The Hua Shan Hospital Murders

Steven Greenhalgh is the research librarian in the Department of Public
Health Sciences at the University of Alberta.

David Rotenberg’s The Hua Shan Hospital Murders is the third
instalment featuring the unconventional and sometimes stubborn Shanghai
police detective Zhong Fong.

Restored to his position as head of Special Investigations, Detective
Fong returns to Shanghai with his new wife and baby girl. It is shortly
thereafter that one of Shanghai’s state-run abortion clinics erupts in
flames, the target of an act of terrorism. Among the debris is a note
written in English: “This blasphemy must stop!” So begins Fong’s
investigation to find the elusive arsonist/terrorist. The discovery of a
murdered nurse and a possible connection between the abortion clinic
bombing and an upcoming presidential election in the United States
further complicate the police inquiry.

Rotenberg’s knowledge of the Shanghai region, as well as the politics
and culture of mainland China, is evident throughout the book. He even
plays upon cultural differences between China and the West (e.g.,
Fong’s debate over whether or not to wear the traditional Mao suit
while interrogating foreign suspects). Also evident is his knowledge of
police procedures. The Hua Shan Hospital Murders is a well-paced and
gripping murder mystery.