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heatherp23's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pillywiggin's review against another edition
5.0
Inspector Chen never disappoints. This is a mystery Chen becomes involved in while on vacation. It is very interesting to see how the inspector balances politics with trying to insure an innocent person is not convicted of the crime. There is also a touch of vacation romance.
cdeane61's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting for its take on the problems facing modern China, its snippets of ancient and contemporary Chinese poetry, and of course the mystery that ultimately involves Chief Inspector Chen.
this is the first I have read of this series, and based on my experience, I may go back and read the original (Death of a Red Heroine) or one of the 7 (?) or so Inspector Chen novels available.
I suspect much of the character development for the inspector has been laid out in the previous novels, yet this one has enough to offer as a stand-alone dip into the inspectors world.
As for the plot - Chen is offered a free vacation in the stead of a high ranking party official, and told to "keep his eyes open" and report back to said offical. Try as he might to get in some vacation time, the pollution in the lake, a managers murder, and his involvement with a lovely young environmentalist, keep him very busy indeed.
this is the first I have read of this series, and based on my experience, I may go back and read the original (Death of a Red Heroine) or one of the 7 (?) or so Inspector Chen novels available.
I suspect much of the character development for the inspector has been laid out in the previous novels, yet this one has enough to offer as a stand-alone dip into the inspectors world.
As for the plot - Chen is offered a free vacation in the stead of a high ranking party official, and told to "keep his eyes open" and report back to said offical. Try as he might to get in some vacation time, the pollution in the lake, a managers murder, and his involvement with a lovely young environmentalist, keep him very busy indeed.
frooblie's review against another edition
3.0
The pollution part of the story was pedantic and it lacked the joy in minute details of Chinese life that I remember from the early books. And the resolution of the love interest left me feeling like she was purely a plot device. Even so, I love Chen Cao, and I did enjoy the book. It's great how Qiu can discuss important issues in China while still obviously loving it. A nice change from many of the books about China written for foreigners.
indio_ink's review against another edition
4.0
This is not the first novel of Qiu Xiaolong I've read and I hope it won't be the last.
In this novel"","" he takes on the issue of pollution"","" specifically"","" the strain between China's economic boom and the natural and human resources this boom cannot help but feed on. It starts off a bit predictably at first"","" with his quotations of poetry and short descriptions of Chinese dishes local to the settings of his novels. Also"","" the cumbersome discourse of environmental law and protection gets in the way although the author does try to justify this through the development of various characters in this murder investigation. In the end though"","" he manages to save the novel as his maddeningly slow development of a romantic subplot blossoms"","" just as his hero"","" Inspector Chen unravels the murder's puzzle with all the panache of an actor of Chinese opera or of a poet solving the puzzle which is his own poem.
In this novel"","" he takes on the issue of pollution"","" specifically"","" the strain between China's economic boom and the natural and human resources this boom cannot help but feed on. It starts off a bit predictably at first"","" with his quotations of poetry and short descriptions of Chinese dishes local to the settings of his novels. Also"","" the cumbersome discourse of environmental law and protection gets in the way although the author does try to justify this through the development of various characters in this murder investigation. In the end though"","" he manages to save the novel as his maddeningly slow development of a romantic subplot blossoms"","" just as his hero"","" Inspector Chen unravels the murder's puzzle with all the panache of an actor of Chinese opera or of a poet solving the puzzle which is his own poem.
cel_red's review against another edition
2.0
En realidad 2.5. Está entretenido y se lee rápido, pero es muy predecible y ningún personaje me gustó realmente. Además Chen, el prota, me desesperaba mucho.
https://bitviajera.blogspot.com/2015/10/libro-el-crimen-del-lago.html
https://bitviajera.blogspot.com/2015/10/libro-el-crimen-del-lago.html
marystevens's review
2.0
Famous but low echelon Chinese cop vacations at exclusive Comm Party resort, falls in love, solves a murder, becomes an environmentalist, all with lots of Chinese poetry thrown in. Too topical, stilted dialogue, but an ingenious mystery, clue wise. Still, you know whodunit from pretty early on. Don't know why I plowed through it.
jufira42's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
thesawyerbean's review
3.0
This book told of Chief Inspector Chen who, whilst on holiday in Wuxi, managed to find himself investigating the murder or Mr Lui, the CEO of a chemical company. With the environmental degradation of Tai Lake and the surrounding areas as a backdrop, Qiu Xiaolong provides an almost political slander on the disregard for the economic reform's effect on the environment and the biased judicial system which serves this view.
Alongside this was a romance between Chen and a suspect, Shanshan. It added another texture to the novel but it wasn't all that exciting at the same time.
I personally found Chen to be a very aggravating character. He would be the kind of person I would hate to exist around, simply for the fact he liked to throw his intellectual weight around by quoting poetry and proverbs like they're nothing and expressing just how advanced a poet and literate he is. How pretentious can one man be? I don't think the intermittent poetry really added anything to the story whatsoever, and I found myself skipping over it whenever it arose. That may just be because I kind of vehemently despise most poetry, but it honestly just seemed exceedingly pointless.
Other than that, a pretty decent book: not the best, not the worst. It hasn't exactly sparked a new found love of Crime novels, however, and I will probably continue to not read them very often.
Alongside this was a romance between Chen and a suspect, Shanshan. It added another texture to the novel but it wasn't all that exciting at the same time.
I personally found Chen to be a very aggravating character. He would be the kind of person I would hate to exist around, simply for the fact he liked to throw his intellectual weight around by quoting poetry and proverbs like they're nothing and expressing just how advanced a poet and literate he is. How pretentious can one man be? I don't think the intermittent poetry really added anything to the story whatsoever, and I found myself skipping over it whenever it arose. That may just be because I kind of vehemently despise most poetry, but it honestly just seemed exceedingly pointless.
Other than that, a pretty decent book: not the best, not the worst. It hasn't exactly sparked a new found love of Crime novels, however, and I will probably continue to not read them very often.
jennoctavia's review
3.0
3.5/5
My first book from the author, I randomly picked it from library.
The story started when the Inspector Chen went for unexpected vacation and tangled in unexpected murder case.
It was interesting book mix with poetry. I enjoyed reading the book although I kinda know who the murderer is half through the book, thats the reason why it is 3.5/5.
My first book from the author, I randomly picked it from library.
The story started when the Inspector Chen went for unexpected vacation and tangled in unexpected murder case.
It was interesting book mix with poetry. I enjoyed reading the book although I kinda know who the murderer is half through the book, thats the reason why it is 3.5/5.