Don't Cry, Tai Lake: An Inspector Chen Novel - Qiu Xiaolong

In Don’t Cry, Tai Lake (Minotaur, $14.99), by Qiu Xiaolong, Chief Inspector Chen of the Shanghai Police has been given a week-long vacation at a luxury lakefront resort ordinarily accessible only to high-level party officials. However, relaxing doesn’t come naturally to him, and the hardworking detective has barely arrived when he learns that the once pristine waters of the lake are horribly polluted, eating the renowned local seafood is inadvisable, the managing director of a local factory has been murdered, and an environmental activist has been scapegoated as the prime suspect. The poet-philosopher must employ all his tact and charm not to call attention to the fact that he is operating outside his jurisdiction—especially when his investigation risks tampering with an economical successful government industry.