Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China deserves a place in your suitcase as you take off on vacation this weekend – but be sure you have hours to spare to read it. Begin the book on a leisurely day by the beach, or on a long plane journey. Once you've read the first page, you won't want to put it down again until the last page.

deserves a place in your suitcase as you take off on vacation this weekend – but be sure you have hours to spare to read it. Begin the book on a leisurely day by the beach, or on a long plane journey. Once you've read the first page, you won't want to put it down again until the last page.

Written by Shanghai-based Paul French, a resident China expert who previously published The Old Shanghai A – Z, this is a murder mystery largely set in Peking (now Beijing) in the 1930s, as the Japanese were threatening to overrun the city. It's a time of madness, in which people's uncertainty inspires wicked acts. Peking's foreign population is not immune to the changes enveloping the city, and they cling to their wealth and privilege for as long as they can.

Cruel era

The death of a young woman, Pamela Werner, signals the end of this delusion, however, and the beginning of a very cruel era. Her senseless murder forecasts the mood of a time in which the rampaging Japanese army are set to kill many more innocent people.

French's story resembles a carefully constructed history, with meticulous detailing of place names and dates and with little use of quotations and dialogue. At the same time, Midnight reads like a novel with explanations of the motivations and thoughts of each character. It is a blended form of storytelling that takes the best of historical tales and novels, and weaves them into a story that is both enjoyable and enlightening, making the book especially satisfying. This is a book that creates great empathy for people who lived in a very ugly time, and we get to know their world thoroughly.

In addition to explaining time and place in fantastic detail, Midnight also introduces multi-dimensional characters that are likeable in spite of their flaws. In some cases, we like the characters because of their flaws, as with Pamela Werner and her father, Edward Werner. Pamela is unfortunately headstrong and na?ve, but we side with her because she is also smart, brave and innocent. Her naivety actually makes her more appealing because it makes her more innocent. Her adoptive father is aloof, unsociable and occasionally violent, but he becomes sympathetic when we discover his intelligence, persistence and love for his daughter. His lack of social graces becomes a noble trait as it marks him out as someone who cares only for truth.

 

 

True intentions

Other characters display multiple sides as well – the British detective who is off the mark but determined to find the killer, and the embattled Chinese detective who seems a bit defensive about his turf. And throughout the story, we are left to ponder their true intentions. In fact, several characters in the book become questionable, even to the point of becoming suspects themselves in this gruesome murder.

The book also touches on a curious irony: mysteries are uncovered in a crumbling society.

Ordinarily, we believe that class, titles and bureaucracy will afford people some degree of protection in tough times. In this story, however, we see that as these things slip away, the truth is revealed. Secrets are no longer protected in a fallen society.

Pamela's murder deserves special note; but be warned that the book spares few details in describing what happens. When she is discovered, her body is in a butchered state, bruised, slashed and torn apart. French gives a blow-by-blow account of her dismemberment, just as he reveals the killer.

Midnight is definitely the book you want as a travel companion on vacation, and is especially relevant to those of us in China living in our own rarefied circles. It's a book that makes the world feel a little less safe and less friendly. And if Pamela had grasped this reality, it might just have saved her life.