Midnight in Peking
The Murder That Haunted the Last Days of Old China
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4.2 • 31 Ratings
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- £6.99
Publisher Description
Midnight in Peking is a gripping true murder mystery by Paul French
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER - AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4
'A first-rate murder story, a thrilling narrative. Hurtles along from one cliffhanger to the next' Spectator
Peking, 1937:
The teenage daughter of a British consul is brutally slaughtered. The police investigation is botched; as war looms British and Chinese authorities close ranks. A grieving father vows to uncover the truth - alone.
Seventy-five years later, historian Paul French uncovers a stash of forgotten documents revealing the killer's identity . . .
For those who loved The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil this is a riveting and evocative true crime classic.
'Gripping, spellbinding . . . drawing the reader from the very first pages into an unwholesome, macabre world' Guardian
'Part historical docudrama, part tragic opera . . . it is French's enormous achievement that he pieces together the puzzle. He tells this tale with the skill of an Agatha Christie' Financial Times
'Fascinating and irresistible. I couldn't put it down'
John Berendt, author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
'Vivid, pulsating, riveting. It is the storytelling flair that marks Midnight in Peking so highly: with its false leads and twists . . . it sucks the reader in like the best fiction' Scotsman
Born in London, Paul French has lived in China for more than 10 years. He is a widely published analyst and commentator on China; his books include a history of North Korea, a biography of Shanghai adman and adventurer Carl Crow, and a history of foreign correspondents in China.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Historian French (Through the Looking Glass: China's Foreign Journalists from Opium Wars to Mao) unravels a long-forgotten 1937 murder in this fascinating look at Peking (now Beijing) on the brink of Japanese occupation. The severely mutilated body of 19-year-old Pamela Werner the adopted daughter of noted Sinologist and longtime Peking resident Edward Werner was discovered, with many of her organs removed, near the border between the Badlands, a warren of alleyways full of brothels and opium dens, and the Legation Quarter, where Peking's foreign set resided in luxury. A case immediately fraught with tension was made even trickier when the local detective, Col. Han Shih-ching, was made to work alongside Scotland Yard trained Richard Dennis, based in Tientsin. The investigation soon stalled: the actual scene of Pamela's murder could not be found, and leads fizzled out. As China's attention turned to the looming Japanese occupation, the case was deemed "unsolved." French painstakingly reconstructs the crime and depicts the suspects using Werner's own independent research, conducted after authorities refused to reopen his daughter's case. Compelling evidence is coupled with a keen grasp of Chinese history in French's worthy account.
Customer Reviews
Midnight in Peking
A really good read which gives a fascinating insight into 1930's China.
Midnight in Peking
I could not put this book down. Incredible story and superbly written. Well done for not allowing this terrible injustice to be forgotten and hidden.
Mr. French knows his stuff
As a long time expat in China with an addiction to history, I was greatly impressed by the book. Much of the research is superb, and the way in which he conjures up the decadence and strangeness of the upper class (mostly English and American) ex-patriate lifestyle is impressive. People, places and situations come to life under Mr. French's dexterous pen. A great read/listen, well worth the time.