indio_ink's review against another edition
4.0
This is not the first novel of Qiu Xiaolong I've read and I hope it won't be the last.
In this novel"","" he takes on the issue of pollution"","" specifically"","" the strain between China's economic boom and the natural and human resources this boom cannot help but feed on. It starts off a bit predictably at first"","" with his quotations of poetry and short descriptions of Chinese dishes local to the settings of his novels. Also"","" the cumbersome discourse of environmental law and protection gets in the way although the author does try to justify this through the development of various characters in this murder investigation. In the end though"","" he manages to save the novel as his maddeningly slow development of a romantic subplot blossoms"","" just as his hero"","" Inspector Chen unravels the murder's puzzle with all the panache of an actor of Chinese opera or of a poet solving the puzzle which is his own poem.
In this novel"","" he takes on the issue of pollution"","" specifically"","" the strain between China's economic boom and the natural and human resources this boom cannot help but feed on. It starts off a bit predictably at first"","" with his quotations of poetry and short descriptions of Chinese dishes local to the settings of his novels. Also"","" the cumbersome discourse of environmental law and protection gets in the way although the author does try to justify this through the development of various characters in this murder investigation. In the end though"","" he manages to save the novel as his maddeningly slow development of a romantic subplot blossoms"","" just as his hero"","" Inspector Chen unravels the murder's puzzle with all the panache of an actor of Chinese opera or of a poet solving the puzzle which is his own poem.
cel_red's review against another edition
2.0
En realidad 2.5. Está entretenido y se lee rápido, pero es muy predecible y ningún personaje me gustó realmente. Además Chen, el prota, me desesperaba mucho.
https://bitviajera.blogspot.com/2015/10/libro-el-crimen-del-lago.html
https://bitviajera.blogspot.com/2015/10/libro-el-crimen-del-lago.html
marystevens's review
2.0
Famous but low echelon Chinese cop vacations at exclusive Comm Party resort, falls in love, solves a murder, becomes an environmentalist, all with lots of Chinese poetry thrown in. Too topical, stilted dialogue, but an ingenious mystery, clue wise. Still, you know whodunit from pretty early on. Don't know why I plowed through it.
jufira42's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
thesawyerbean's review
3.0
This book told of Chief Inspector Chen who, whilst on holiday in Wuxi, managed to find himself investigating the murder or Mr Lui, the CEO of a chemical company. With the environmental degradation of Tai Lake and the surrounding areas as a backdrop, Qiu Xiaolong provides an almost political slander on the disregard for the economic reform's effect on the environment and the biased judicial system which serves this view.
Alongside this was a romance between Chen and a suspect, Shanshan. It added another texture to the novel but it wasn't all that exciting at the same time.
I personally found Chen to be a very aggravating character. He would be the kind of person I would hate to exist around, simply for the fact he liked to throw his intellectual weight around by quoting poetry and proverbs like they're nothing and expressing just how advanced a poet and literate he is. How pretentious can one man be? I don't think the intermittent poetry really added anything to the story whatsoever, and I found myself skipping over it whenever it arose. That may just be because I kind of vehemently despise most poetry, but it honestly just seemed exceedingly pointless.
Other than that, a pretty decent book: not the best, not the worst. It hasn't exactly sparked a new found love of Crime novels, however, and I will probably continue to not read them very often.
Alongside this was a romance between Chen and a suspect, Shanshan. It added another texture to the novel but it wasn't all that exciting at the same time.
I personally found Chen to be a very aggravating character. He would be the kind of person I would hate to exist around, simply for the fact he liked to throw his intellectual weight around by quoting poetry and proverbs like they're nothing and expressing just how advanced a poet and literate he is. How pretentious can one man be? I don't think the intermittent poetry really added anything to the story whatsoever, and I found myself skipping over it whenever it arose. That may just be because I kind of vehemently despise most poetry, but it honestly just seemed exceedingly pointless.
Other than that, a pretty decent book: not the best, not the worst. It hasn't exactly sparked a new found love of Crime novels, however, and I will probably continue to not read them very often.
jennoctavia's review
3.0
3.5/5
My first book from the author, I randomly picked it from library.
The story started when the Inspector Chen went for unexpected vacation and tangled in unexpected murder case.
It was interesting book mix with poetry. I enjoyed reading the book although I kinda know who the murderer is half through the book, thats the reason why it is 3.5/5.
My first book from the author, I randomly picked it from library.
The story started when the Inspector Chen went for unexpected vacation and tangled in unexpected murder case.
It was interesting book mix with poetry. I enjoyed reading the book although I kinda know who the murderer is half through the book, thats the reason why it is 3.5/5.
lirael's review
3.0
Writing is nice and characters decent (though the main character's poetic interludes kinda irritated me after awhile). Classic mystery style set in contemporary China.
dmendels's review
5.0
8th book in Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen series. I find them oddly addictive. Classic police procedural genre fiction, but great portrait of contemporary China from the eyes of a mid-level Communist party cadre (and poet/gourmet, of course).
cspiwak's review
3.0
Bit heavy on the poetry, but it added to a fairly standard plot & characters with a nice Chinese flavor
lnatal's review
3.0
From BBC radio 4 - Drama:
Poet and gourmand Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police Bureau returns in a new drama based on Qiu Xiaolong's crime novels. Chen's lakeside holiday is interrupted by the violent death of the boss of the Wuxi Number One Chemical Company. Will his blossoming relationship with a young environmental engineer compromise his covert investigation? Dramatised by Joy Wilkinson.
Song composed by Neil Brand
Directed by Toby Swift
'Don't Cry, Tai Lake' is the seventh of Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen novels, all 9 of which have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4. They have sold over 1m copies and been translated into 20 languages.
"Witty and thrilling" The Daily Telegraph.
"A welcome alternative to Scandi-noir" The Observer.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b277ld
Poet and gourmand Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police Bureau returns in a new drama based on Qiu Xiaolong's crime novels. Chen's lakeside holiday is interrupted by the violent death of the boss of the Wuxi Number One Chemical Company. Will his blossoming relationship with a young environmental engineer compromise his covert investigation? Dramatised by Joy Wilkinson.
Song composed by Neil Brand
Directed by Toby Swift
'Don't Cry, Tai Lake' is the seventh of Qiu Xiaolong's Inspector Chen novels, all 9 of which have been dramatised for BBC Radio 4. They have sold over 1m copies and been translated into 20 languages.
"Witty and thrilling" The Daily Telegraph.
"A welcome alternative to Scandi-noir" The Observer.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b277ld