Midnight in Peking Comes to Murder By The Book, Houston – May 2

I’ll be in Houston this Wednesday at the marvellously named Murder by the Book store (and I’ve never been to Texas before so obviously expecting oil, cowboys, beer, presidential assassinations, JR and all that)….the shop’s slogan by the way is ‘where a good crime is had by all’…

Wednesday, May 2 at 6:30pm, Murder by the Book presents Paul French. Paul French will sign and discuss Midnight in Peking (Penguin; $26).

2342 Bissonnet, Houston, TX 77005

In the last days of old Peking, where anything goes, can a murderer escape justice?

Peking in 1937 is a heady mix of privilege and scandal, opulence and opium dens, rumors and superstition. The Japanese are encircling the city, and the discovery of Pamela Werner’s body sends a shiver through 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? With the suspect list growing and clues sparse, two detectives–one British and one Chinese–race against the clock to solve the crime before the Japanese invade and Peking as they know it is gone forever. Can they find the killer in time, before the Japanese invade?

Historian and China expert Paul French at last uncovers the truth behind this notorious murder, and offers a rare glimpse of the last days of colonial Peking.