"The plotting is highly complex and intricate. This realistic crime-solving story, with its attention to detail, demonstrates the author's considerable professionalism."
—Judge, 1st Sinology International Mystery Literature Awards

"The two domestic mystery novels I've read recently have kicked off the year brilliantly—what a pleasant surprise!... While reading this Prosecutor's Notebook, I thought: over the past few years, I've certainly read some excellent and much-loved domestic mysteries, but most of them, if I were to write one myself, I'd find pretty uninteresting. But this Prosecutor's Notebook—imagining if I had written it, that would still bring me great joy. I enjoy reading works like this, and subconsciously, I'd enjoy writing them even more—fresh subjects, rarely explored by others, where you can glimpse the author through the words."
—Douban reader Lu Xiaobao

★ A hard-boiled mystery novel crafted by a former Chinese prosecutor! Leveraging frontline judicial experience, the author introduces the "prosecutorial pre-indictment intervention" system into crime fiction for the first time (pre-indictment intervention is a system where prosecutors participate in major case investigations, advising on evidence collection and case characterization). This offers readers an authentic, professional view of case investigation that pure fiction cannot match.
★ Pre-publication, the work earned two major recognitions: Excellence Award in the "Short Story and Mid-length Fiction Division" at the 1st Sinology International Mystery Literature Awards, and the Editor's Special Mention in the Full-length Novel Division at the 7th Prometheus Project·Newism Suspense Literature Competition. Judges praised its "highly complex and intricate plotting" and that "the detailed descriptions demonstrate the author's considerable professionalism."
★ Features an innovative dual-text design: "Assistant Prosecutor's Study Notes" + case files! Readers become investigators, examining "evidence" and reasoning alongside the protagonist—an immersive interactive experience appealing to mystery fans and scripted role-playing game enthusiasts worldwide.
★ Blends "impossible crime," "train timetable trick," and interlocking cases within cases. When an ordinary theft case intertwines with the sensational "North Water Lake double murder," the real game begins. The "mentor-apprentice" duo of female prosecutors injects warmth about justice, courage, and professional legacy into the hardcore mystery.

A bizarre double drowning in a lake, an ordinary theft case—behind them lies a deadly, intricately connected conspiracy!

Female prosecutor Lin Xiaopu and her assistant Guo Xiaoxing take on a seemingly routine theft. The defendant has confessed, the stolen goods have been recovered—case closed, in Guo's view. But Lin senses something amiss and insists on returning the case for further investigation.
Meanwhile, two bodies are found floating in North Water Lake on the city's outskirts. One victim is the son of the city's wealthiest man, making the case an instant citywide focus. Lin is assigned for "prosecutorial pre-indictment intervention"—a unique power in China's judicial system where prosecutors participate in investigations from the early stage, offering professional opinions on evidence collection and case nature.

A father who built his fortune bearing the weight of original sin, a stepmother with deep-seated prejudice, a younger half-brother, an older sister separated from the family since childhood, covetous cousins eyeing the family fortune, a secretary fawning obsequiously... everyone seemingly has an alibi. Who is the killer? How was the murder executed?
Just when Lin cracks the killer's scheme and the case seems solved, she keenly realizes: the "small case" she sent back for further investigation is inextricably linked to this sensational "big case."
The truth has more than one layer. The real game has only just begun.

Tudou Xigua
Former Chinese prosecutor, now practicing attorney and mystery novelist.
Under the pen name "Qiezi Tizi," he authored the medium-length mystery "Sense of Belonging," which won the Excellence Award in the "Short Story and Mid-length Fiction Division" at the 1st Sinology International Mystery Literature Awards in September 2023, and was included in the mystery anthology "Snow White and Three Mysteries."
"Prosecutor's Notebook: The Mist of North Water Lake" is his debut full-length mystery novel. With its rigorous logic, authentic details, and intricate plotting, it earned the Editor's Special Mention in the Full-length Novel Division at the 7th Prometheus Project·Newism Suspense Literature Competition even before completion.
Drawing on years of frontline judicial experience as a prosecutor, he systematically transforms China's unique "pre-indictment intervention" system, evidence review rules, and case-handling logic into the novel's core framework. This authentic insider perspective distinguishes his work within the landscape of contemporary Chinese mystery literature and offers international readers a rare window into contemporary Chinese judicial practice.

Chapter 1: The New Theft Case
Chapter 2: The Strange Thief
Chapter 3: Breaking News
Chapter 4: Pre-indictment Intervention
Chapter 5: Bodies in the Lake
Chapter 6: Suspicious Circumstances
Chapter 7: Brotherly Bonds
Chapter 8: Other Relatives
Chapter 9: Alibis Cleared
Chapter 10: The Theft Case Reinvestigation
Chapter 11: Hitting a Wall
Chapter 12: Flawed Reasoning
Chapter 13: Who Is the Accomplice?
Chapter 14: Half the Truth
Chapter 15: Lingering Doubts
Chapter 16: The Reason for Theft
Chapter 17: Confession
Chapter 18: Motive
Chapter 19: Hidden Depths
Chapter 20: True Identity
Chapter 21: The Puppeteer
Epilogue