Marvelously evocative of Shanghai, and tremendously informative about China's transition towards a market economiy in the 1990's, this award-winning debut of Inspector Chen of the Shanghai police is also a real page-turner. The poet Chen Cao is a chief inspector almost by accident, and must negotiate Communist party politics and his own troubled love life as he attempts to solve the murder of a beautiful woman. It sounds cliché, but is very deftly handled. Winner of several mystery awards.  (CHN374, $14.00)

An Inspector Chen Novel