When Red Is Black - Qiu Xiaolong

The third book in this series is the best one yet. The mystery kept me wondering, and I really liked how the author described the process of solving the case. In addition, we got the usual fascinating background information about China in the 1990s, as well as a look into the Cultural Revolution. Sometimes it does make me uneasy to sit in my relatively luxurious (by 1990s Shanghai standards) American home, reading about families who all have to share a room and cook and wash clothes and use the restroom in common areas. But these books also make me hungry, with their descriptions of meals I'd love to try, and they make me want to look into Chinese poetry; the author includes excerpts from many poets and I feel like this is something I should learn more about. All in all I am so happy I stumbled on the fourth book in this series at Borders, since that led me to read this series from the beginning, and it's a real favorite. Highly recommended.