Crime Fiction from China

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Carl Hiaasen / Bill Montalbano (1998) A Death in China.

American professor traveling in China gets entangled in a web of violence, lies, treachery, and state secrets, as he investigates his friend's sudden "death by duck". Claustrophobic!

Ruth Rendell (1984) The Speaker of Mandarin. (First published 1983)

With a group of tourists, Chief Inspector Wexford is visiting ancient tombs and palaces in China. After their return to England, one of the tourists is found murdered. As Wexford's questions the other members of the group, he finds so many secrets of greed, treachery, theft, and adultery, that everyone seems to be guilty.

Lisa See (1997) Flower Net.

Inspector Liu Hulan, a privileged daughter of one of Chairman Mao's aides, investigates the death of the American ambassador's son as well as that of a wealthy Chinese businessman. This brings her to California, where she teams up with Assistant U.S. Attorney David Stark. The cultural contrast gives the story a background beyond the usual espionage thriller.

Robert van Gulik (1994) The Emperor's Pearl: A Judge Dee Mystery.

In China's Tang Dynasty (7th century) Dee Jen-Djieh was a famous magistrate and inquisitor. Van Gulik's classical crime novels are often based on actual cases of the historical figure. In this novel detective Judge Dee investigates two deaths in Poo-yang. Gulik's story of greed, passion, fear and lust vividly portrays life in ancient China.

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