Hold Your Breath, China

Having lived in Hong Kong for two years and having spent quite a bit of time in China, I was looking forward to reading this book. I love China and the Chinese culture so I knew this would be a book I would enjoy. I was not disappointed. A crime book set in China is right up my street. The main Character, Chief Inspector Chen is fabulous. Although having to toe the part line, he is his own man. A well drawn character he is not cut from the usual Chinese Police mould. For a start he is not only a police officer but a published author and poet, an unusual combination. The cultural aspect is well handled and the interactions between the characters perfect. Chen is funny in an unintentional sort of manner and I like that. The scene is also extremely well set and I could picture it exactly. The plot is good - two different stories which converge and are both handled well. Although Chen is never very sure what he is supposed to be investigating, he still manages to investigate and solve the mystery. There are several twists and turns which kept me reading and I genuinely wanted to know the outcome. I loved the environmental storyline and this was handled sensitively yet strongly. This is the tenth book in the Inspector Chen series but it worked perfectly as a stand-alone. My first book by this author, would I read another. In a heartbeat, in fact I am off to purchase the first book now. Xiaolong is a skilled writer an this is apparent in every word of this book.