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Qiu Xiaolong Books in Order

Find every Qiu Xiaolong book in order, including standalone titles and complete series reading orders with publication years.

Updated 2026-07-11 / 23 books / 5 series

Chinese author Qiu Xiaolong is best known for the Inspector Chen Cao mystery series. His books have been translated into multiple languages and won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel. This page provides the Qiu Xiaolong books in order, including both chronological order and series reading order.

All Qiu Xiaolong Books in Chronological Order

2000 Death of a Red Heroine POoICB / 1 Buy
2002 A Loyal Character Dancer POoICB / 2 Buy
2003 Classic Chinese Love Poems POoPC / 1 Buy
2003 Lines Around China POoSSC / 1 Buy
2004 When Red is Black POoICB / 3 Buy
2006 Poems of Tang and Song Dynasties POoPC / 2 Buy
2006 A Case of Two Cities POoICB / 4 Buy
2007 Red Mandarin Dress POoICB / 5 Buy
2008 Years of Red Dust POoSSC / 2 Buy
2009 The Mao Case POoICB / 6 Buy
2012 Disappearing Shanghai: Photographs and Poems of an Intimate Way of Life POoSSC / 3 Buy
2012 Don't Cry, Tai Lake POoICB / 7 Buy
2013 Enigma of China POoICB / 8 Buy
2014 Shanghai Redemption POoICB / 9 Buy
2016 Poems of Inspector Chen POoICC / 1 Buy
2018 Inspector Chen and Me POoICC / 2 Buy
2020 Hold Your Breath, China POoICB / 10 Buy
2021 Becoming Inspector Chen POoICB / 11 Buy
2021 Inspector Chen and the Private Kitchen Murder POoICB / 12 Buy
2022 The Shadow of the Empire POoJDIB / 1 Buy
2023 Love and Murder in the Time of Covid POoICB / 13 Buy
2024 The Conspiracies of the Empire POoJDIB / 2 Buy
2026 The Secret Sharers(With: Xiaolong Qiu) POoICB / 14 Buy

Qiu Xiaolong Book Series Reading Orders / browse all ->

01 Poems of Inspector Chen 2016 Buy
02 Inspector Chen and Me 2018 Buy
01 Death of a Red Heroine 2000 Buy
02 A Loyal Character Dancer 2002 Buy
03 When Red is Black 2004 Buy
04 A Case of Two Cities 2006 Buy
05 Red Mandarin Dress 2007 Buy
06 The Mao Case 2009 Buy
07 Don't Cry, Tai Lake 2012 Buy
08 Enigma of China 2013 Buy
09 Shanghai Redemption 2014 Buy
10 Hold Your Breath, China 2020 Buy
11 Becoming Inspector Chen 2021 Buy
12 Inspector Chen and the Private Kitchen Murder 2021 Buy
13 Love and Murder in the Time of Covid 2023 Buy
14 The Secret Sharers(With: Xiaolong Qiu) 2026 Buy
01 Lines Around China 2003 Buy
02 Years of Red Dust 2008 Buy
03 Disappearing Shanghai: Photographs and Poems of an Intimate Way of Life 2012 Buy
01 Classic Chinese Love Poems 2003 Buy
02 Poems of Tang and Song Dynasties 2006 Buy
01 The Shadow of the Empire 2022 Buy
02 The Conspiracies of the Empire 2024 Buy

Where to start with Qiu Xiaolong

What is the best order to read Qiu Xiaolong books?

Publication order is usually the safest place to start. If a book belongs to a series, follow the numbered series reading order shown on this page.

Are standalone books and series both included?

Yes. Standalone titles appear in the full chronological bibliography, and series are broken out separately with reading-order links when catalog data is available.

More authors

Anne-Marie Meyer -> Melissa F. Miller -> Carla Neggers -> Lili St. Germain ->

Source note: Sequencebooks organizes author, book, and series records from its catalog data. Publication years and series order are shown when available.