Final Witness: The Story of China's First Crime Scene Investigator

Where is the justice in a corrupt and crumbling empire?

Thirteenth century China, and the Song Empire is crumbling due to endemic corruption and the incursion of barbarians from abroad. Ambitious men do what they must to get ahead, trampling the commoners who come in their path. 

Into the decaying ranks of the civil service, a young scholar called Song Ci is admitted. He soon gets the chance to prove his worth by developing an unmatched skill for interpreting crime scenes. In a series of complex murder cases that baffled his predecessors, Song is finally able to dispense justice to the relatives of those whose lives have been lost in the chaos.

As the world he knows wanes, Song will be pitted against increasing dangers that will tax him to the edge of his abilities. But will his efforts be enough to save the empire?

Wang Hongjia is a celebrated scholar and cultural historian from Jianyang in Fujian province. He is vice-chairman of the Reportage Committee of the Chinese Authors' Association, and deputy chairman of the Chinese Reportage Society. He is a former winner of the Chinese Book Prize, the Best Works Award, the Lu Xun Literary Prize, the Xu Chi Reportage Prize, the Bing Xin Essay Prize, and other awards. He is considered the founder of a new style of documentary literature in the information age. His "Information Revolution" and "The New Education Crisis" have had a profound influence on the development of contemporary education. Starting in 1979 he has re-introduced the almost forgotten figure of Song Ci to China and the rest of the world, through his writings, his lectures and through television dramas. He has visited Korea, France and Russia to deliver lectures at international literary symposia.