title: The Mao Case: An Inspector Chen Novel (Inspector Chen Cao)
author:  Qiu Xiaolong 
description: Inspector Chen of the Shanghai police returns in his sixth book (following Red Mandarin Dress, 2007). Continuing to gain prestige among the party cadre, Chen is assigned a case so delicate he must keep it secret from the Special Case team and even from his dedicated assistant Yu. A young woman with black ancestors, Jiao has suddenly risen from poverty and appears at parties dedicated to reliving the glory days of the 1930s. Internal Security is worried about Jiaos growing power and especially about her connection to Mao (her grandmother was one of Maos lovers), a link that could protect her from any kind of official censure. Using Maos poetry and a censored biography, Chen investigates in his leisurely and unconventional style, posing as a rich businessman and aspiring writer. With the assistance of Yus father, Old Hunter, Chen delves deep into the murk of the Cultural Revolution, uncovering Jiaos family history and her real connections to Mao. Full, as always,of crisp detail and vivid atmospherics evoking contemporary Shanghai, this latest installment further establishes the series stature on the international crime beat. --Jessica Moyer
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  To the Chinese netizens who fight for their citizenship in the
  cyberspace—unimaginable elsewhere—in the face of authoritarian control
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department is in an unusual
  situation-a poet by training and inclination, he was assigned by the party to
  the Police Department after he graduated college, where he has continued to
  shine. Now he's a rising cadre in the party, in line to take over the top
  politic position in the police department, while being one of most respected
  policeman in the department. Which is why he's brought in by the Party to sign
  off on the investigation into the death of Zhou Keng. Zhou Keng-a trusted
  princeling, son of a major party member-was head of the Shanghai Housing
  Development Committee when a number of his corrupt practices were exposed on
  the internet. Removed from his position and placed into extra-legal detention,
  Zhou apparently hanged himself while under guard. While t