The text is rather clunky and stiff (though I appreciate Qiu is not writing in his first language), the mystery is less than gripping and the constant references to poetry are for me just a little grating, but there is a lot of intriguing detail (presumably accurate, even where it seems anachronistic, like the white Lexus in the early 90s in Shanghai) especially in little things, like where and what everyone eats and how they live. Comrade Inspector Chen is reasonably engaging and probably the most significant aspect is the effect of the omnipresent Party on everything. Everything. Kind of fascinating. I'll continue with the series in the hope that the writing improves, as I really want to like this more than I do so far.