"The Mao Case" by Qiu Xiaolong: My first attempt at a book review
In recent days new video game releases have been few and far between and I am still in the process of playing Resident Evil 5. And the movie releases have been sub par so I haven't bothered to see any. However recently I just finished a book that I have some strong opinions on. So I figured the time is right for my first book review.
"The Mao Case" by Qui Xiaolong is the 6th book his "Inspector Chen series" and was released in the US earlier this month. Having read his previous book "Red Mandarin Dress" I was anticipating this novel with bated breath. I thought "Red Mandarin Dress" was probably the best book in the series because it was a compelling read and most of all it was a good crime novel. And now a few years later "The Mao Case" is released. And I hate to say it but it does not live up to it's predecessor.
Whereas all of the previous Inspector Chen novels focused on the murders of politically sensitive victims this novel chose a different angle. In "The Mao Case," Inspector Chen Cao was commissioned by the powers that be in Beijing to investigate the sudden rise in staus of the granddaughter of one of Chairman Mao's fictitious love interests. The government suspected the woman might be in possession of something that would harm Mao's reputation and be bad for the party. So Inspector Chen is told to discreetly confirm this suspicion and retrieve the material if it exists.
Upon first reading the dust jacket I was disappointed in the direction that Xiaolong decided to take the series in. But being a fan I gave Xiaoling the benefit of the doubt and of course decided to read the book. But the new direction was a big disappointment. Rather than reading like crime fiction "The Mao Case" felt like a failed attempt at writing an espionage novel. There was a lot of "tailing" people and misdirection to maintain cover. All of it felt old and cliche.
My major complaint with this book is that rather than reading like a novel it felt more like a history book being told by the characters of the novel. I learned a lot about Mao by reading the novel but it did not in anyway develop the Inspector Chen character nor any of the other recurring characters. I picked up the book expecting a riveting crime novel but instead I was given a piece of anti Mao literature in the guise of a crime novel.
To me it seemed like Xiaolong made a conscious decision to sacrifice plot in order to say what he wanted about Chairman Mao. The plot of the novel was all over the place and eventually led up to one of the most anti climactic climaxes I have ever read. Xiaolong attempted to superficially develop Inspector Chen's character by adding a storyline in which his former girlfriend gets married. But that storyline like the rest of the plot was rushed and pushed aside in favor of more Chairman Mao banter.
Xiaolong's novels have always blended Chinese history and poetry with murder as a backdrop. And for the most part his past 5 novels have been solid in this regard. The best blending actually coming from his first novel "Death of a Red Heroine." However "The Mao Case" as the name might suggest is completely overpowered by the history part. It's not so much a tedious read as it is an unfulfilling one. If you're looking for some good crime fiction look else where (might I suggest any of Xiaolong's previous novels) because you will not find it with "The Mao Case."
"The Mao Case" by Qui Xiaolong is the 6th book his "Inspector Chen series" and was released in the US earlier this month. Having read his previous book "Red Mandarin Dress" I was anticipating this novel with bated breath. I thought "Red Mandarin Dress" was probably the best book in the series because it was a compelling read and most of all it was a good crime novel. And now a few years later "The Mao Case" is released. And I hate to say it but it does not live up to it's predecessor.
Whereas all of the previous Inspector Chen novels focused on the murders of politically sensitive victims this novel chose a different angle. In "The Mao Case," Inspector Chen Cao was commissioned by the powers that be in Beijing to investigate the sudden rise in staus of the granddaughter of one of Chairman Mao's fictitious love interests. The government suspected the woman might be in possession of something that would harm Mao's reputation and be bad for the party. So Inspector Chen is told to discreetly confirm this suspicion and retrieve the material if it exists.
Upon first reading the dust jacket I was disappointed in the direction that Xiaolong decided to take the series in. But being a fan I gave Xiaoling the benefit of the doubt and of course decided to read the book. But the new direction was a big disappointment. Rather than reading like crime fiction "The Mao Case" felt like a failed attempt at writing an espionage novel. There was a lot of "tailing" people and misdirection to maintain cover. All of it felt old and cliche.
My major complaint with this book is that rather than reading like a novel it felt more like a history book being told by the characters of the novel. I learned a lot about Mao by reading the novel but it did not in anyway develop the Inspector Chen character nor any of the other recurring characters. I picked up the book expecting a riveting crime novel but instead I was given a piece of anti Mao literature in the guise of a crime novel.
To me it seemed like Xiaolong made a conscious decision to sacrifice plot in order to say what he wanted about Chairman Mao. The plot of the novel was all over the place and eventually led up to one of the most anti climactic climaxes I have ever read. Xiaolong attempted to superficially develop Inspector Chen's character by adding a storyline in which his former girlfriend gets married. But that storyline like the rest of the plot was rushed and pushed aside in favor of more Chairman Mao banter.
Xiaolong's novels have always blended Chinese history and poetry with murder as a backdrop. And for the most part his past 5 novels have been solid in this regard. The best blending actually coming from his first novel "Death of a Red Heroine." However "The Mao Case" as the name might suggest is completely overpowered by the history part. It's not so much a tedious read as it is an unfulfilling one. If you're looking for some good crime fiction look else where (might I suggest any of Xiaolong's previous novels) because you will not find it with "The Mao Case."
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