Hold Your Breath, China

Qiu’s outstanding 10th novel featuring Chief Insp. Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Bureau (after 2015’s Shanghai Redemption) finds Chen shelved for vigorously investigating corruption involving high-ranking Communist Party officials. But the capable Chen is soon back in action, along with his partner, Det. Yu Guangming, after the Special Case squad fails to make progress on a serial killer case; someone has murdered three people by shattering their skulls, apparently with a hammer. The victims share no obvious connections, and the Party Secretary himself requests Chen and Yu’s involvement. Chen is later pulled away from the case by the retired first secretary of the Party Central Discipline Committee, who wants him to spy on a group of antipollution activists bent on forcing the government to address China’s air quality. That the group’s leader is a woman Chen knows well complicates his task. Qiu’s execution matches his ambition. Fans of mysteries about honest cops working for compromised regimes won’t want to miss this one. (June)