French Concession

An acclaimed Chinese author makes his English debut with this gripping literary noir set in 1931 Shanghai—a vivid, atmospheric story of espionage and international intrigue. When a boat from Hong Kong docks, an important Nationalist official is assassinated, and his wife, Leng, vanishes amid the chaos. Hseuh, a Franco-Chinese photographer on board, is drawn to Leng’s beauty and sorrow. As Hseuh is forced into police collaboration and uncovers secrets about his lover Therese’s arms dealings, he becomes entangled in a dangerous underworld of revolutionaries, gangsters, and spies. Caught between loyalty and survival, Hseuh navigates a perilous game in a city where nothing is as it seems.