A Loyal Character Dancer, Qiu Xiaolong

   This is the second in a series of novels about Chief Inspector Chen by Qiu Xiaolong. I was very pleased with the first novel in this series. Qiu Xiaolong is a remarkable writer. Consider that he did not spend the first 40 years of his life in the US. Further, he teaches English in the US. These novels of his were written in English, not translated from his native Mandarin into English. That is quite respectable alone. But it is not enough to make me want to read these stories. Yet, here I am, fascinated and addicted to the characters, the setting, the romance built into these.
    This book surrounds a murder and a disappearance. One man is mysteriously murdered and his corpse left in a park. The woman who has disappeared, the loyal character dancer, is of intense interest by both the underground mafia, and the American government, who has sent a special marshal, Catherine Rohn, to retrieve the woman, Wen Liping, who has disappeared.
   The Americans want her because she is a part of an agreement which is contingent for a man, her husband, in the US, to testify against some major mafia figures. But the whole affair is much more complex than it appears.
   The book is set in the late 80s, but it is affected by events that had happened in the 60s. In the 60s, Mao sent China's educated youth to the countryside to learn how to work like peasants. Wen, being a young woman in this period, is particularly beautiful, and becomes a victim to a local magistrate's influence. He wants her, so he takes her against her will. He marries her. He beats her. He cheats on her. She is subjected to debilitating work. Her life was one of misery. So, when the call came for her to go to the US to rejoin him, she could hardly be blamed for not wanting to go to him. But, the politics of the situation is too great for her to ignore.
   She had managed to find a place to hide. But, eventually Chen is able to unravel her whereabouts. He eventually convinces her that the mafia has connections everywhere, and that eventually they will find his report which identifies where she is located. When she is located, her benefactor will suffer the consequences for having harbored her. So, eventually she agrees, though Catherine is able to promise to her that she will not be forced to stay with her husband.
   Chen is very wary. Despite being romantic, he is also quite paranoid. He pays attention and is savvy. He knows he is being watched, and that he has enemies. He doesn't really trust anyone except his trusty sidekick and his sidekick's father, referred to as Old Hunter.
   I really enjoyed this novel. I recommend it. I will be reading the third in this series probably within a month.