Books › Midnight in Peking
Midnight in Peking
301 pages
A tense, atmospheric true-crime descent into the opulent and scandalous final days of colonial Peking.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a shadowy, nervous city on the brink of collapse. The narrative moves at a brisk, suspenseful pace, blending the rigorous detail of a historical case study with the dramatic tension of a classic murder mystery. You are plunged into a heady atmosphere of privilege, scandal, and superstition, where opium dens and bureaucratic meddling obscure the truth. The prose is deeply researched yet highly readable, capturing the encroaching dread of a looming war alongside the urgent, ticking-clock desperation of a cross-cultural detective duo. It is a perfect fit for readers who crave immersive true crime that doubles as a vivid, atmospheric portrait of a doomed colonial era.
- Mood
- tense
- atmospheric
- shadowy
- nervous
- Tone
- investigative
- dramatic
- urgent
- suspenseful
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- true crime investigation · colonial twilight · bureaucratic corruption · cultural collision · looming war
- The writing
- Detailed and dramatic, blending rigorous historical research with the narrative drive of a thriller.
- The arc
- Moves from the shock of a brutal discovery through a tense, labyrinthine investigation to a long-awaited historical reckoning.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love immersive true crime and atmospheric historical narratives set on the brink of societal collapse.
Content notes
- murder
- mutilation
- death of a teenager
- colonialism
- war themes
About the book
On a frigid morning in January 1937, the mutilated body of a British schoolgirl is discovered at the base of the Fox Tower. Who could commit such a crime? Peking in 1937 is a heady mix of privilege and scandal, opulence and opium dens, rumor and superstition. The Japanese are encircling the city, and the discovery of Pamela Werner's body sends a shiver through an 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? Was it a case of mistaken identity? Two detectives, British detective Dennis and Chinese detective Han, team up to solve the case, battling time and the meddling of their respective bureaucracies. Historian Paul French spent seven years researching this dramatic true story in Archives in both China and the United Kingdom. Front-page news around the world when the story was first reported, Midnight in Peking at last uncovers the truth behind this notorious murder, and offers a rare glimpse of the last days of colonial Peking. - Jacket flap.
Description from Open Library.
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