City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir

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Description

Paul French resurrects the denizens of old Shanghai's badlands, the drug-running, the gambling, and the graft, vividly restoring this long overlooked side of the city's history. Shanghai, 1941- In a city under siege unfolds an astonishing story of two men whose lives intertwine in crime and twisted friendship. Viennese Joe Farren rose to fame by cashing in on Shanghai's desperate pleasure seeking. King of the chorus lines, his name was splashed in neon across the infamous Badlands nightclub, 'Farren's'. American fugitive Jack Riley, his fingertips acid-burnt, found a future in Shanghai as 'The Slots King'. 'Dapper Joe' and 'Lucky Jack' collided, clashed and came together again in a frantic struggle to survive the city's last days. Paul French resurrects the denizens of old Shanghai's badlands, the drug-running, the gambling, and the graft, vividly restoring this long overlooked side of the city's history.

Author Bio

Born and currently based in London, Paul French lived and worked in Shanghai for many years. He is a widely published analyst and commentator on China and has written a number of books, including a history of foreign correspondents in China and a biography of the legendary Shanghai adman, journalist and adventurer Carl Crow. His book Midnight in Peking was a New York Times Bestseller, a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, a Mystery Writers' of America Edgar award winner for Best Fact Crime and a Crime Writers' Association (UK) Dagger award for non-fiction. Midnight in Peking will be made into an international mini-series by Kudos Film and Television, the UK creators of Spooks, Broadchurch and Life on Mars.