MIDNIGHT IN PEKING : HOW THE MURDER OF A YOUNG ENGLISHWOMAN HAUNTED THE LAST DAYS OF OLD CHINA
by Paul French

Peking in 1937 was a wealthy city. Out of a population of one and half million people, two thousand were foreigners. They congregated in an area called the Legation Quarter which is where the embassies and consulates were. Within the huge gates, it could have been Europe: clubs, hotels, bars, jewelers, bakeries, bookshops, etc. Outside of it were opium dens, brothels, and an unsavory underworld. The Japanese were circling planning to take over and the residents were quite fearful. In this midst, a young woman is murdered. It is appalling and gruesome. Her body is mutilated with internal organs ripped out.
Two detectives, Colonel Han Shih-ching and Richard Dennis (he trained at Scotland Yard), collaborate together to try and solve the case.
Paul French has written an incredible book. It took him seven years of research from both the archives of China and England. It's fascinating reading about pre-Communist China. For true-crime, it can't get much better. Midnight in Peking is impossible to put down (I read it in two days). If you want suspense, it will be delivered.
Very highly recommended.