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    Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China
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    Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China
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    Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China
    Audiobook8 hours

    Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China

    Written by Paul French

    Narrated by Erik Singer

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 24, 2012
    ISBN9781101564431
    Unavailable
    Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China
    Author

    Paul French

    Born in West London, Paul French first sought military adventure in the County of London Yeomanry and then 21 SAS (V). Here, Paul discovered a yearning for hard work and arduous duty. A subsequent defence contract took him to Abu Dhabi where he learnt of Rhodesia and its attractions. Holidaying in Rhodesia, Paul took the opportunity to join the Rhodesian Army, serving with the renowned Rhodesian SAS and Selous Scouts. In 1980, Paul moved to the South African Defence Force, joining its elite 6 Reconnaissance Commando. Upon leaving the SADF a career in private security followed. An accomplished skydiver, Paul has thousands of jumps to his credit, and still jumps today. Married to Petah, Paul has three children. He continues to work in the security industry and now lives in the South-west of England. Shadows of A Forgotten Past is his first book.

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    Reviews for Midnight in Peking

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    • 5/5
      This is a true crime story, and thanks to author Paul French's superior writing and research skills, it reads wonderfully well. Author Paul French writes a gripping tale, and because he is an historian, he also adds rich historical detail to the story line that makes the book even more interesting.This true-crime story revolves around the brutal murder of Pamela Werner, a young British woman and daughter of British diplomat, scholar, and Old China Hand Edward Werner. The story is set in the Legation Quarter, an area of old Peking (now called Beijing) where all the foreign diplomatic legations were found. The Legation was also where all the foreigners lived, worked, and played. They had a self-indulgent and decadent lifestyle almost completely unaffected by the huge city and country surrounding them. But external events intruded. This was 1937, and the foreigners - mainly European and Americans - knew that their days were numbered. Japanese troops were gathering on the outskirts of Peking preparing for the invasion and occupation of both Peking and all of China that came a few months later. I learned some new things from reading this book, for example, the plight of White Russians who lived in China during this period. I also enjoyed the brief appearance of Helen Foster Snow who thought briefly that she might have been the target of the murderer. It was curious to discover that Helen and her journalist husband Edgar Snow lived the high society life in Peking during the time when they weren't roughing it with Mao in the caves at Yan'an. Given the tensions of the time leading up to the Japanese invasion, the joint British-Chinese investigation into Pamela's death was ultimately cut short. Edward Werner relentlessly pursued the search for his daughter's killers, and he left behind detailed documents that French was able to access for this book. We come to the end with a pretty sure notion of who committed the crime and why. Getting to that conclusion was worth the effort. This is a real page-turner. I understand, not surprisingly, that _Midnight in Peking_ has been optioned for a movie and also won Edgar Awards.
    • 4/5
      Midnight in Peking. How the murder of a young Englishwoman haunted the last days of Old China and The badlands. Decadent playground of Old Peking are two closely related books, authored by Paul French, the editor of the in-house publication series of the Royal Asiatic Society. The badlands. Decadent playground of Old Peking is a small booklet that describes the seedy area of gambling houses, cabarets, brothels and opium dens directly to the east of the Legation Quarter in Beijing during the 1920s -- 1930s. This area is the setting of the drama in Midnight in Peking. How the murder of a young Englishwoman haunted the last days of Old China.For a long time, foreigners had the position, almost as untouchables, but also in a sense of neglect. The Chinese mainly tend to see the foreign presence as a pollution, and tend to ignore it as well as they can. During the late years of the Qing dynasty diplomats lived in the Legation Quarter, and a relatively small number of foreigners lived in other parts of the city, notably George Ernest Morrison who lived in Wangfujing Street, then called Morrison Street, Sir Edmund Backhouse and Sir Reginald Fleming Johnston, tutor of Puyi. These people were sinologists and newspapermen. A more colourful riff-raff of Russians and other foreigners resided in the seedy quarter known as the badlands north of the Hadamen Gate. It was in this area that the young Pamela Werner, daughter of a sinologist and diplomat, looked for adventure and met with a gruesome death.Midnight in Peking. How the murder of a young Englishwoman haunted the last days of Old China describes the events and points at the most likely culprit at whose hands Pamela met with her death. It is a chilling story, which French pieced together from the archive of Pamela's father and circumstantial other evidence. The book is written in the style of a detective story, but still sufficiently factual to pass as a hybrid between scholarly work and popular science.
