Winter's Red Lotus Night

In the frozen north of China, Inspector Lu Fei seeks solace in the Red Lotus bar, nursing heartbreak and Shaoxing wine. His peace is broken by a call: a young woman, Yang Fenfang, has been found dead, her body mutilated in a ritualistic fashion. Lu, a thoughtful and poetic deputy chief, is thrust into a case that will test his resolve, his intellect, and his understanding of both justice and the human soul. The murder scene is chilling—Yang's organs are missing, her body stitched up, and a note of hell money placed in her mouth. The brutality and symbolism suggest something more than a simple crime of passion or greed.

A Corpse and a Poet

Lu, joined by his small-town police team, investigates the Yang residence. The victim's background is unremarkable: a country girl who moved to the city, returned to care for her dying mother, and was found dead days after her mother's funeral. The crime scene is meticulously examined, revealing both the absence of struggle and the presence of ritual—makeup applied postmortem, organs removed with surgical precision, and the body carefully arranged. Lu's poetic sensibility and knowledge of Chinese classics color his approach, as he seeks meaning in the details and the cultural context of the crime.

The Butcher's Shadow

The investigation quickly focuses on Zhang Zhaoxing, a local butcher and Yang's former boyfriend. Zhang is socially awkward, physically strong, and has a history of butchering animals at the local pork plant. He is found with voyeuristic photos of Yang and a stash of pornography, making him an easy target for suspicion. Under pressure, Zhang is detained, but his confused, childlike demeanor and lack of clear motive trouble Lu. The case against Zhang is circumstantial, and Lu's instincts tell him the truth is more complex.

Rituals and Red Tape

The murder draws the attention of higher authorities, including the ambitious Deputy Director Song from Beijing's Criminal Investigation Bureau. Song's arrival brings both expertise and political pressure. The investigation is hampered by layers of bureaucracy, local politics, and the need to maintain social stability (weiwen). Ritual elements—hell money, organ removal, and the Five Elements theory—suggest a killer obsessed with the soul and the afterlife. The case becomes a battleground between modern forensic science and ancient superstition.

The Heartless Autopsy

Dr. Ma, a renowned forensic pathologist, performs the autopsy. She discovers that Yang's heart, lungs, and liver have been expertly removed, and her body stitched with skill. The sexual assault appears to have been committed with a foreign object, not a person. The presence of hell money in the mouth and the careful postmortem makeup point to a killer who is both methodical and deeply superstitious. The investigation expands to consider organ trafficking, ritual murder, and psychological pathology.

Suspects and Superstitions

The team debates possible motives: sexual perversion, impotence, misogyny, occult beliefs, or a calculated attempt to mislead. Theories abound—was Yang killed by a jilted lover, a superstitious madman, or someone seeking to cover up a scandal? The discovery of missing electronics and luxury items (notably, a pair of expensive red-soled shoes) hints at theft, but the ritualistic mutilation suggests something more. The investigation is further complicated by local gossip, media intrusion, and the pressure to find a quick resolution.

The City of Ice

Lu and Song travel to Harbin, where Yang lived and worked. They discover her double life: a modest barmaid at the Black Cat, a gay bar, and the tenant of a luxurious apartment paid for by an unknown benefactor. Interviews with her boss and neighbors reveal Yang's connections to both the gay community and a mysterious "sugar daddy." The apartment's second bedroom is wiped clean of fingerprints, and Yang's financial records show regular cash deposits, suggesting blackmail or a secret arrangement.

Ghosts in the Bureau

The investigation uncovers the dark underbelly of Chinese bureaucracy. Local officials, party secretaries, and business magnates are all potential suspects. The "sugar daddy" theory gains traction, implicating powerful men with much to lose. The police face obstruction from both local and provincial authorities, who fear scandal more than justice. Lu's own past—his exile from Harbin for exposing corruption—mirrors the systemic rot he now confronts.

The Sugar Daddy Theory

Evidence points to a wealthy, well-connected man from Raven Valley as Yang's benefactor. The investigation reveals a web of secret relationships, blackmail, and sexual repression. The suspect, Party Secretary Mao, is identified by a witness as a closeted gay man who frequented the Black Cat and paid for Yang's apartment. Mao's political power and connections to local business leaders make him nearly untouchable, and the police are warned off the case.

