Death of a BLUE LANTERN is receiving excellent reviews across the USA - a market where paperback originals often disappear without trace!

Miki Hayden, writing in the Midwest Book Review described it as a near flawless detective novel, and said that the book was her number one read for 1998.

'Blue Lantern does for China what Martin Cruz Smith did for Russia with Gorky Park.' That was Oline Cogdill, one of America's most respected mystery columnists, writing in the Florida Sun Sentinel

Ed Kelly of the Buffalo, NY, News described the book as a gripping, ingenious whodunit.

Reviewing for Amazon.com's website, Dick Adler wrote: 'Christopher West's first book is unique in its straightforward attention to the details of everyday life and of police work.' On the Dorothy L website, comments posted have included: 'I love this book!', 'Fast-paced', 'Intelligent'.

Among specialist mystery magazines, Deadly Pleasures has been a fan of the series since Wang and Rosina first appeared in the UK. Ira Ashcroft's comparison to Judge Dee in Mystery Review was welcome. (I quote it on the homepage, but just in case anyone's forgotten, she said: 'Few authors since Robert van Gulik have been able to recreate such a wonderful picture of (Chinese) society, but Christopher West belongs to this select group.'

The second novel in the series, Death on BLACK DRAGON RIVER, has just been published in the US. Watch this space!

Across the Pacific, Death of a Blue Lantern was published in Japan in spring, under the title Twilight in Beijing. The publishers are Kodansha. Black Dragon is currently in preparation.

In Europe, Spring also saw the inspector's paperback debut with the publication of Death on Black Dragon River by Allison and Busby. Death of a Blue Lantern has recently followed, as has the paperback debut of the author's travel book Journey to the Middle Kingdom.

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