Synopses & Reviews
A riveting true-crime tale that presents the thrilling account of a murder in 1937 China that caused an international media sensation.
Chronicling an incredible unsolved murder, Midnight in Peking captures the aftermath of the brutal killing of a British schoolgirl in January 1937. The mutilated body of Pamela Werner was found at the base of the Fox Tower, which, according to local superstition, is home to the maliciously seductive fox spirits. As British detective Dennis and Chinese detective Han investigate, the mystery only deepens and, in a city on the verge of invasion, rumor and superstition run rampant. Based on seven years of research by historian and China expert Paul French, this true-crime thriller presents readers with a rare and unique portrait of the last days of colonial Peking.
Review
“This is a good murder story, well told, with all the additional pleasures that a knowledgeable tour guide to old China can provide. Grateful readers could scarcely ask for more.” Joseph Kanon, author of Istanbul Passage, in The Washington Post
Review
“Never less than fascinating…one of the best portraits of between-the-wars China that has yet been written.” The Wall Street Journal
Review
“A page-turning and fascinating true crime book. This is a genre-breaker that captures the atmosphere of 1930s Peking.” The Bookseller
Review
“Midnight in Peking is true-crime writing at its best, full of vivid characters, an exotic locale, secrets galore, and a truly bewildering mystery.” The Christian Science Monitor
Review
“A compulsively readable true crime work in the tradition of Devil in the White City.” The Atlantic.com
Review
“Not only does Mr. French succeed in solving the crime, he resurrects a period that was filled with glitter as well as evil, but was never, as readers will appreciate, known for being dull.” The Economist
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“[T]he most talked-about read in town this year.” The New Yorker’s Page-Turner Blog
Review
“An engrossing read” Oprah.com
Review
“In today’s Beijing, French’s portrait feels surprisingly germane.” The Los Angeles Times
Review
“Part historical docudrama, part tragic opera…[French] tells this sorry tale with the skill of an Agatha Christie.” The Financial Times
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“Reads like a mystery thriller, with its dramatic cast of character and exotic setting.” San Francisco BayGuardian
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“A fascinating tale of life and death in a city on the brink of all-out war.” Time.com
Review
“[This} fitting elegy to a lost young woman — and era — should help ensure Pamela Werner is a footnote no more.” The Cleveland Plain Dealer
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“Similar to Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City, it’s a compelling story brought to life by meticulous research.” Minneapolis Star Tribune
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“Historian French unravels a long-forgotten 1937 murder in this fascinating look at Peking (now Beijing) on the brink of Japanese occupation. French painstakingly reconstructs the crime and depicts the suspects…compelling evidence is coupled with a keen grasp of Chinese history in French’s worthy account.” Publisher’s Weekly
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“Treating his subjects with expertise and compassion, French creates a riveting portrait of the complicated tensions that existed during wartime in a city on the brink of destruction. This is a difficult book to put down!” Library Journal (starred review)
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“French provides a wealth of historical detail about a vanished era in interwar Peking….A well-composed, engaging, lurid tale.” Kirkus
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“It is the storytelling flair that marks Midnight in Peking so highly above the run-of-the-mill true crime stories: with its false leads and twists, it sucks the reader in like the best fiction.” The Scotsman
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“Spellbinding” – The Guardian
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“The shocking true tale, combined with prose you can’t drag yourself away from, makes Midnight in Peking a work of non fiction as compulsive as any bestselling crime novel.” – Sunday Express (UK)
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“It is as compelling as any murder mystery.” –
The Fredericksburg Free Lance-StarReview
andldquo;This is a good murder story, well told, with all the additional pleasures that a knowledgeable tour guide to old China can provide. Grateful readers could scarcely ask for more.andrdquo;andnbsp;andndash; Joseph Kanon, author of
Istanbul Passage, in
The Washington PostReview
andldquo;Never less than fascinatingandhellip; one of the best portraits of between-the-wars China that has yet been written.andrdquo; andndash;
The Wall Street Journal
Review
andnbsp;andldquo;A page-turning and fascinating true crime book. This is a genre-breaker that captures the atmosphere of 1930s Peking.andrdquo; andndash;
The Bookseller [selected as
One to Watch]
Review
andldquo;
Midnight in Peking is true-crime writing at its best, full of vivid characters, an exotic locale, secrets galore, and a truly bewildering mystery.andrdquo; andndash;
The Christian Science MonitorReview
andldquo;andhellip;A compulsively readable true crime work in the tradition of
Devil in the White City.andrdquo; andndash;
The Atlantic.com
Review
“Midnight in Peking is both a detective story and a social history, and therefore - as it should - always keeps the hunt for Pamelas killers somewhere near the center of the narrative. [Paul French] is a wonderfully dexterous guide” - Jonathan Spence in The New York Review of Books
Review
“This is a good murder story, well told, with all the additional pleasures that a knowledgeable tour guide to old China can provide. Grateful readers could scarcely ask for more.” - Joseph Kanon, author of
Istanbul Passage, in
The Washington Post “Never less than fascinating… one of the best portraits of between-the-wars China that has yet been written.” - The Wall Street Journal
“Midnight in Peking is both a detective story and a social history, and therefore - as it should - always keeps the hunt for Pamelas killers somewhere near the center of the narrative. [Paul French] is a wonderfully dexterous guide” - Jonathan Spence in The New York Review of Books
“A crime story set among sweeping events is reminiscent of Graham Greene, particularly The Third Man, while French's terse, tightly-focussed style has rightly been compared to Chandler. Midnight in Peking deserves a place alongside both these masters.” - The Independent
“A page-turning and fascinating true crime book. This is a genre-breaker that captures the atmosphere of 1930s Peking.” - The Bookseller [selected as One to Watch]
“…the most talked-about read in town this year.” - The New Yorkers Page-Turner Blog
“Midnight in Peking is true-crime writing at its best, full of vivid characters, an exotic locale, secrets galore, and a truly bewildering mystery.” - The Christian Science Monitor
“…A compulsively readable true crime work in the tradition of Devil in the White City.” - The Atlantic.com
“Not only does Mr. French succeed in solving the crime, he resurrects a period that was filled with glitter as well as evil, but was never, as readers will appreciate, known for being dull.” - The Economist
“An engrossing read” - Oprah.com
“In todays Beijing, Frenchs portrait feels surprisingly germane.” - The Los Angeles Times
“Part historical docudrama, part tragic opera… [French] tells this sorry tale with the skill of an Agatha Christie.” - The Financial Times
Synopsis
Winner of the both the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime and the CWA Non-Fiction DaggerChronicling an incredible unsolved murder, Midnight in Peking captures the aftermath of the brutal killing of a British schoolgirl in January 1937. The mutilated body of Pamela Werner was found at the base of the Fox Tower, which, according to local superstition, is home to the maliciously seductive fox spirits. As British detective Dennis and Chinese detective Han investigate, the mystery only deepens and, in a city on the verge of invasion, rumor and superstition run rampant. Based on seven years of research by historian and China expert Paul French, this true-crime thriller presents readers with a rare and unique portrait of the last days of colonial Peking.
About the Author
Paul French lives in Shanghai, where he is a business advisor and analyst He frequently comments on China for the English-speaking press around the world. French studied history, economics, and Mandarin at university and has an M.Phil in economics from the University of Glasgow.