A Loyal Character Dancer

A Loyal Character Dancer is a book by Qiu Xiaolong. The book features Chief Inspector Chen Cao and his friend/sidekick Detective Yu. It was published in 2002.

Plot summary
One morning in the park by the Bund, Chief Inspector Chen finds a dead body with precisely 18 axe wounds. He decides to take up the case - however, he is also ordered to escort a U.S. Marshal (Catherine Rohn) and assist her with her investigation. In this case, it means going to look for the wife of a witness in a human-smuggling investigation who will not talk unless his wife is with him. Things are complicated by the fact that the woman has gone missing.