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Death of a RED Heroine |
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 Death of a RED Heroine byQiu Xiaolong Soho Press, Inc. ISBN 1569471932 480 Pages, June 2000 Reviewed by Marion E. Cason Qiu Xiaolong is an award-winning author and poet. He now teaches at Washington University, St.Louis. - Editor Newly promoted Chief Inspector of the Homicide Division in the Shanghai Police Bureau, Chen Cao is assigned an apartment - another instance of the unfair new cadre policy. To celebrate his good fortune, Chen gives a housewarming party inviting an old friend Overseas Chinese Lu, his second in command Zhou Kejia, and a news reporter Wang Feng. During the party, the officer on duty calls to report that a body has been found. Sensing the hostile tone in the officer's voice, Chen offers to go to the site of the murder. The officer said it could wait until morning, and after all, Chen cannot send his houseguests home early. The body is identified as Guan Hongying, a National Model Worker for the Party. Party Secretary Li Guohua tells Chen to keep him informed of the investigation and to keep the murder out of the papers. He believes this is a political case and must be conducted with speed, silence and sensitivity. Chen disagrees. He believes it is a straight murder case. There are few clues and lots of misleading information. When Wu Xiaoming, son of a high cadre family, becomes the leading suspect, Li takes Chen off the case and temporarily assigns him to another area. Zhou is also assigned to another district. The Party expects the two will drop the case and not find the motive and evidence needed to prove the case. Throughout the book, Qiu weaves details about Chinese life in the early 1990's, the political atmosphere, and quotes from Confucius. Chen, a poet and translator of T.S. Eliot, writes couplets while he is evaluating the evidence in this murder case. Faced with the Party's dismissal, Chen realizes he actually has a choice: Bend to the party's wishes and sacrifice his morals, or quit and become a teacher and poet full time. Qiu has written a raw and powerful first book about the Chinese, the struggles they face daily, and murder. I look forward to reading more adventures of Chief Inspector Chen Cao. |
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