Taipei: When mystery writer Mou Yip takes the stage at the Taipei International Book Exhibition (TiBE) on February 7, it will be more than just a book talk to the 34-year-old Hong Konger. His debut as an invited speaker at Taiwan's largest book event will serve as an opportunity to highlight how Taiwan has helped keep the literary genre alive in Hong Kong and how mysteries help preserve the memories of a city currently facing challenges.According to Focus Taiwan, Mou Yip, a software engineer by trade, believes that Hong Kong and Taiwan are intrinsically linked when it comes to mystery novels. Taiwan has been a significant engine for Hong Kong's crime fiction authors, providing awards and exposure that the local market often lacks. Mou Yip notes that while it is difficult to sell Hong Kong-published mystery novels in Taiwan, books published in Taiwan are readily available in Hong Kong bookstores.This asymmetrical relationship is reinforced by events like the biennial Soji Shimada Mystery Award and the 2015 TiBE Book Prize won by Hong Kong's Chen Ho-Kei, which brought unprecedented attention to Chinese-language mystery novels. "In this sense, mystery novels in Taiwan and Hong Kong essentially thrive hand in hand," Mou Yip said, although he acknowledged that the combined markets still cannot support full-time mystery writers.Mou Yip sees an advantage in the genre's "part-time" nature, as writers from diverse professional backgrounds bring specialized expertise to their plots. He incorporates elements such as data mining and information security into his writing, traits that are evident in his book "Five Nights of the Millennium."Despite a waning market, Mou Yip believes mystery novels are gaining newfound importance in an era where "truth" is under siege. With information technology lowering barriers to fabricating falsehoods, public vigilance is required to parse truth from fiction. Taiwan, he notes, is not immune from this trend, even as a successful democracy in the Chinese-speaking world.In his work, Mo u Yip explores the relationship between humanity and technology, using mystery fiction to subvert habitual perceptions of these subjects. The genre, he argues, forces readers to re-examine the hidden possibilities in everyday objects.Following the enactment of Hong Kong's National Security Law in 2020, many migrated to Taiwan. Mou Yip stayed, facing the choice between "actively leaving" and "passively staying." While exiles encounter cultural gaps, those who remain face "necessary silence," making the city's nuances harder to grasp externally. Mou Yip does not disclose his real name to maintain separate identities as a software engineer and writer.In 2019, Mou contributed to "Detective Cafe," a mystery collection featuring Hong Kong elements published by Starry Night Publications. The series has grown, each of its seven volumes exploring different aspects of the city. While mystery remains niche, Mou Yip believes such writing helps cultivate a sense of "Hong Kongness" that evolves over time. He concludes that "Hong Kongness" is something practiced and realized through the act of creation.