This was my first Qiu Xiaolong's book and I hope it won't be my last. 
 I'm a huge fan of mystery books, and what I love the most about them is how the detectives let me follow them as they conduct their investigations. 
 In this book, what struck me was not the mystery or the investigation itself, but the setting. It takes place in Shanghai in the early 90's, and all I can say is that being able to "experience" a little of the daily lifestyle and culture of the place was incredible. 
 Politics, poems, and of course, a crime... I never imagined I would like that combination, but the book was very well written and everything fit so perfectly, it's difficult not to like it.