    • 1/5
      I had hopes for this book given the PR, but was really disappointed by the prose (repetative: dive bars; brothels, tiffin, everyone was seething or stiff/straight-backed) and the pacing of the book was as uneven as a Kenyan road post-flood.The idea of solving a murder is cute, but no evidence in the sources given (most are incorrect btw) exists.Meanwhile the author condemns the memory of many men, when in reality, the father was 'morbidly suspicious' and 'completely mad'.If I may, I'd like to share a link so other readers can see the archive material omitted by the author/book. If it was fiction, this wouldnt matter, but it is sold as 100% accurate, which is a little far from the mark IMHO.pamelawernermurderpeking dot comLots of interesting archive material about the period and a rather telling section listing the book's "sources in detail".
    • 5/5
      Fantastic is all I can say! In the middle of it I read the ending, but I still wanted to read the rest of it. Paul French writes in such a clear, concise way that it's almost as if I'm reading a thriller. He doesn't go too much into the historical background, but enough for you know that there are tensions between the factions within the city. I highly recommend it!
    • 4/5
      Really fascinating book, equal parts history and true crime. The author vividly evokes a pungent atmosphere of multicultural pre-war Peking with terse, hardboiled, film noir-esque language. The murder mystery was never officially solved, but the conclusion drawn seems plausible. This won awards; I don;t have a problem with that. Really well written.
    • 5/5
      A fascinating recount of a gruesome crime in old Peking.
    • 4/5
      I normally don't read true crime, but this intrigued me. The story of a young girl's murder amidst the dark, teeming underworld of 1937 Peking was riveting. French did an excellent job setting the historical background.
    • 4/5
      French pieces together the events of a murder that scandalized Peking on the brink of a full Japanese invasion. Pamela Werner was days away from turning twenty when her body was found at the base of the Fox Tower. Her father, a disgraced and eccentric British man, looked to the joint investigation of Chinese and British officials to bring justice to his only child's death. However, those officials are undermined by various governments and internal political issues and no conclusion was reached. Her heart-broken father continued his own investigation, even after the Japanese took over the city. French created a masterful work. Not only does he recreate Pamela as a bright young lady who simply wanted to go skating with friends, but he also makes Peking a character in its own right. It was a city devastated several times over through the 19th century, and then on the verge of new turmoil, the international quarter continued its decadent ways. It was refuge for White Russians and European Jews and so many struggling Chinese from the countryside. Japanese soldiers and spies were already in the city, though they had not formally occupied it. Everyone knew that was coming. Pamela's death occurred at a terrible time--as if there is any choice time to be murdered--and would have been utterly forgotten if not for French's book. I can see why this won the Edgar Award.
    • 3/5
      Great beginning and end, very slow and boring middle part of this book. My favorite part were the photographs at the end.
    • 3/5
      January, 1937. Peking was on the verge of invasion by the Japanese; China was on the verge of a Communist revolution; the world was on the verge of war. One 19-year-old Englishwoman was found dead not far from her home, her corpse mutilated, and the joint investigation of Chinese police and a representative of the British legation began. The murder was never solved, but author Paul French brings forward little-known archives to point the way towards the killers.This is my first foray into true crime, a genre I do not have a natural bent towards as I am completely wimpy when it comes to violence. And while most of this book focuses on the investigation and events after the murder, what happened to Pamela Werner was truly horrible, the description of her body after death pulls no punches. There is, however, quite a lot of food for thought - foreigners living in China, the sordid underbelly of a city that no one wanted to talk about, Chinese and British working together (or not) to solve a murder - which makes it an interesting nonfiction choice for a book group.
