by Paul French
First published 2021
A young Jewish woman arrives in Macao after escaping wartime Shanghai, hoping the Portuguese colony will offer passage to true freedom. The neutral territory teems with danger and opportunity. Nazi agents work alongside Japanese spies while Allied prisoners who broke out of Hong Kong hide in the shadows. Displaced Chinese families struggle to survive as the war reshapes their world. She must navigate this precarious sanctuary where every decision carries life or death consequences. Trust becomes a luxury she cannot afford as enemies and allies blur together in the humid streets. Her fight for survival transforms into something larger when she realizes that resistance takes many forms. French draws from true accounts and fresh research to capture one woman's journey through what many called the Casablanca of the Orient. Her struggle reveals how ordinary people found extraordinary courage in the most unlikely places.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, survival
Setting: Macao, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Casablanca
Period: World War II
96 pages · Paperback · Blacksmith Books
Content warnings: violence