While writing up my notes from the discussion and interview with author of the Inspector Chen novels, Qiu Xiaolong, I had the pleasure of reading the fourth book in the series, A Case of Two Cities. This highly-relevant thriller pits Inspector Chen against criminal land barons and corrupt, high-ranking Communist Party members who are increasingly involved in shady business deals associated with the dramatic economic development in China.

I've written elsewhere (at Blogcritics Magazine and on my own environmental blog) about the environmental problems (and some sparse good news) resulting from China's rapid industrial expansion. The realities of China's New Economics are brought to life by author Qiu in many ways. For example, we meet loyal state workers who live on a fixed pension and can barely survive in the face of inflation, and we learn of people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes in preparation for new skyscrapers and country clubs.

However, there are far more nefarious deeds for Inspector Chen to contend with: the murder of an old friend, threats against his elderly mother and attempts on his own life all occur while Chen deals with intense political danger, in the course of trying to bring rogue officials and businessmen to justice.

The language in A Case of Two Cities is a pleasure, with occasional quotes from classical Chinese poetry and T. S. Eliot, and phrases that echo Eliot's lines sprinkled throughout to capture the mood. Poetry is part of Chen's personal language in the same way that a soundtrack or inner dialog for contemporary U.S. detectives might be based on Rock & Roll, Soul or Hip-Hop lyrics; Qiu's language works so well because he is a poet and translator of poetry, so he can call upon classical Chinese or post-modern poetic imagery to fit a mood as easily as I might conjure up a Bob Dylan lyric. 

The heart of the case is a series of lucrative land deals that could only have been made with insider knowledge of city planning, such as where new subway lines will be constructed and where land will become valuable overnight. The ringleader in the case, Xing, has already fled to the U.S., probably tipped off by colluding officials before an arrest could be made. Xing is now living in Los Angeles, in a mansion next door to the son of a Chinese Politburo member. Xing has also applied for political asylum in the U.S., claiming to be persecuted for political reasons. Outwardly, the Chinese authorities are angry about this request for asylum, but many of these same authorities are Xing’s millionaire partners in crime.

It turns out that much of the empire Xing built was helped along by new luxury clubs that cater to the baser desires of Shanghai businessmen, and, of course, their new interest in golf. Many deals are made because of favors provided in private rooms, along with hard cash in a red envelope, the traditional bribe for Communist Party officials.

Chen tries to reject cynicism while pursuing the case, but this is a battle he loses a little more with each book in the series (Death of a Red Heroine, A Loyal Character Dancer, When Red is Black, and the terrific fifth novel, Red Mandarin Dress). Nevertheless, Inspector Chen works hard to follow his orders to a final conclusion, even if he may be supposed to create more of a spectacle than a real investigation. Can he achieve more than a hollow victory? Will he be able to keep his promises to himself and his dead Chinese friend while pursuing the big fish?

In the middle of a tense Shanghai investigation, Police Inspector Chen is suddenly sent out of the country to lead a literary delegation to the U.S. While startling, this role is not completely incongruous because Chen is a published poet, noted translator of T. S. Eliot and member of the Chinese Writers' Association as well as a police inspector; he had hoped to pursue an academic career before the government diverted his career to the police force. However, the timing of this assignment is highly suspicious and the reasoning unclear: is it to remove him from the scene in Shanghai or to bring him close to the fugitive Xing? For that matter, what exactly is the purpose of the literary delegation? It starts out innocently enough, but after a week, nearly everyone involved seems to have a hidden agenda and several are keeping an eye on Chen. As leader of the group, Chen is in the uncomfortable position of having to lead daily political study sessions.

With Chen in America, his associate Detective Yu must carry on the investigation in Shanghai. Yu is essentially alone except for his wife and father, a retired policeman known as Old Hunter. These three try to keep Chen's elderly mother safe while tracking down Xing's hidden half-brother, Ming, who may still be in China and, because of the power of Chinese filial piety, could help unravel the case. Ming was the intermediary who obtained insider information from corrupt Director Jiang of the Shanghai City Land Development Office.

His part of the investigation shifted to the U.S., Inspector Chen wonders if he'll have a chance to rekindle his relationship with his American friend Catherine Rohn, the U.S. Marshal he met in A Loyal Character Dancer. Chen wonders about other questions, also: how will his estranged High-Society girlfriend, ensconced in the politics of Beijing, help or hurt his chances for survival? Are Politburo members trying to derail Chen's work when he discovers too much, are they trying to put him in harm's way, or are there even more layers of intrigue to sift through? With the battle raging on so many fronts, Chen must plan his attack like a master of the Chinese chess game, Wei Qi (better known in the U.S. by its Japanese name, go).

The interaction of the Chinese literary delegation with American writers and academics reveals misunderstandings of cuisine and culture, bitter and amusing ironies, and ignorance of history: expatriate Chinese are producing “deep sea fish oil” coveted in China for its "Made in the U.S.A." label; proud Chinese delegates could find no copies of their books in the university library, let alone the bookstore.  Key quotes include: 

• Nonsmoking area… Is this a free country?
• I talked to an American student today...They believe that Hong Kong belongs to Britain (and) know nothing of the Opium War.  There is nothing in their textbooks.
• Pearl told me that Pizza Hut is a cheap fast-food restaurant here.  In Beijing, it is a high-end place.
• What an irony.  We never had fortune cookies in China.