Apricot's Revenge

A business tycoon, Hu Guohao, is found dead in Shenzhen, China, apparently of a heart attack while swimming. The police have three suspects: Zhou, the vice president of the company who is in line to take over his position; Zhu, his young widow who stands to inherit a huge amount of wealth; and Hong, his arch business rival. But then Hong is found dead in his office, and the police find a drawer full of death threats.

The police hit a dead end until Nie Feng, a young investigative reporter, discovers a new suspect who is not on the police's radar. Zhong Tao is the personal assistant of Hu and there's a connection between Zhong, Zhou and Hong: All three men were working on a farm in a remote area of China over 30 years ago and Zhong has been plotting his revenge ever since. Apricot uses a clever plot to address social problems in modern China and to remind readers of the horrible and chaotic years China once endured.

Song Ying is an award-winning author in China of both fiction and nonfiction. He has published five novels and 15 nonfiction books.