A Perplexing Case

Genre: A witty mystery novel featuring bizarre cases! This isn't a beginner's book. There are plenty of brain-teasing plots, so readers with an IQ below 100 should steer clear.

Background: Jia Wen, the only child in a family of detectives spanning three generations, becomes the "rising star" of the National Police University thanks to his family's exceptional investigative skills. Unexpectedly, on the very day he receives his diploma, he runs away from home to pursue his dream of becoming a chef, apprenticing alone under a man who claims to be the descendant of a former imperial chef from the Qing court.

Unfortunately, fate has other plans. After three years of outwitting his family, he is finally tricked into coming home by his mother's claim that she is critically ill. When his father threatens to kill himself, Jia Wen leaves the kitchen he loves and joins the police force in a northeastern border city near his home, becoming a low-ranking criminal investigator.

While solving cases, Jia Wen never loses his passion for food or his longing for a life as a chef, so he is always making people gape with laughter during investigations.

But it turns out that the life that should have been peaceful and comfortable is full of horror and bloodshed. A naked man hanging himself, revenge involving poppies, ghostly writing that makes ghosts appear, a bloody League of Legends, a terrifying magician, a deranged chemistry fanatic, and other incidents unfold one after another in this small city. Behind every bloody case lies a story that sends chills down your spine.