Love and Murder in the Time of COVID
By Qui Xiaolong
A 3.5⭐️/5 read. Thank you Severn House for allowing me to read a copy through NetGalley.
I am on the fence about this novel that is first and foremost political and then a serial killer whodunnit.
It is a haunting read, perhaps a little too “fresh” considering that it is set at the height of the Covid pandemic in China, specifically in Shangai that was fast closing down (with a lot of references to Wuhan). It is also pretty obvious where the characters (and I imagine the author) stand when it comes to the situation at the time in China.
When I wasn’t struggling with being uncomfortable reading about Covid and local politics, I thought it a very interesting novel whose major concern is internal, state and country-wide politics.
I would have preferred reading this book as an audiobook because, on paper, some of the dialogues felt strangely wooden, unnatural. The title is perhaps a tad too “obvious”(was it also a play on similar titles like Love in the Time of Cholera?).
There is a little bit of romance going on with former Inspector Chen and his secretary Jin, which added to the tension of the book.
My favorite parts of the novel are the many poems that are featured, all the food that is mentioned, and that former Inspector Chen is an intellectual with a fondness for quoting poems and talking about literature.
I need to start reading this series from its first novel.