A Case of Two Cities

by Qiu Xiaolong

Published 16 November 2006
Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau is summoned by an official of the party to take the lead in a corruption investigation - one where the principle figure and his family have long since fled to the United States, beyond the reach of the Chinese government.

But...Read more

Red Mandarin Dress

by Qiu Xiaolong

Published 27 November 2007
When a young girl is found murdered wearing nothing but a torn red mandarin dress, it does not completely surprise Detective Yu. Possibly one of those material girls fallen foul of the triads or a dangerous Mr Big Bucks. Lying low after a corruption investigation that could have tainted...Read more

Enigma of China

by Qiu Xiaolong

Published 18 June 2013

Chief Inspector Chen Cao never had a choice about his career. A poet by training, he was assigned to the Shanghai Police Department after college. To his own surprise, he became an excellent detective, and now he's in line to take over the top political position in the department....

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Death of a Red Heroine

by Qiu Xiaolong

Published 1 July 2003

Now a BBC Radio 4 Drama Series.

Shanghai in 1990. An ancient city in a country that despite the massacre of Tiananmen Square is still in the tight grip of communist control. Chief Inspector Chen, a poet with a sound instinct for self-preservation, knows the city like few others.

When...

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The Mao Case

by Qiu Xiaolong

Published 5 February 2009
Tucked away from the building sites of modernShanghai are the beautiful mansions once owned by the smartest families in 1930sChina. They have since been bought by rich businessmen and high-ranking members of the Communist Party. All except one. The owner is an old painter. Each day he teaches his...Read more

When Red Is Black

by Qiu Xiaolong

Published 1 August 2004
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...Read more

Don't Cry, Tai Lake

by Qiu Xiaolong

Published 8 May 2012

Now a BBC Radio 4 Drama Series.

When Chief Inspector Chen Cao is offered a week's break at a luxurious resort near Lake Tai, he accepts immediately. Increasingly worn out by the politics of his job, the opportunity to relax and recover sounds like heaven.
But the beautiful lake he...

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Shanghai Redemption

by Qiu Xiaolong

Published 10 September 2015
'The system has no place for a cop who puts justice above the interests of the Party. It's a miracle that I survived as long as I did.' For years, Chen Cao managed to balance the interests of the Communist Party and the demands made by his job. He...Read more

A Loyal Character Dancer

by Qiu Xiaolong

Published 1 January 2003

Now a BBC Radio 4 Drama Series.

Former dancer and party loyalist Wen Liping vanishes in rural China just before she was to leave the country. Her husband, a key witness against a smuggling ring suspected of importing aliens to the US, refuses to testify until she is found and...

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