New Chinese Detective Cases

A trailblazing work of homegrown Chinese detective fiction, written by Yu Tianfen in the Republican era and published in 1917, with a preface and commentary by Xu Zhenya. All twenty short stories are set in the author's hometown of Changshu and feature theft, kidnapping, murder, and other cases, with private detectives pitted against an inept police bureau. The corruption of officialdom is captured on every page. The author called himself the founder of Chinese detective fiction, and this book was indeed one of the earliest local attempts to adopt Western detective techniques. The puzzles are ingenious, the social commentary biting: a fresh taste in an old-school novel.