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    When Red Is Black
    When Red Is Black
    When Red Is Black
    Audiobook10 hours

    When Red Is Black

    Written by Qiu Xiaolong

    Narrated by David Shih

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When the murder of a woman is reported to the Shanghai police while Inspector Chen is on vacation, Sergeant Yu is forced to take charge of the investigation. The victim, Yin Lige, a novelist known for her banned book, has been found dead in her tiny, humble room off the stairwell of a converted multi-family house. It seems that only a neighbor could have committed the crime, for the building is kept locked at night. But there is no apparent motive. Sergeant Yu tries to unravel the reclusive woman's past and begins to realize it may have larger political implications. The Cultural Revolution might be more than thirty years in the past, but its effects can still be felt at every level of Chinese society.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateFeb 6, 2018
    ISBN9781977371072
    When Red Is Black
    Author

    Qiu Xiaolong

    Anthony Award winning author Qiu Xiaolong was born in Shanghai and moved to Washington University in St Louis, US, to complete a PhD degree in comparative literature. After the Tiananmen tragedy in 1989 he stayed on in St Louis where he still lives with his wife. Qiu's sold over two million copies of his Inspector Chen mysteries worldwide and been published in twenty languages. On top of his fiction, he is a prize-winning writer of poetry. All the titles in the Inspector Chen series, including Hold Your Breath, China, have been dramatized in BBC Radio 4 productions. www.qiuxiaolong.com

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    Reviews for When Red Is Black

    3.5/5

    163 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A story as much about the rapid changes in chinese society as crimesolving. I really liked it.
    • 4/5
      Another great book featuring Inspector Chen. This book also features more of Detective Yu's point of view, as well as a chapter or two following his wife. It was different to have so much more of the case given through Yu's perspective, but it worked with the story line, and I enjoyed getting to know his character even better. As usual, Chen is full of wonderful lines of ancient poetry, which really adds something unique to the novel. Also, I enjoy the real-life look at modern China. The casework in this book had me wondering what really happened right up until the end. I've found that this series mixes the general murder-mystery genre with a sort of peacefulness in the pacing of the story. There is urgency, but at the same time, it's not a crazy, action-packed thriller. For me, it's a nice change of pace, since I don't typically read mysteries. I'm definitely going to keep picking up these novels. Can't wait to read the next one!
    • 3/5
      The look at life in Shanghai in the 1990s was more interesting than the murder mystery but it was still a satisfying mystery.
    • 4/5
      As the third book in the Inspector Chen mystery series, When Red is Black took me a bit longer to get into it than the previous novels, but for obvious enough reasons. Whereas the first two books in the series remained focused on Inspector Chen, this installment has a dual focus on him and his lead detective. The book's blurb didn't suggest this in any way at all, so although I enjoyed getting to know Yu and his family, the split focus of the book just wasn't what I was expecting, and I think my reading experience suffered for it. That said, Xiaolong's style and narrative still sucked me in, and I ended up really enjoying the book. I imagine that future books in the series with a split focus like this will be easier to slip into (assuming there'll be some), but Chen's character is still such that I hope most of the books simply focus on him.In any case, I'd certainly recommend it to fans of the earlier books in the series, though I'm not sure it's capable of quite the same power of inertia. One way or another, I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in the series.
    • 4/5
      When Red is Black is the third in the Inspector Chen mysteries, which are based in Shanghai in the 1990's. They feature Chief Inspector Chen Cao and his partner Detective Yu Guangming of the Shanghai Police Bureau, who are responsible for Special Cases (mostly politically sensitive.)Detective Yu finds himself investigating the murder of Yin Lige, a university lecturer and author of a semi-autobiographical novel "Death of a Chinese Professor" about an illicit affair she had with an older Professor, while both were at a re-education camp. Meanwhile, Inspector Chen is on vacation as he has been asked to work on a translation of a proposal for a new shopping and office development in Shanghai, so that it can attract American investment.This series is fascinating, portraying China, and in particular Shanghai, at a point of transition. The Cultural Revolution, and all its effects, belong to the recent past for the characters, yet at the same time Shanghai can be seen to be heading toward the modern city it is now.This particular book gives Detective Yu a chance to shine, as, with Chen on vacation, he is in charge of the case. I appreciated seeing things from his perspective, rather than that of the "high-flyer" Chen. I also liked seeing his wife take an active role, and the relationship between them, and their son. Chen's venture into the slightly murky world ofguanxi in the real estate business was equally interesting for me. One of the strengths of the author is being able to let you see how the characters way of thinking has been influenced both by their experiences and the world around them.I will admit that Iwasn't all that interested in how the crime took place or who was responsible. In many ways, the mystery is not really important. Instead it is the depiction of the city and time the characters inhabit. I will definitely be reading more of this series.Why I picked it up: I enjoyed the first two in the series, and because I'm currently living in Shanghai and it's interesting to see the changes.
    • 4/5
      he third book featuring Inspector Chen from Shangai, and just as interesting as the first. Apart from the murder mystery, the complexity of life in a rapidly changing society is vividly rendered. Chen has risen through the ranks and has become "connected" in different area's of society but "There are things a man can do, and things a man cannot do." I loved the first book, and only liked the second, but am more enthousiastic again about this third one.
    • 4/5
      Good Chinese atmosphere.
    • 4/5
      Detective story set in Shanghai. The chief detective is a poet and along the way we learn much about the major changes transforming 21st century China. Better than average.
    • 4/5
      This is a wonderful mystery, one of a series about a Chinese police inspector, Inspector Chen, in Shanghai, China. These books can be read in any order, and still enjoyed. The storyline is intriguing, the characters are real, and life in modern China is vividly described. I especially like the Chinese poetry quoted. This story is worth reading, and rereading :)
    • 4/5
      As with the earlier books in this series, this is of interest more for its depiction of life in Shanghai in a pivotal time than for its mystery. I am becoming very fond of the characters, though, and plan to continue reading the series.
    • 4/5
      A murder mystery wrapped in the cultural changes of modern China--from the Cultural Revolution Red Guard to modern Shanghai's entrepreneurs, capitalists within socialism. The details of the socio-cultural changes are as interesting as the mystery. And there's added interest from the Chinese aphorisms and snippets of Tang poetry scattered throughout.