Tuesday, July 12, 2016

#28: Apricot's Revenge by Song Ying

The death of two real estate tycoons sends a group of cops, and one intrepid reporter, chasing a case that leads back to the darkest days of the Cultural Revolution in Apricot's Revenge by Song Ying.

This mystery, translated from Chinese, hits some pretty good beats, but probably is most interesting as a snapshot of life in contemporary China.  How the characters live and interact is as compelling as how the mystery unfolds.  The structure of the story is a bit unusual as well (though what part is due to the translation, I am not certain).

Overall, Song Ying has produced a solid police procedural, with insights into Chinese culture, of interest to mystery readers looking for a different voice and setting.

I picked this up at the Morrisson-Reeves Public Library in Richmond, Indiana.

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