{"product_id":"a-loyal-character-dancer-isbn-9781569473412","title":"A Loyal Character Dancer","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe second book in the Inspector Chen investigations\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInspector Chen’s mentor in the Shanghai Police Bureau has assigned him to escort US Marshal Catherine Rohn. Her mission is to bring Wen, the wife of a witness in an important criminal trial, to the United States. Inspector Rohn is already en route when Chen learns that Wen has unaccountably vanished from her village in Fujian. Or is this just what he is supposed to believe? Chen resents his role; he would rather investigate the triad killing in Shanghai’s beautiful Bund Park. Li insists that saving face with Inspector Rohn takes priority. So Chen Cao, the ambitious son of a father who imbued him with Confucian precepts, must tread warily as he tries once again to be a good cop, a good man and also a loyal Party member.“Another wonderful novel featuring Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police Bureau.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s “Fresh Air” and \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eWashington Post Book World\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A luminescent synthesis of a thriller and a literary novel.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A sequel that in many ways is even more impressive [than the original] . . . we begin to realize that Chen is ideally suited not only to police work but also to the fine art of political survival. [Qiu] has moved from the poetic, exotic milieu of his first book (although plenty of both elements remain) into a tougher, wider, probably more commercial and modern vision of China as seen by America.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eChicago Tribune\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Qiu's second mystery is a treat.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSt. Louis Post-Dispatch\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Enchanting . . . Shanghai under the masterful literary talents of Qiu Xiaolong, is described with breathtaking realism.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eTampa Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The travelogue aspects of this novel don't overwhelm its critical intelligence. The murder and mayhem provide a cover story for a larger investigation of social mysteries—in this case the fate of educated Chinese, many of whose lives were made a waking nightmare by the cultural revolution, and the future of Chinese communism itself.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eChicago Sun-Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  “The combination of ancient and modern Chinese history with modern police work has produced an excellent procedural novel, filled with atmosphere and carefully illustrating life in China today. Inspector Chen is likeable, thoughtful, and appealing.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDallas Morning News\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “With strong and subtle characterisation, Qiu Xiaolong draws us into a fascinating world where the greatest mystery revealed is the mystery of present-day China itself.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—John Harvey \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Qiu's books carry satisfying characterisations and a ring of authenticity about life in China.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eJapan Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Unusual in [its] vivid sense of an author exploring an alien genre, fusing it with Chinese literary traditions and taking it with him to strange new places . . . Chen's life is a delicate dance between trying to be an honest cop and trying to stay on the right side of the party.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—January Magazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Intriguing . . . Gang wars, rampant prostitution (even in karaoke clubs!), and the slavish greed and trend-sucking of China's rising entrepreneurial class almost overcome the erudite, but never pedantic, detective's belief in his country's ancient wisdom and current potential.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eRaleigh News and Observer\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “An unlikely but very likable pair of strangely assorted cops—Shanghai police inspector Chen Cao and U.S. Marshal Service Inspector Catherine Rohn. There are lurking triads and international intrigue-mongers, there's exotic background and history . . . The plot is wonderfully complex.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Courier-Gazette\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Intriguing . . . The characters manage to achieve an engaging realism and charm, even while showing the underside of China in transition.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Likeable, admirable Chen makes a sturdy protagonist, but it's China in transition - always interesting, often bewildering - that gets the star turn here.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Solid and eventful.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Engrossing insights into contemporary China in an intricate mystery.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBooklist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  “A Knockout.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Poisoned Pen Booknews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “When I read Qiu Xiaolong's \u003ci\u003eDeath of a Red Heroine\u003c\/i\u003e, I was enchanted . . . Now, with \u003ci\u003eA Loyal Character Dancer\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eQiu has given us an even more lyrically written, wide-ranging, bittersweet story.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—S.J. Rozan, Mystery News\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The sequel to \u003ci\u003eDeath of a Red Heroine\u003c\/i\u003e, which won the Anthony in 2001 for best debut novel, Qiu Xiaolong's latest mystery is another winner . . . If you like mysteries with both a brain and heart, read\u003ci\u003e A Loyal Character Dancer\u003c\/i\u003e.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eRocky Mountain News\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “What a relief! Book two in the Inspector Chen saga meets the high expectations aroused by Qiu Xialong's first . . . A damn good mystery.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Midwest Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eQiu Xiaolong, a prizewinning poet and critic in China, now teaches at Washington University in St. Louis, where he lives with his wife and daughter. His critically acclaimed Inspector Chen mystery series has sold over a million copies and has been published in twenty languages.","brand":"Soho Crime","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301988552933,"sku":"NP9781569473412","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781569473412.jpg?v=1767720621","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/a-loyal-character-dancer-isbn-9781569473412","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}