A Case of Two Cities has all the steamy stuff of a thriller: a tip-off about a scandal in the back rooms of a karaoke centre, a dead high-level detective in a compromising situation, and a strange cover-up coming from top-level Internal Security. Throw in the fact that this is 1990s China, and you know that political shenanigans are abrewing.In Qiu's fourth novel, Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Buereau is assigned to investigate the corruption case of a high official, Xing Xing, who has fled to Los Angeles. Chen suspects this is more than a corruption case, and must figure out who is playing what at the top of the food chain. The plot thickens when someone he questions ends up dead, and Chen is unexpectedly assigned to head a delegation of Chinese writers to a literature conference in the States -- though he's not entirely there on literary business, of course. Poet Chen, who was an English student assigned to the police force by the government when he graduated, again faces the struggle to maintain his integrity without commiting political suicide. He constantly quotes from Tang and Song poetry, and translations of these poems appear in every other chapter.Though it sounds gimmicky, these are actually very organically done, and harken back to classical Chinese stories which were interspersed with poetry. Those who just want to get on to the story can skip these, but you might as well read them since they add to the flavour of the book. The only way Qiu could do it better is if he could print the Chinese original as well, just for comparison's sake. Qiu even throws in a 60-plus line poem of his own, under the guise of being written by Chen, in a tribute to Eliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.Shanghai-born Qiu writes about the city with a somewhat detached air, in part because he has been based in the States since the Tiananmen Square massacre. For a poet, his turns of phrase are not particularly remarkable, the most distinctive things being his listing of all manner of food items like xiao pork, soup buns, fried rice-paddy eel and water-immersed beef, perhaps betraying the Chinese emigre's yearning for decent food. He also juxtaposes high-end restaurants where the new rich dine to traditional water shops where an old couple linger over cups of tea and homemade cakes.Still, there is a good sense of Shanghai in the 1990s is frothing, boiing with ambition yet reigned in by a bureaucracy that is mysterious and sinister. Admittedly, the mystery which frames the novel is not really a mystery that the reader can actually guess along with, since Chen does not so much uncover clues as get deeper and deeper into the opaque machinations beyond his control. The novel is less Sherlock Holmes and more Kinky Friedman, whose tales are more a tribute to New York City, with the mystery an excuse to go poking around in various corners.
This one's a page-turner, with the added bonus of a marvelous parody of T. S. Eliot's "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock." The two cities in question are Shanghai and St. Louis, although there's a stop in L.A. along the way. Chen is investigating corruption in China and naturally those in high places are ready to protect themselves and their cronies. When Chen's investigation stirs them up, he is ordered to take two weeks off and lead a delegation of poets to a conference in the USA, where the subject of his investigation is seeking political asylum. His American friend Catherine turns up in St. Louis to interpret for the group and her help is key to the success of his investigation.If you know the series, you will recognize many familiar characters, but I particularly enjoyed the incidental comedy of the Chinese poets and their clashing personalities and opinions, especially their behavior when they visit a riverboat casino. As usual, there is wonderful poetry along the way - St. Louis itself inspires some lyrical passages, which may seem odd unless you've been there. Qiu is the kind of writer who, like Chen, finds poetry wherever he goes...
What do You think about A Case Of Two Cities (2006)?
Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau is a different kind of police officer. He studied poetry at University before being assigned to the police force by the Communist Party on his graduation. He is a very thorough and competent officer who uses a blend of police techniques and connections to solve his case. He also must always take into consideration any political impacts from his investigations as there is a Communist Party member in the police station who monitors everything that happens.This book is set primarily in the US and not China (like its predecessors) and is not as enjoyable as a result as it lost touch with the authentic Chinese flavour I enjoy so much in the books.While reading this book I had an insight - the majority of people in any system want to do the right thing. Most people are fair and want to do a good job. The difficulties in a workplace are usually caused by people who get promoted for the wrong reasons - nepotism or some other form of favouritism. In a communist environment it seems more likely that the best person for the job is less likely to be appointed leading to further level of inefficeincy in the system.I would recommend this book strongly to anyone who has an interest in the growth of the awakening global giant.
—Graham
I was disappointed in this novel - I very much enjoyed his first, but this one, though interesting, is laboured and heavy. It is inartistic to have Chinese characters explaining things to each other that they obviously know - such as the problem of corruption - for the benefit of a supposed ignorant western audience. The romance between Chen and the American policewoman is feeble too - and the constant quotes from Chinese poetry begin to pall. I wonder whether residence in America has made Qiu Xiaolong's grasp of Shanghai a little blunt. The pace of change is furious and hard to keep up with from a distance.
—Ralph Britton
Inspector Chen is a poet as well as a member of the Shanghai Police Department. He also supplements his meager income as a police officer in China by translating mystery books. The book includes digressions about poetry, which Chen quotes at times, and Chen's knowledge of Chinese literature informs his approach to the job. Though liberal, he is a member of the Chinese Communist party and I enjoyed how that influenced the narrative. If you insist on a fast pace and skim parts of books without conflict you may not enjoy this one, but a couple of bodies do pile up and Chen keeps his dignity intact without being a superhero.It's beach reading for Comparative Literature majors and their like-minded brethren.
—Jonathan Peto