The Black Cat Connection

Key witnesses from the Black Cat are intimidated by thugs, and one disappears. Lu's pursuit of the truth puts him in danger, as he is attacked by hired goons. The investigation into Yang's murder becomes entangled with the fates of other women—two previous victims in Harbin, killed in similar ritualistic fashion. The pattern emerges: all victims are women with connections to recent funerals, all marked by the color red, all mutilated postmortem.

Bureaucrats and Blood

Despite mounting evidence, the political elite close ranks to protect their own. Mao and his business ally, Deng, admit to their secret arrangement with Yang but deny involvement in her death. They use their influence to stymie the investigation, but Lu and his allies persist. The focus shifts from the powerful to the overlooked: those who work in the shadows of death, the undertakers and mortuary staff.

The Color Red

Lu notices a recurring motif: each victim possessed or wore something red—a ring, earrings, shoes, a bracelet—at the time of their death. The killer is fixated on the color red, a symbol of life, luck, and femininity in Chinese culture. The ritual removal of organs and the placement of hell money suggest a belief in controlling the soul after death. The investigation turns to those with both access to the dead and knowledge of funerary rites.

The Undertaker's Secret

Suspicion falls on Zeng, the young undertaker who handled Yang's mother's funeral and has access to formaldehyde and surgical tools. Zeng's background reveals a pattern: he worked at funeral homes connected to the previous victims, and his knowledge of anatomy and ritual matches the killer's profile. When Yanyan, the bar owner and Lu's confidante, disappears, Lu realizes Zeng has taken her as his final "bride."

Fire and Revelation

Zeng sets a fire as a diversion and kidnaps Yanyan, intending to kill her in a ritual mirroring his previous crimes. Lu, racing against time, confronts Zeng at the funeral home's columbarium. In a harrowing struggle amid flames and gasoline, Lu rescues Yanyan and faces Zeng, who immolates himself in a final act of madness. The truth is revealed: Zeng, driven by loneliness, resentment, and a twisted sense of ritual, murdered women marked by red, seeking to bind their souls to his in death.

The Final Bride

Yanyan survives, traumatized but alive. Lu, badly burned, is hospitalized. The community reels from the revelation that the killer was not a powerful official or a monstrous outsider, but a quiet, overlooked undertaker. The case is closed, but the wounds—physical, emotional, and societal—remain. The rituals of death give way to the rituals of healing, as Lu and Yanyan begin to rebuild their lives.

Ashes and Aftermath

In the aftermath, the bureaucracy moves on, eager to forget the scandal. Lu is offered a chance to join the national bureau but chooses to remain in Raven Valley, valuing integrity over ambition. The story ends with a sense of bittersweet hope: the dead are honored, the living endure, and the struggle for justice continues in a world where tradition and modernity, power and vulnerability, are forever entwined.

Characters

Lu Fei

Lu Fei is the deputy chief of Raven Valley's Public Security Bureau, a man of deep introspection, literary sensibility, and quiet integrity. Exiled from Harbin for exposing corruption, he is both an outsider and a moral center. Lu's relationships—with his colleagues, with Yanyan, and with the dead—are marked by empathy and a search for meaning. He is haunted by the limitations of justice in a system riddled with bureaucracy and tradition, yet persists in seeking the truth, even at personal cost.

Luo Yanyan

Yanyan is the owner of the Red Lotus bar, a widow who has endured loss and hardship with quiet strength. She is both an object of desire and a symbol of survival, attracting the attention of many men in town, including Lu. Her warmth and vulnerability make her a target for the killer, but also a catalyst for Lu's emotional growth. Yanyan's ordeal and recovery highlight the precarious position of women in a patriarchal society.

Zeng (The Undertaker)

Zeng is the unassuming undertaker whose isolation, resentment, and fixation on ritual drive him to murder. His knowledge of anatomy, funerary customs, and the symbolism of red allow him to commit his crimes undetected. Psychologically, Zeng is a study in alienation—ostracized by society, desperate for connection, and ultimately consumed by his own delusions. His crimes are both a cry for belonging and an assertion of control over life and death.

Deputy Director Song

Song is the high-ranking CIB officer from Beijing, whose arrival brings both expertise and political calculation. He is driven by ambition, skilled in interrogation, and adept at navigating the treacherous waters of Chinese bureaucracy. Song's relationship with Lu is fraught—part mentorship, part rivalry, and ultimately, mutual respect. He represents the tension between justice and expediency in modern policing.

