Timothy C. WongSherlock in Shanghai: Stories of Crime and Detection by Cheng Xiaoqing

Dull, dull, dull. A disappointing collection of short detective stories: none was really believable and the whole is smaller than its parts.

While a translation from the original Chinese, of a 1930's vintage Holmes/Watson-like team's detecting adventures would seem a bit outre, I found the book of stories to be quite fascinating. It is not clear whether the very Doyle-like text was the work of the Chinese author (if so, he must have had an exceptional command of English) or whether the modern translator (T.K. Wong)is responsible. In any event, the stories are quite good on their own, and the back-and-forth translations present a unique context.