by Paul French
First published 2012
In 1937 Peking, someone kills Pamela Werner and leaves her body to be discovered in a city already on edge. The Japanese military surrounds the ancient capital, creating an atmosphere thick with tension, privilege, and corruption. Opium dens operate alongside elegant social gatherings while rumors spread through neighborhoods mixing wealth and squalor. A British detective and his Chinese counterpart work frantically to identify the murderer. Their suspect list grows as evidence remains scarce. Theories range from a deranged killer to Japanese soldiers to supernatural fox spirits that local residents fear. Time runs short as the Japanese invasion approaches, threatening to destroy the colonial world these investigators know. Paul French, a historian specializing in China, reconstructs this notorious crime that captivated the international community. His investigation reveals the final moments of old Peking before war transformed it forever. The book earned both the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime and the CWA Non-Fiction Dagger for its meticulous research into this decades-old mystery.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, crime
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, race-against-time
Setting: Peking
Period: 1937
260 pages · Hardcover · Penguin (Non-Classics)
Content warnings: violence