    • 4/5
      On the eve of Japanese occupation of Beijing (Peking), a young English girl is found brutally murdered, a crime that officially remains unsolved.Paul French presents the facts of this horrific murder against the backdrop of daily life in Peking, where mixed in with the Chinese live White Russians, Jews fleeing Europe, the diplomatic staff from various Western countries, and China hands, ex-pats who have lived in China for years. (The father of murdered Pamela Werner is one of these old hands.) French describes a city with where opium dens and brothels nestle up against the homes of the wealthy westerners, where the locals fear fox spirits and everyone anxiously anticipates the arrival of Japanese forces. If you are at all interested in China or Chinese history, this book is rich with details.French presents the facts of the murder and its investigation in a clinical way, and offers a plausible solution. However, when he portrays the people involved in the case, the narration falls flat. They never became much more than two-dimensional to me. The details about Peking were what kept me reading, not the details of the crime. It's also a confusing case, with many suspects, lots of movement throughout the night of the murder, and several important clues. It would have been helpful if French had supplied some explanatory materials, such as a map of the area and a list of all the people involved and their relationships to one another.Despite these flaws, this was still a highly readable book with much to interest those of us who are fascinated by China.I read this for the 2014 GeoCAT challenge (East Asia).
    • 3/5
      I've read good things about Paul French's books and looked forward to reading this one - a true story of the murder of a young woman in Peking in 1935, the bungled official police investigation and how her determined father finally solved the crime. This story has everything: sex, drugs, alcohol,corrupt politicians and decadent colonial residents, so it should have been a rip-roaring read. Yet somehow it wasn't.French has investigated all the facts, but he tells his story in a clinical passionless manner that I never truly got caught up in what should have been a truly riveting story. Maybe this should story would have been better done in the hands of Erik Larsen.
    • 3/5
      This book ultimately left me flat. I really enjoyed the history about the region during this time. I am always amazed at how much is not commonly understood about things that are not really that old. I also enjoyed the middle of the book which was more of a detective story. From there the story kind of wandered, as it was set up as a detective story and then the detectives left. I realize that this was based on real events, so the author was obligated to tell these events as they occurred, however the shift in storytelling was unsatisfying. I am still very glad that I read this. This is a time and place that I knew very little about and this was very enlightening.
    • 3/5
      Midnight in Peking is not your average supermarket/drugstore true crime novel filled with lurid pictures and speculation. This is true crime as vehicle for social history, much like the books TJ English writes so wonderfully well. In the opening of the book, a young woman's body is discovered - she is brutally, terribly, shockingly dead - the victim of unspeakable crime. She is also British. China is hounded by the Japanese, the world is on the brink of its second World War (or World War I - part II, as I like to describe the inevitable sequel), and the story makes headlines.Mr. French introduces us to the China of the period, but also offers insight into investigative techniques of the time, the way foreigners in Peking fit into the city (in their own quarters and without), the nature of diplomatic face saving, and a tantalizing glimpse in the Badlands - that sinful place of crime and debauchery. He details the official investigation (where the crime went cold) and the unofficial investigation run by the victim's father (where the crime was solved). Along the way were diplomats, Chinese students, European wastrels, prostitutes, pimps, petty thieves, rooming house denizens, and everything in-between.Midnight in Peking is a glimpse under the covers of Peking on its way to radical change as the friction between the old and new rub its edges raw. Ostensibly about the murder of Pamela Werner and her father's fight to find justice for her, the book is at its best where it lingers on the fringes of polite society - jazz, brothels, and opium dens, oh my. I would have liked more social history and less true crime, but overall an enjoyable read and winner of the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime and the CWA Non-Fiction Dagger.
    • 4/5
      I'm really glad I've joined my non fiction book clubs because, with the exception of one, all of the selections have been delightful. Paul French's Midnight in Peking is no different. It tells the story of Pamela Werner, a 20 year old Englishwoman who was brutally murdered on the night of the Russian Christmas in 1937 in Peking.

