Death of a Red Mandarin

Just before Hong Kong returns to Chinese rule on July 1st 1997 Inspector Wang Anzhuang is sent from Beijing to investigate the death of a Chinese bureaucrat working in Hong Kong. The politics of the time keeps getting in the way of the investigation. While Wang is doing the legwork his boss is schmoozing with the Chinese diplomats to blame it in some way on the British. This was both confusing and informative for me. Hong Kong politics and Chinese law both play a part, as well as, the types of crime that prevail in that society. This was nominated for an Anthony Award for Best First Novel and is the first in a mystery series.