This was definitely an interesting read. It's a murder mystery, but not really suspenseful in any way, which was slightly disappointing. But it was very informative and insightful. It centers around China in the 1990s and does a good job of giving the reader a taste of what life was like there. It was a bit confusing at times because politics played a big role, and Chinese politics are very confusing. Overall, I would rate it a 3.5. Inspector Chen is a likeable character, although I don't know if I fully agree with his decisions in the end. Also, it does have a little too much sex toward the end.