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1932: As tensions simmer in Shanghai, children go missing…
The Killing Time
What you need to know before your trail
Inspector Danilov hasn’t recovered from the death of his child… but across a Shanghai riven with communal tensions, children are going missing.
Missing, and then murdered. Who is responsible? Why have the children’s bodies been exhibited for all to see?
Just as Danilov thinks the stakes couldn’t be higher there is a new dimension, Japan, a rising power flexing its muscles. In fractious Shanghai, an explosion is long overdue. With the clock ticking can Danilov and his assistant Strachan solve the case? The fate of Shanghai may be at stake. So is Danilov’s job… And his sanity.
Travel Guide
Shanghai
A city described as “A fragrant assault on the nostrils”
The city is one of dirt, dust, decay and worse.
The International settlement
“Shanghai and the especially the International settlement, was a seires of small villages rather then one city. The Japanese lived in Hon Kew. The English and American’s in the area south of Soochow Creek. The French in their own concession. the Jews around the Ohel Moshe synagogue”
“Surrounding everything was China itself, the sick man of Asia, weakened by the debilitating diseases of corruption, warlords, factions, poverty and the galloping virus of Japanese militarism.”
“Within the Intentional settlement, tension between the competing nationalities dialects and races was always bubbling beneath the surface, with the Shanghai municipal Police providing a thin barrier of protection, like a sticking plaster over a deep, gaping wound”.
Added to this and the Japanese annexation of Manchuria which is having a huge effect on the balance of nationalities in the city with this new influx of refugees.
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
I find crime novels set in Shanghai particularly interesting given the exotic location ( to the West at least) and the different police structure etc. The very fact that the city is so chaotic that the very idea of solving anything or finding anyone is something which fascinates me.
This is a very good series. Very historically authentic (at least to me) and gripping. Due to the political situation with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, this brings a new insight and angle to a crime story. It’s the backstory but also the setting which comes to the fore and infiltrates each and every page.
There’s some difficult parts given that there are cases of missing children involved but overall, the Danilov and Strachan partnership is strong and I look forward to my next visit to Shanghai.
Booktrail Boarding Pass: The Killing Time
Destination : Shanghai Author/Guide: M J Lee Departure Time: 1932
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