Inspector Chen and the Private Kitchen Murder: 12 (An Inspector Chen mystery) Paperback – 31 Mar. 2022

With this instalment, the series about Chief Inspector Chen is back in top form after a somewhat disappointing previous volume. Yes, the politics is more obvious than in the past; and the temporal setting seems to have jumped from the 1990s to the 2010s; but those are minor quibbles. Another excellent book by a master.

A celebrity chef has seemingly killed her kitchen / personal assistant in a fit of jealous rage. The circumstances make no sense to seasoned Inspector Chen. He’s been sidelined into a make-work role, with no responsibility but a superficial sheen suitable for a police investigator of his standing. He can’t help asking questions in pertinent places, especially when another murder occurs – also linked to the chef’s final dinner party.Chen moves in a complex world of tangled loyalties, where commercial interests, political power and bureaucratic corruption can obscure the truth – or reveal a killer. The story unfolds through suggestion and insinuation. Chen devotes as much time to his semi-retirement project – reinventing the Chinese historical mystery, no less – as he does to insightful interviews with unwilling witnesses.His investigation involves the type of artful manipulation that might make Machiavelli blush. He has a new sidekick, a secretary who interprets her role with considerable latitude, and their oblique conversations are quietly delicious.This is a true detective adventure, in which Chen makes considered deductions after observing the suspects and considering the consequences of each action. It’s also a considered commentary on contemporary Chinese society. And it’s a subtle love story, too.Is this the right place to start a relationship with Inspector Chen? Definitely not. It’s oblique and challenging, even if you’re already acquainted with the characters through the previous 10 or so novels. Is this a richly rewarding experience for long-time admirers of the series? Definitely yes. As ever, Qiu Xiaolong achieves a level of cross-cultural exchange found only in the very best literary fiction.8/10

For me this latest Inspector Chen novel is one of the best. It combines a challenging balance of Chen trying to change direction in the face of the Establishment’s manoeuvring whilst solving the two principal crimes. It’s a very good read.

Have enjoyed this series and this was equally enjoyable.

I admit this caught my eye because of the title. However it's an interesting read. Once you get past the Chinese names it is a murder mystery, but with the added interference of the Chinese internal security services.Inspector Chen has been put on convalescence leave after he has ruffled too many feathers with his investigations. He has a new secretary who keeps him abreast of what is happening in the world and is happy to do his research. He is contemplating writing a book on Judge Dee when an old friend gets in touch asking for his help in investigating a murder. A murder has been committed at a Private Kitchen run by a infamous woman and she has been accused of the murder. An anonymous person has engaged the agency Chen's friend works for to find the real murderer.It's a different read, and is peppered with historic references (well they might be) referring to ancient China.

I have listened to the other Insp Chen audibles and have really enjoyed them. However didn’t like the new narrators voice. Detracted from enjoyment of the narrative. Having really liked the narrators voice on the other audibles this was a real disappointment very poor choice

This is the first book i read in this series and won't surely be the last as I found it intriguing.The mystery is solid, full of twists, and the characters are fleshed out.I was fascinated by the cultural differences, the description of contemporary Shanghai and how this works in a crime story.Highly recommended.Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I have read all previous books in the series and this is a very disappointing effort, maybe written with AI contribution. The usual characters are missing, useless words filling and the inspector’s personnality has changed. He has become a cold, effete civil servant. I will not read any further publication, should the author continue along this boring line.

