CHRISTOPHER WEST'S CONTEMPORARY CHINESE MYSTERIES

Death of a BLUE LANTERN

A young man is murdered at a performance of traditional Beijing Opera, and Wang Anzhuang is put on the case. The conscientious Chinese detective soon finds himself drawn into a mystery that involves first the capital's renascent Triads, then sections of the Communist Party itself. At the same time, he discovers he has enemies among his own colleagues: political fanatics who suspect that the once-loyal cop has been hiding 'unpatriotic' feelings since the shootings on the Square. Events lead to a climax where Wang is forced to face not only dangerous external opponents, but also his own inner conflicts of conscience and loyalty -- in a situation where one slip can mean instant death...

'A first-class crime story' MARCEL BERLINS, The Times

'Does for China what Gorky Park did for Russia.' OLINE COGDILL, Florida Sun-Sentinel

'A truly perfect melding of character, plot and atmosphere... My read of the year' MIKI HAYDEN, Midwest Book Review

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RED MANDARIN

The third novel in the series is set against the 1997 handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China.

When the body of a senior Beijing official is found floating in Hong Kong harbour, its wrists fastened in macabre fashion behind its back, Wang Anzhuang is called in. He soon finds out that his superiors in the colony are less keen than expected for the mystery to be solved, and has to rely on contacts with the departing imperialists. But can they be trusted? Wang finds himself involved with the seamy world of Sado-masochism -- not to mention the colony's Triads and the international trade in pirated software. From one of these sources comes a threat to the lives of both Wang and Rosina... But is all this a read herring? Is the actual solution to the mystery a more private matter, more private and infinitely darker than anything that gangsters or computer fraudsters could come up with?

'Wang is, I think, destined to be one of the great fictional detectives.' JAMES MELVILLE

'The atmosphere of a society undergoing dramatic transition is conveyed with authority and a welcome dash of wit.' MARTIN EDWARDS, Tangled Web.

THE THIRD MESSIAH

The millennium is approaching, in modern Beijing as everywhere else...

While the capital's police are distracted by a clean-up campaign, a strange cult begins recruiting adepts. The cult leader, who believes himself to be a reincarnation of the charismatic leader of China's 19^th century Taiping rebellion, has great plans for the new era. When these plans suddenly include Rosina's insecure and moody young sister, Detective Wang Anzhuang has more than a professional interest. And when the cult leader is murdered in mysterious circumstances, this interest increases. Amid growing paranoia, and with the clock fast ticking away to the year 2000, Wang and Rosina discover the truth behind the sect and the deadly, imminent danger to its members. But the authorities still show little interest: if the couple are to act, they must do so themselves...