Inspired by a footnote in a bio of Edgar Snow of Red Star over China fame, French tracked down newspapers from archives in Peking, Shanghai, Hong Kong and London to write this brilliant reconstruction of a gruesome murder of the young daughter of a British Consul in China and the botched investigation by the Peking police working together with an ex-Scotland Yard British detective based in Tientsin. The conclusion of his book is startling, the murderer identified by the girl’s dad but the British authorities refused to take action. This is a highly readable book.
