A Loyal Character Dancer

This is another engaging "Inspector Chen" mystery. I enjoyed the characters, imagery, and investigationshe in the story. My favorite aspects, though, are the translations of Chinese poetry, proverbs, and idioms in context. Not only are they liberally used to add to the sense of character and place, they are explained in such a way that the meaning clearly comes through in English. The translation is not just words, but spirit. Reading an Inspector Chen mystery is not just an enjoyable reading experience--it is like getting a small introduction to Chinese literature as well.