      When I say brutally murdered, there is definite emphasis on the term "brutally." Besides from the fact that Pamela's clothes were torn, her body was drained of its blood and her organs were removed including her heart, her bladder, one of her kidneys, and her liver.

      The surgical brutality of the crime and because Pamela's father was Edward Theodore Chalmers Werner, a scholar and a former British consul who had lived in China since the 1880s a partnership was formed between Chinese detective Colonel Han Shih-ching and British detective Richard Dennis. This was certainly a high profile case: a young white woman was killed in China and each government wanted all their bases covered.

      What French does beautifully is that he paints the world of Peking, China so very well. From the fox spirits legend to the paranoia the Chinese were experiencing from the different regimes changing hands every other week and the looming threat of Japanese occupation. Then, there are the things that hindered the murder case such as the British bureaucracy to the various codes of silence eminating from the very rich to the very poor, from the morally sound to the morally corrupt.

      Parts of Peking, such as the British Legation, were very good but Peking was filled with various opium dens, brothels, and dangerous people who were petty, invincible, and knew how to prey on the weak. Midnight in Peking is heartbreaking tale but it shows that, despite the debauchery and economic turmoil, a father will do anything to find out who killed his only child.
    • 3/5
      All the traditional elements of a great murder mystery are here: exotic locale in 1930s Peking, West vs East, a dead young woman who was a bit of a rebel, corrupt or ineffective police, cover-ups, an obsessive father, seamy underbelly of Peking populated by thugs, slimy rich guys, pimps and working girls. A story that could easily have been shifted overseas and written up as fiction by Ian Rankin. ARC from Penguin via Goodreads giveaway.
    • 3/5
      I've never read any true crime book before, I don't think, although given my memory I could be forgetting. Anyway, I was willing to give it a shot. Although I do not think true crime will be my new genre of choice, I definitely do not walk away from Midnight in Peking with a bad opinion of the genre.

      From what I understand, which is very little, true crime can go one of two ways: very historical and fact-driven or very fictional and sensational. This is based solely on the covers I've seen and perhaps reviews. The genre seems to straddle the boundary between history and fiction, which is part of why I've avoided it up to now, because I've not been sure precisely what it entails. Whether my assumptions were correct or not, I can say with assurance that Midnight in Peking is definitely a true crime history. French clearly did a lot of research and the book reads like anything I would have read for my history major in school.

      Having looked at some reviews of the book prior to writing this one, I know that some people had trouble with the level of detail in the book. I both liked and didn't like that. I don't know much of anything about China during that time period, so learning about it was fascinating, but it didn't always seem to add into Pamela's story particularly. So, I guess, I just want to say that you'll likely enjoy this more if you go into it expecting it to be about the last days of old China, with Pamela's brutal murder serving as a lens through which to view the situation.

      Pamela's story is certainly an interesting and, as a woman, completely terrifying one. To be a little bit morbid, I really hope that, should I ever be murdered for some reason, that the killer comes to justice. It may not matter to me, what with the being dead and all, but I feel like I would feel better. The things that people do to women are simply horrifying. Also, the fact that they really should have caught her killer, but that the cops didn't do their jobs...NOT COOL.

      Whether French has the correct analysis and killer is unclear, even he openly admits that. His solution does make sense and he's done his research. I greatly appreciated that he pointed out in a section at the end, "The Writing of Midnight in Peking" which parts he wrote entirely on his own, which he got from other investigators, what research he did and how everything could still be different The fact that he's open with the limitations of his research makes me more trusting of his results.

