Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China
In the last days of old Peking, where anything goes, can a murderer escape justice?Peking in 1937 is a heady mix of privilege and scandal, opulence and opium dens, rumors and superstition. The Japanese are encircling the city, and the discovery of Pamela Werner's body sends a shiver through...
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In the last days of old Peking, where anything goes, can a murderer escape justice?Peking in 1937 is a heady mix of privilege and scandal, opulence and opium dens, rumors and superstition. The Japanese are encircling the city, and the discovery of Pamela Werner's body sends a shiver through already nervous Peking. Is it the work of a madman? One of the ruthless Japanese soldiers now surrounding the city? Or perhaps the dreaded fox spirits? With the suspect list growing and clues sparse, two detectives—one British and one Chinese—race against the clock to solve the crime before the Japanese invade and Peking as they know it is gone forever. Can they find the killer in time, before the Japanese invade?Historian and China expert Paul French at last uncovers the truth behind this notorious murder, and offers a rare glimpse of the last days of colonial Peking.
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Format: hardcover
ISBN:
9780143121008 (0143121006)
Publish date: April 24th 2012
Publisher: Penguin
Pages no: 260
Edition language: English
Category:
Non Fiction,
Biography,
History,
Literature,
Cultural,
Book Club,
Mystery,
Asian Literature,
Asia,
Crime,
True Crime,
China
A terrific example of what the "true crime" genre is all about. This was a dark and tragic tale in a bizarre and colorful part of the world where the English lived a life of privilege, which they have been so go at throughout their empire-building history. The naiveté of a young English girl playi...
If this was fiction it would be classed as unbelievable but it actually happened.Paul French has written a very readable book about Peking before WWII.
Read my full review at: Although this book fascinated me, I found moments of it simply boring, dry and difficult to keep my attention. I almost felt that moments were weighed down with insignificant information. I did find it to be a compelling story that the scenery and family history captivating.
BOTW Dongbianmen (Tung Pien Men) Fox Tower - circa 1910 - photograph taken from the Tartar Wall. How it looks today. This is the site of the body. I have walked there! Pamela Werner at Tientsin Grammar School, 1936.By Paul French.Read by Crawford Logan.BBC Blurberoonies: On a frozen night in January...
Paul French, a historian and an expert on China, takes us back to Peking in 1937. The Japanese are surrounding the city. Superstitions are running high. The Chinese believe in things like the "dreaded fox spirits".Paula Werner was just a school girl, a bit headstrong and free thinking, living with h...
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