Another true crime review written by Bud:
On the morning of January 8, 1937, the corpse of a young woman named Pamela Werner was found lying in a ditch beneath the supposedly haunted Fox Tower on the outskirts of Peking, China. Brutally murdered and savagely mutilated, the girl was only identifiable by her diamond-studded platinum wrist watch and the singular grey color of the iris in one of her slashed eyes. The story of this murder and its ensuing police investigation are related in the terrific true-crime thriller, Midnight in Peking by Paul French.
Peking in the 1930s was a fascinating mixture of clashing cultures. The British lived quite comfortably inside a large walled section of the city known as the Legation Quarter. Outside of this area resided the Chinese nationals and a combustible mix of expats of all nationalities. Overshadowing everything was the impending threat of the Japanese Army, which had invaded China and was slowly making its way towards the city.
Amidst this turmoil the death of one girl seemed of little importance. But Pamela was the daughter of a former British consul, and had apparently been killed in Chinese territory, which could potentially make the case a political hot potato. To diplomatically resolve the problem, two detectives, one Chinese, Col. Han Shih-ching, and one British, a former Scotland Yard officer named Richard Dennis, were assigned to work the murder together.
Their queries took them from the debauched soirees of the insular Brits to the depraved dives of the lowest Chinese slums, but current events, hidden agendas and meddling superiors stymied the investigation and prevented them from bringing the case to a satisfactory resolution. Furious at this turn of events, Pamela’s grieving father took up the case and relentlessly pursued it. He hounded officials at home and abroad and drove himself into poverty trying to identify her killer and bring him to justice. The details of what he was eventually able to uncover about his daughter’s murder are heinous and heartbreaking.
Midnight in Peking is both an intriguing mystery and a colorful evocation of a famous city at a pivotal point in time. The author, Paul French, lives in Shanghai and is an expert in Chinese culture. This fast-paced, engrossing tale is recommended for true crime buffs and people with an interest in pre-war China.
Check the WRL catalog for Midnight in Peking
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Sounds interesting. On a side note.
You’ve Been Nominated
Hi. I just nominated you for a Very Inspiring Blog Award. Not sure of the exact rules, who started it, or where to find the exact rules. I think you are supposed to nominate 15 other blogs when you accept (kind of like chain letter/pyramid type advertising) but I know I won’t be advertising that many). Anyway, it only serves to help promote your blog. For more info, check out the appropriate post at my site on A Toast To Dragons. (The pasting of links hasn’t work on the last couple of sites, so in case it fails on yours, here’s the url: http://www.atoasttodragons.com).
Very disappointed. The story is about a murder that happens at the same time Japan is invading China. It gives you the background of what happens in the history books. Gives you a taste of the bad side of Peking called Badlands. A 20 year old girl is murdered. Her body is mutilated, but why, and who would do something like that. Her father gives up on authorities and does his own investigation.