Top 10: Asian crime fiction

Catherine Sampson is the Beijing-based author of the crime novels Falling Off Air, Out of Mind, and The Pool of Unease, all of which feature TV journalist and single mother Robin Ballantyne.

She named a top ten list of Asian crime fiction for the Guardian.

Number One:

Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong

Qiu is a Chinese writer now living in America. His Detective Chen is an inspector in the Shanghai police force. When a female model worker is found dead, Detective Chen investigates, and the trail leads him onto dangerous political ground. The book has a gentle feel to it which makes the violence of murder even more shocking. It is a vivid description of present day Shanghai, and the satisfying ending is utterly believable.

Read about the other nine titles.

Visit Catherine Sampson's website.

--Marshal Zeringue