Taiwanese Author Scores Big in Japan

B.V. Lawson’s blog, In Reference to Murder​, brings news that “Taiwanese writer Chi Wei-jan has won the Falcon Award from the Maltese Falcon Society in Japan for his debut novel, Private Eyes, making him the first Taiwanese to win the honor.”

Prior to today’s announcement, I wasn’t familiar with Chi’s 2011 novel. It’s more than likely you were equally in the dark. So here is a brief summary of the tale provided by the Web site Books from Taiwan:

Private Eyes is a brilliant literary detective novel in which a failed-academic-turned-sleuth tries to make sense of the absurdity of modern city life, just as his own takes an even more absurd turn.

Wu Cheng, a disillusioned playwright and theatre director, quits his job as a college professor and moves to Liuzhangli, a district in Taipei he fondly describes as the ‘Dead Zone’ because of its thriving funeral trade. There Wu sets up shop as the first and only private detective in Taiwan.

Just as Wu is about to settle into his new life, he is arrested by the police and asked to answer for a series of murders. The crimes have been taking place in the very neighbourhood in which he lives and his image has been captured by the ever-present security cameras. Obviously Wu hasn’t committed the crimes. He has no memory of ever even having spoken to the victims, but what about his medical history of depression-turned-neurosis? Wasn’t he displaying signs of mentally instability when he jumped onto the table and insulted all his theatre friends?

Wu Cheng needs to prove his innocence and find out who is behind the murders. What creates a serial killer? Why has there never been one in Taiwan, until now? Wu will also need to look deep into himself, because the murderer is someone who knows him so intimately that he or she is able to assume his likeness to frame him for the crimes. Someone from his dark past.

In addition to this latest accolade, Private Eyes captured Japan’s 2022 Honkaku Mystery Award, the 2012 Taipei Book Fair Award, and the 2011 China Times Open Book Award. It also ranked among Asia Weekly’s Top Ten Chinese Novels in 2011. The Taipei News reports that Chi published a sequel last year titled DV8: Private Eyes 2.

Previous recipients of the annual Falcon Award include C.J. Box, Walter Mosley, S.J. Rozan, Don Winslow, George Pelecanos, Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, and Stephen Greenleaf.

READ MORE: “Taipei Noir: Chi Wei-Jan’s Private Eyes” (Culture Trip).