Breakaway Books

Authored by Qiu Xiaolong; Published 2000; Mystery

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️🏖️

Death of a Red Heroine is an education in the politics of China in the 1990s—at times, even more than it’s a mystery. I found it delightful to step into this new culture and try to find my way through their justice system.

In Death of a Red Heroine, Inspector Chen Cao has just been promoted to Chief Inspector, but his promotion is not without controversy. Chosen for his high level of education and youth, he has surpassed many older and more experienced police officers to take charge of the special case unit, which deals with politically charged matters. With the discovery of a murdered woman in a Shanghai canal, Chief Inspector Chen is eager to prove his worth in his new position. When the victim is discovered to be a national model worker, the politics of the case start to encroach on the investigation, but Chen is dedicated to the pursuit of justice.

For me, the actual process of solving the murder in this novel is secondary to the introduction to the jungle of party politics in China. I was fascinated by the constant references back to the Cultural Revolution, the intricate etiquette rules that dictate every interaction based on party standing, and the everyday hardships faced by those in Shanghai. Something as simple as being able to rent an apartment is out of reach for many of the characters of the novel, and it colors the way the crime is investigated and Inspector Chen is viewed. I’m a novice when it comes to matters of Chinese culture and history, so it took me a while to become oriented to the institutional tides that control Chen’s police work, but I’m glad I took the time. I appreciate the education the novel provided. 

At the heart of the mystery, though, are familiar themes: Those in power are trying to ensure that they stay in power and look good doing it. The heroic detective rejects the idea of putting politics above justice and creatively ensures the criminal is caught. This is not a mystery in which it’s tough to figure out who committed the crime; rather, the tension lies in whether Inspector Chen will succeed in getting the culprit punished. Chen himself is an intriguing hero, with a paying side-gig as a poet that comes into play with surprising regularity throughout the story. He’s not the prototypical western cop, but he is easy to root for.

Death of a Red Heroine will draw you in, and before you know it, you’ll be immersed in 1990s China. It’s quite the trip!