Chief Liang

Liang is Lu's superior, a man who has learned to survive by keeping his head down and playing the political game. He is both a source of comic relief and a reminder of the compromises required in a corrupt system. Liang's pragmatism contrasts with Lu's idealism, but he ultimately supports Lu's pursuit of the truth, even when it threatens his own position.

Dr. Ma

Dr. Ma is a celebrated forensic expert, one of the few women in her field, known for her intelligence, candor, and unconventional style. She provides crucial insights into the ritualistic nature of the murders and serves as both a professional ally and a potential romantic interest for Lu. Her presence challenges gender norms and highlights the evolving role of women in Chinese society.

Zhang Zhaoxing

Zhang is the local butcher and Yang's former boyfriend, whose social awkwardness and proximity to the crime make him an easy suspect. His vulnerability and confusion expose the dangers of hasty justice and the scapegoating of the marginalized. Zhang's ordeal in detention is a critique of the system's indifference to the innocent.

Party Secretary Mao

Mao is the local party secretary, a man of influence and secrets. His hidden sexuality and connection to Yang's apartment make him a suspect, but his true crime is the abuse of power and the willingness to protect his reputation at any cost. Mao embodies the intersection of personal desire and political expediency.

Deng Qiao

Deng is the chairman of Abundant Harvest Industries, a symbol of China's new corporate elite. He is allied with Mao, using wealth and influence to shield himself and his associates from scrutiny. Deng's role in the cover-up highlights the complicity of business in political corruption.

Sergeant Bing

Bing is Lu's right-hand man, a seasoned sergeant who provides stability and practical wisdom. He is a bridge between Lu's idealism and Liang's cynicism, offering support and insight throughout the investigation. Bing's presence underscores the importance of camaraderie and trust in the pursuit of justice.

Plot Devices

Ritualistic Murder and Symbolism

The killer's obsession with the color red and funerary rituals is central to the plot. The removal of organs, the placement of hell money, and the careful staging of the bodies create a pattern that both misleads and reveals. These devices serve as both red herrings and keys to the killer's psychology, blending ancient superstition with modern pathology.

Bureaucratic Obstruction and Political Intrigue

The investigation is repeatedly stymied by layers of bureaucracy, political interference, and the imperative to maintain social stability. The interplay between local and national authorities, the fear of scandal, and the protection of the powerful create a labyrinthine environment where truth is elusive and justice is precarious.

Misdirection and False Suspects

The narrative employs classic detective misdirection: Zhang the butcher, the "sugar daddy," and various officials are all plausible suspects, each with motives and means. The true killer hides in plain sight, his unremarkable status and access to the dead making him invisible to both society and the police.

Psychological Profiling and Forensic Science

The use of forensic pathology, psychological profiling, and criminal databases contrasts with the killer's reliance on ritual and superstition. The tension between science and tradition is mirrored in the investigative process, as Lu and his team struggle to interpret both physical evidence and symbolic meaning.

Foreshadowing and Parallel Narratives

The narrative is interspersed with glimpses into the killer's mind, his rituals, and his justifications. These passages foreshadow the final revelation and create a sense of inevitability. The parallel between Lu's poetic introspection and the killer's ritualistic obsession deepens the psychological complexity of the story.

Analysis

Thief of Souls is a masterful fusion of crime fiction, cultural critique, and psychological study, set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing China. At its core, the novel explores the tension between tradition and modernity, the individual and the collective, justice and expediency. Through the lens of a ritualistic serial murder, Klingborg interrogates the ways in which power, gender, and superstition shape both crime and its investigation. The story's true power lies in its nuanced characters—especially Lu Fei, whose empathy and integrity stand in stark contrast to the cynicism and corruption around him. The novel's use of ritual and symbolism is not merely decorative; it is a commentary on the persistence of ancient beliefs in a society hurtling toward modernity. The ultimate revelation—that the killer is not a powerful official or a monstrous outsider, but a lonely, overlooked undertaker—serves as a chilling reminder that evil often hides in the most ordinary places. Thief of Souls is both a gripping mystery and a meditation on the human need for connection, meaning, and justice in a world where all three are in short supply.

Last updated: May 4, 2025