      History, mystery and true crimes will likely enjoy Midnight in Peking even more than I did. To that end, I am offering up my copy to one reader. Simply fill out the Rafflecopter below. There's no need to follow my blog, but that's always appreciated. Good luck!
    • 4/5
      This non-fiction book reads more like a novel of suspense. It opens in 1937 Peking: the Japanese are about to take over the city and an upper echelon European ex-pats' daughter is brutally murdered. The Peking police and the English commissioner are both holding back on the investigation and eventually give it up. The girl's father is determined to find the killer, knowing it was probably the American dentist and his sadistic friends who are responsible. Tracking down the clues while a World War is beginning to brew is a formidable task. I thoroughly enjoyed following the final solution to the crime.
    • 4/5
      True crime more than history, this book recounts the inconclusive official investigation into the murder of a young European woman in Beijing in 1937, just shortly before the Japanese occupied the city. The last third of the book, based heavily on the obsessive research of the victim's father (Werner), presents an interpretation of what really happened. Overall, the book makes an engaging non-fiction police procedural, a sad and sordid story that delivers a kind of belated justice by identifying the murderers, even if they are long gone now. As a work of history, the book leaves more to be desired. It's not that it's factually wrong; just that, perhaps in an effort to maintain the drama, the author omits critical distance between himself and his source materials. The author's solution to the crime - Werner's solution - is probably right; it certainly is internally consistent with information presented to Werner by numerous paid informants. But the solution requires one to believe that at least one of the two main detectives was dishonest on a key point. Also, early in the book, the author notes that, years earlier and in another town, Werner and his then-wife had behaved bizarrely, apparently motivated by an obsessive certainty that a conspiracy of locals was out to get them. Since a malevolent conspiracy is essentially Werner's solution to his daughter's murder, one might think it deserves more skepticism and testing. After the murder, Werner spent a great deal of money trying to find key witnesses and get them to talk; he clearly believed what they told him, but few offered testimony against their own interests (the most believable kind), and he desperately wanted answers that would make his agonizing loss coherent. The author is explicit (in an afterword) that he accepts Werner's conclusion; it would have been nice to see more discussion of Werner's methods, and an explanation of why the author ultimately trusts his discernment.
    • 4/5
      An excellent description of pre revolution Peking and its small group of expats. The horrifying murder of the schoolgirl Pamela Werner, who seems to have been singularly unfortunate throughout her short life, is diligently investigated by the Chinese Detective Han, and the British Inspector Dennis. But both are constrained by their superiors anxious to move on. So the case remains unsolved - but for the investigations of Pamela's eccentric academic father Prof E.T.C Warner.Paul French has uncovered Prof Werner's notes and created a gripping, enthralling and importantly non judgemental narrative of Peking in the dog days of the Nationalist government with the Japanese everywhere and fear rampant. The various communities, particularly the wretched displaced White Russians, are vividly and convincingly brought to life as are the secrets and scandals of the little expat enclave. French even comes to a confident conclusion (supporting Prof Werner's conclusion) as to who murdered Pamela and how. For me its not a particularly convincing conclusion - whilst possible, there are quite a few holes in it for me, for reasons impossible to go into here without giving the ending awayBut its still an excellent narrative of a forgotten time in history. Recommended
    • 4/5
      Midnight in Peking is a true-crime story based in Peking in 1937-38 during the impending Japanese occupation. A young British woman is brutally murdered and found at the base of the Fox tower in Peking on the morning after Russian Christmas, 1937. The victim, Pamela Werner, is the adopted daughter of a former British consul who lives outside the gates of the British legation and is a noted sinologist, university lecturer.The murder investigation is carried out by Han, a Chinese police detective, and the British liaison Inspector Dennis of Scotland Yard. The two detectives are unable to establish a motive for the murder and both are severely constrained by their superiors. Rumors, lies and obfuscation thwart the investigation and the case is abandoned as prewar tensions mount. Her father, E. T. C. Werner, hires his own investigators and uncovers what the detectives could not, or would not. He makes repeated attempts to obtain justice through the English bureaucratic hierarchy and is repeatedly thwarted. Following a lead from a footnote about Pamela's death in Edgar Snow's book Red Star Over China, Paul French tracks down E. T. C. Warner's investigative reports and provides the belated justice to the memory of Pamela that the British bureaucracy denied her and her father. The author does a thorough job of laying out the expatriate community in Peking including white Russians who fled the Bolshevik Revolution twenty years earlier, the European community, and some North Americans. The tensions between Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist party and Mao Tse Tung's Communist party are also covered. Though some may find this information tedious, it is information not well covered in general western education and is important to understanding the time and place of the murder.