If you love twists and turns, and stories that play with each other, consider this. In the last century, a Dutch diplomat, Robert van Gulik, discovered an ancient Chinese novel written during the Qing Dynasty (c.1800 AD) about an even more ancient Chinese Judge/magistrate named Dee who lived in the Tang Dynasty (900 AD). Dee was an actual, important person and the unknown Qing dynasty writer used him to create a detective in his novel. Guilk began by translating the Qing era novel. Then, as a twist, Guilk proceeded to write his own series of murder mysteries using Judge Dee as his detective, all set in the Tang Dynasty.Qiu Xiaolong was a Chinese literature student who was studying in the US when the Tiananmen Square massacre happened, and decided to stay in the US. He became a professor in the US, has published some well-received translations of Tang and Song dynasty Chinese Poetry, and has also proceeded to write a great series of detective novels, centered on Inspector Chen Cao, a Shanghai police detective who struggles to solve crimes while avoiding trouble with the Communist Party, of which he is a member. To an outsider, one feels the novels probably give real insight into what its like to live in China today. And the mysteries are constructed with skill and are well written. Qiu’s Inspector Chen series has now reached volume 12, and Inspector Chen, has temporarily "retired" but proceeds to work on a new case to help a friend. (Inspector Chen and the Private Kitchen Murder) In the process of this latest Chen novel, we find the inspector distracting observers by claiming to be reading Guilk's Dee novel, Poets and Murder (a story based on a complex plot that includes a subplot focused on a historical murder involving a famous female Tang Dynasty poet, Yu Xuanji). Inspector Chen – reflecting his creator – is already established as a sometimes poet and translator, so this is at least plausible. As he reads along, Chen decides that he could write a better novel about the mystery around the poets supposed murder, but that idea is simply left hanging as the Kitchen Murder novel proceeds to its denouement.Later, to add another twist, Qiu Xiaolong has published the novel that inspector Chen might have written, The Shadow of the Empire (A Judge Dee Investigation Book). In effect he provides a new telling of the Guilk story -- focusing on the subplot of the Guilk novel. And he includes some of the actual poetry of the poet, and involves it in the novel. Readers of the Kitchen Murder volume will have noted that Chen was upset that Guilk had not included an accurate translation of more of the poets’ work. No real Chinese novel, Chen complains, would ever omit the poetry.And so, three novels, all spinning around a poet accused of murder, with two detectives, one appearing in two guises, involving three poets, that take place in three different historical eras, all written with great style. What fun!

Ho letto quasi tutti i 12 libri dell'Ispettore Chen Cao. Soprattutto per chi conosce la Cina e l'ha frequentata nel corso degli ultimi vent'anni si tratta di una lettura interessantissima , che rievoca esperienze e situazioni vissute o percepite. I plot sono sempre interessanti.Nel caso specifico del Kitchen Murder simpatica l'introduzione della segretaria come Dr Watson e inattesa la soluzione. Bella lettura come compagno di viaggio

Inspector Chen is in trouble — and has a new job that sounds like a promotion but moves him firmly out of police work. But circumstances drag him into a murder case, which he investigates while pretending not to. A young women famous for her beauty and her cooking, who holds exclusive private kitchen dinners, has been arrested for the brutal murder of her kitchen maid.The fun part of this novel is Chen’s relationship with his bright young secretary who assists him as the new Director of the Shanghai Judicial System Reform Office. Jin also helps with Chen’s secret investigation. She’s technology-savvy, clever, flirtatious — and as good an investigator as Chen.Chen decides to write a Tang Dynasty Judge Dee novel as a cover for his current conversations with people of interest and influence. I have read every Judge Dee novel written by the Dutch sinologist Van Guilik — and loved them all. Van Gulik wrote tightly, elegantly, and charmingly about Judge Dee’s cases.Inspector Chen’s Judge Dee novella is expected to be much more authentic and literary than Van Guilik’s work. But I doubt anyone could compete with Van Guilik’s wonderful series.The set-up of the Private Kitchen Murder is interesting and there are some good characters, but the pace is slow, the details of the case are murky, the narrative is heavily political, and the book is not tightly written. I’m sorry to say this, because I really enjoyed the earlier novels by Qiu Xiaolong. And I’ll still order his next book in the hope that it will be good.But I should add that my husband enjoyed this book, so maybe you’ll like it too.

Qiu Xiaolong is a uniquely gifted writer. His mystery stories take place in contemporary China. Writing in English, he opens western imaginations to a marvelously addicting yet totally genuine and accurate adventure with Inspector Chen Cao in Shanghai. This, his most recent work, continues the canon and deftly comforts fans that Xlao Qiu is back. Inspector Chen has more corruption to hit and new ladies to bedazzle. Retired from international business in Asia after 35 years residence, including 25 Years in China, Qiu Xiaolong writes of characters and settings that are most accurate AND exciting. Bravo!

I find it easy to write a good review on this book. I've read all his others and I've got to say they do tend to outshine this last effort. (Don't stop reading here... the review gets better as it goes along.) It seems that as the "inspector" ages, his intestinal fortitude seems to diminish. He's still a cool guy but this book makes him out to be more intimidated with his superiors. I always look forward to anything of his I've gotten or can get a-hold of. This author seems to have a bit of a different view of investigating his characters... and how investigating is accomplished by them as well. I'm a life-time career investigator myself and I appreciate the hero's predicaments and enjoy and wonder about some of his methods. Without any or little cutem-up/shoot-em up in these books...it is a wonder they are so popular in the West. Thank you for another good book. The author as always gives us a great read.