim's life and his own. Several of the supporting characters are well-rounded and provide an alternate take on the same events. Unfortunately, the author frequently forgets to "show, not tell." Too often he explains, rather than illustrates, the web of family and political relationships that underlie his characters' actions; too often, he follows evocative verses with dry interpretations rather than trust readers to make the connections on their own. And too many of the supporting characters are thin caricatures. "Death of a Red Heroine" is a promising debut, well worth reading for its lyrical descriptions of the details of daily life in a society about which most Americans know little.

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Summary: mystery with a twist
Review: "Death of a Red Heroine" is a wonderful subversion of the Mystery genre. Even with all the elements of a mystery - a dead body, entwining clues, dark and powerful conspiracies - the book ends in an anti-climax - a sort of twisted poetic justice. The suspect emerged in the middle of the book was never vacated by new discovered evidences as a standard mystery would require. And half of the drama - physically half of the book - is about how to bring charges against the suspect! In fighting the big political machine in a world where everything is politicized, Detective Chen ironically finds himself the one facing prosecution (and is not entirely guilt free). Even though he manages to pull it off and have the murderer punished(and even have a hot rendezvous with his long-lost love), the triumph is dubious to say the least. The "weapon" used in the murder - power endowed through political connections - is paradoxically also called for to achieve the eventual "justice".
The author wove all these complexities together craftily, juxtaposing the poetic, the existentialistic, and the Kafkaesque. But the lengthy and too frequent quotes of Chinese classical poems can be a little bit contrived and sometimes hinder the flow of the narrative.

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Summary: Advance praise for Death of a Red Heroine:
Review: "A wonderful many-faceted gem of a book!" --William Marshall, The Yellowthread Street Mystery series

"A brilliant debut...I cannot imagine any readers, including fellow whodunit addicts, who would want to miss this fine novel, which makes a strong bid for a place in lasting literature." --Mona Van Duyn, U.S.Poet Laureate, 1992-93

"In 'Death of a Red Heroine' China is not only the setting; it is a major player...Qiu deftly leads the reader to the creepy realization that the background is politically alive and functioning...Raw, naked power is at the core of both the murder and its investigation, but its manifestations are anything but predictable in this splendid first work." --Robert E. Hegel, Prof. of Chinese and Comparative Literature, Washington University

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Summary: from Kirkus (starred review)
Review: "An engrossing first novel set in China during the 1990s that begins as a simple police procedural and then just keeps on getting more complex...Chen is an irresistible protagonist, likable and determined to make the honorable choices, no matter how dangerous. Qiu's portrait of China in transition, a potential eye-opener for many of his Western readers, is an equally compelling attraction."

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Summary: from Fresh Air (NPR)
Review: "Stupendous...vivid picture of China in the 1990s on the verge of historic shift into capitalism..." --Maureen Corrigan

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Summary: from Fresh Air (NPR)
Review: "Stupendous...What's so brilliant about this novel, besides its hard-boiled intricate plot and suddenly developed characters, is its vivid picture of China in the 1990s on the verge of an historic shift into capitalism...a matchless pearl." --Maureen Corrigan

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Summary: Great!
Review: A great book, one of my favorites of the year.

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Summary: Literature Meets Detective Story
Review: As a former colleague of Xiaolong Qui, I had the pleasure of reading an early draft of this novel. I thought then and I still believe it is a unique melding of literary and detective genres. Those interested in China will be easily engrossed in Inspector Chen's world and certainly willing to read through the passages on its political and social history. While some may find the historical passages didactic, they are necessary to a storyline dependent upon an understanding of these forces. And these characters lived in my mind a long time after reading them.

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Summary: Fascinating but leaves some questions
Review: As a murder mystery that leads you through the political sludge weighting down China in 1990 to the eventual disclosure of why the murder was committed with a twist to the bad guy getting what's due him, the story line is terrific. Since the author teaches Chinese literature in the US and loves poetry, the snippets from classical Chinese poetry made for a pleasant and unusual frosting on the cake. I was left wondering how this murder mystery if written for a mainland Chinese audience would differ. Does the author get back to China often enough to stay in touch and to have kept the book authentic? Or is it a series of snapshots of how life was when he left with no hints as to how China has changed since then? Or is it very much like life is there now? How authentic are the descriptions of a Chinese big city detective division? I felt that the perfunctory bedroom scene towards the end was written in rather limp deference to current US style. The action all takes place early in 1990 but the author keeps referring to the "1990's" in the past tense as if he weren't sure about what time he was trying to place the reader in. The device of suddenly giving the protagonist a promotion, in another agency, that enables him to speedily bring about the conclusion seemed like the author was told to finish it up fast. The author deserved a better editor. Another question: is Hsiao-lung Ch'iu the author's name also? The cover gives only Qiu Xiaolong. Unless you're a speed reader it will take more than a couple of hours. Best to set aside a rainy day, it's a long book and you won't want to set it down until you're done.

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