    • 4/5
      This well-constructed narrative will appeal to true crime fans. Spoiler alert -- it was very disappointing that the victim's father seemed be a poster child for "..doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." He had the means at his disposal to effect, if not justice, at least a sort of retribution.
    • 2/5
      A thorough investigative work of nonfiction looking into a horrific murder that occurred in Peking China during a very interesting period of history - it just seems like it would have been a better New Yorker article or series. There was so much extraneous information that it had me searching to follow the murder investigation thread.
    • 4/5
      The story of a young British woman who is murdered in Peking just before the start of World War 2. This book works both for the historical crime story that it tells and for its description of life in China at that time, particularly that of the foreigners who were there in diplomatic, business or other capacities.
    • 4/5
      How much of history is a blurb in a book or document and never investigated further? How much history gets lost that would actually open the doors of the past up further? Paul French explores this through his book, Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China.This is the story of Pamela Werner who goes out skating with friends only to be found in the wee hours of them morning as a dismembered corpse. The investigation into her death becomes complicated. Doubts arise as to who is telling the truth with the many cultures involved. The past of everyone comes out and begins to make the already murky waters even muddier. It becomes the story of the investigation and all the parties involved in the crime. This makes it a very intricate story that will keep the reader hooked to the very last page.The book starts off as a fiction book, or at least that is I was reading it. It was only after most see the case as unsolvable that the tone switches to more of a non-fiction investigative piece. There are several graphic scenes as the state of the body is described and can be unsettling for anyone with weak stomachs. I was borderline sick reading it though it could have been from the fact that some human actually carried out such an act.The various cultures are explored which adds a very interesting depth to this book. I am very ignorant of Asian history so the presence of these cultures was a surprise. Involved in the investigation of Miss Werner are native Chinese, British subjects, Americans, and Russians. Each play a part in the history of the period and the murder.This is a very good book. It sparked a deeper interest in this period of history for me and a desire to learn more. If you enjoy history and mystery, I think this is a book you will enjoy. Once again, there are scenes that are rather gruesome.I reviewed an advance kindle copy that contained formatting issues. These should have been resolved in the final copy. Even with these issues, the read was not affected.Make this one of your summer reads. You won’t regret it.Note: This book was provided to me by the publisher with no expectation of a positive review.
    • 4/5
      Well reseached and intriguing story of Pamela Werner's murder in Peking, China, during its pre-communist era. Not only is the book a fascinating mystery story but a testimonial to the culture and lifestyle of Peking in the days prior to the Japanese invasion and later on to the beginning of China under Mao Tse Tung.
    • 5/5
      Peking China in 1937 was in turmoil. Opium dens, prostitution, and superstitions were just the everyday concerns. The bigger reality was that the Japanese were gearing up to barge into the city and the citizens were on alert. The murder of Pamela Werner could not have come at a worse time. With very few clues and reluctant witnesses a Chinese and a British detective have very little time to solve the gruesome murder. I immediately became captivated by Pamela Werner’s story and was invested in learning the conclusion. All of the little details that went into explaining the problems surrounding those who lived in the city and all of the politics that went into suppressing evidence from investigators gave me insight into the frustration of Pamela’s case. The author worked hard to tell Pamela Werner’s story and it shows. It flowed well and never felt overwhelming leaving me with an interest in learning more about the history of that time and place. I recommend this to anyone, especially to those who enjoy true crime.
    • 4/5
      The Legation quarter in Peking, where many foreigner live a rather privileged existence, though things are changing as the Japanese are gaining more power and control over the region. A young British girl's body is found and things quickly become even more serious. Well written book, imparting much history of this region and the politics of the time period. Rapid changes, many different factions trying to gain control in China. Interesting read.
    • 5/5
      Excellent research and storytelling skills
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. Not only is it an absorbing account of a murder mystery but the author paints an evocative picture of colonial life in 1930's Beijing. I was shocked and saddened by the details of the murder and the probable solution, all the more so for it being a true story. I was inspired to check newspaper accounts of the time to see what had been reported. I also followed the author's suggestions as to further reading as I became quite entranced by the whole subject. One new trend, which I like, is that of the publisher setting up a whole website to sell the book. Thus, Penguin have a 'Murder in Peking' website that has video interviews with the author, maps and other resources relating to the book. I would urge anyone who has the slightest interest in China, the 1930's or true crime to give this book a go.