Just finished this book, and loved it. I suppose according to
the rubric established by endless discussion here on this
list this would qualify as
"hard-boiled" and not "noir," it's definitely a grim book
with some good writing and interesting characterization in
it.
THE BACKGROUND:
The protagonist, Richard Field, arrives in Shanghai in 1926,
leaving behind genteel poverty and a family tragedy in
Yorkshire. He's taken a job with the Shanghai police, working
on a multi-national force dominated by the British, with a
sprinkling of Americans, French, Germans, Russians and native
Chinese also working for it. Soon after Field completes his
training, a Russian girl who might or might not have been a
prostitute is found brutally murdered, handcuffed to her bed,
and horribly mutilated. Field is teamed up with an American
from Chicago named Caprisi and a Chinese named Chen, and the
three of them attempt to solve the case. This is no mean
feat, as there is international business involved, rampant
corruption at all levels of the city's international
government, Chinese gangsters, drug runners, Communist
agitators, and everwhere the expatriate "White" Russians
trying to keep from being deported back to Russia.
WHAT I LIKED:
Bradby does an admirable job of making the city of Shanghai
itself a major character of this book. He has a real feel for
setting the scene, for keeping his characters in context
against the exotic background of a city full of energy and
purpose, threatening to overwhelm those who aren't strong
enough swimmers to keep just ahead of the relentless tide of
its "progress." This is grim a portrayal of any city as I've
seen since reading Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle." I don't
think that any of the streets of 1920s Shanghai are anything
other than "mean." Life is cheap if you're Chinese or
Russian. Only Europeans matter to the powers that be in what
are called
"the Concession" (predominantly British and American, with a
smattering of other nationalities) and the infinitely more
corrupt (which is saying something) "French Concession,"
where no one's life matters unless they have someone on their
payroll.
Bradby also does a great job with his supporting characters,
including a Russian femme fatale that could have been played
in the movie by Ava Gardner, two feuding police commandants,
one Irish, the other Scottish, a menacing Chinese warlord
named Lu, the influential and wealthy uncle who secured
Field's position in the Shanghai police and the uncle's
nymphomaniac wife, and that's just for starters.
There were some good and unexpected twists in the plot, to
boot.
No spoilers here, though.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: There were some holes in the plot, and
they got in the way of the narrative. Bradby is at his best
when setting a scene, and some of the ways he described the
emotions expressed by others in Field's presence were
painfully awkward. At one point he says that Field "saw more
pain in her eyes than he thought he'd ever seen before." Then
ten pages later he says the same thing about someone else.
Bradby is a reporter for ITN, and is really at his best when
keeping to a straight narrative.
Also, I knew halfway through the book who the murderer
was.
None of the above got in my way so much that I didn't
thoroughly enjoy the read, and I recommend it highly.
All the Best-
Brian Thornton
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