The Bund Garden

Author: Qiu Xiaolong / Kuang Yongmei (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: Qiu Xiaolong's authentic and beautiful voice runs through this book, full of poetic charm. You will be intellectually and emotionally moved. This is another exquisite work in Chen Chao's detective series, captivating readers. "The story picks up where 'The Death of Hong Ying' left off, even more moving. The author enters a more solid and broad perspective, peering into the rapidly changing contemporary China." An anonymous man wearing Valentino pajamas was found murdered and his body moved to the Garden by the Bund. The body bore 18 mysterious axe wounds. H City Public Security Bureau Detective Team Leader Chen Chao suspects this is a gang revenge killing and is about to dive into the investigation when he is urgently assigned by superiors to meet Catherine, an American police officer sent by the H City Police Bureau. Catherine has a special mission in H City—previously, the fugitive, high-level Chinese snakehead Jia Xingzhi had been captured in New York, USA. To prosecute him, the US side urgently needs key witness Feng Dexiang, a migrant worker, to testify in court. Feng Dexiang has demanded that his wife Wen Liping, who is still living in G Region, China, be brought to the US for a reunion as a condition for cooperation. The primary purpose of Catherine's visit to China is to personally take Wen Liping away to prevent any complications; secondly, to use this matter to exert pressure on the Chinese side. What makes the Chinese side feel awkward is that Catherine has just arrived when news comes from G Region that Wen Liping has suddenly disappeared. Detective Team Leader Chen Chao has no choice but to accompany Catherine in intensifying the search for Wen Liping while trying to keep his American counterpart in check. An unknown threat targets both of them, with traps popping up everywhere during the investigation. From the brink of despair, Chen Chao and Catherine finally realize that the body lying in the blood of the Garden by the Bund is not the remains of a gang revenge killing; Wen Liping's disappearance is also not merely about escaping the control of the man who once brutally assaulted and long tormented her—Wen Liping is entangled in a much larger conspiracy. Surrounding Chen Chao and Catherine are not only perilous crises but also thought-provoking social realities, enchanting urban landscapes, and romantic poetry arising from mutual affection between their hearts. When Catherine completes her mission and bids farewell to Chen Chao, an inexplicable emotion lingers between them, impossible to shake off. Detective poet Chen Chao once cleverly solved a murder mystery in 'The Death of Hong Ying,' earning global acclaim for his creator—renowned poet and novelist Qiu Xiaolong, who won the World Mystery Novel Award. In this 'The Garden by the Bund,' Chen Chao rises to prominence once again, captivating countless poetry lovers with his romantic charm, wit, and courage.