The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties that Helped Create Modern China
by Jonathan Kaufman
Jonathan Kaufman, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, has written a riveting, well-researched book chronicling two extraordinary Jewish families originally from Baghdad, the Kadoories and the Sassoons.
Both families emigrated to Shanghai and Hong Kong during the 19th and 20th centuries. They established and transformed small trading companies into global business empires, eventually amassing incredible fortunes in China.
Over 175 years, they shaped China and changed Shanghai into the sophisticated city it became. Not only did the families help 18,000 Jewish refugees escape the Holocaust, the two rival dynasties became the most powerful and wealthy people in Asia. My review doesn’t do justice to this brilliant and illuminating book, which also delves into the compelling history and politics of China at the time. I couldn’t put it down once I began to read!
Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA, and More Tell Us About Crime
by Val McDermid
“A DNA trace a millionth the size of a grain of salt can be used to convict a killer.”
The Scottish Queen of Crime and author of over 30 crime novels, Val McDermid’s Forensics is her first non-fiction book. It’s an informative look at what the latest technology can do in solving mysteries and crimes.
She deftly discusses case histories and personal anecdotes, creating both an entertaining and gripping read. McDermid chronicles how forensics began over 750 years ago and contrasts it with what can be accomplished today. For instance, in 1247, Song Chi, a Chinese official, wrote a book for coroners, The Washing Away of Wrongs, which recorded “the first example of forensic entomology—the use of insect biology in the solution of a crime.”
Each chapter in her book examines diverse forensic subjects such as toxicology, anthropology, blood spatter, DNA, and pathology. It’s an easy read, and readers without a science-related background will enjoy it, as well as learn about the stunning accomplishments achieved in determining a cause of death or the origin of a fire, for example. It also provides insight into the actual work conducted by criminal investigators and forensic scientists. I appreciate the dedicated people who work in this rewarding field. As an avid mystery reader, it also helped me also understand the limits of forensics at present.
City of Lost Souls
by Martin Petersen
City of Lost Souls is the quintessential film noir throwback to the Golden Age of mysteries. Meticulously researched, it’s one of the best historical, suspenseful novels I’ve read in ages.
Set in the 1930’s in the enchanting city of Shanghai, it involves all types of characters, from glamorous, to locals, to sinister and shady criminal types. Known as the “Paris of the East,” Shanghai was in its heyday and full of mystery and intrigue during that era. It also includes a great deal of history including the devastating Japanese invasion in 1937. The protagonist, Jack Ford, is a jaded detective desperately searching for a young woman’s brother. It’s a character-driven book, with some actual historical persons.
The book is so atmospheric, I felt as though I was back in that vibrant and fascinating city, which I visited over 20 years ago. I am thrilled that Petersen plans to write a sequel to his debut novel!
From The Cipher Brief website:
Martin Petersen spent 33 years with the CIA, retiring in February 2005 as Deputy Executive Director and Acting Executive Director. In the course of his agency career, he ran two large analytic units (The Office of East Asian Analysis and the Office of Asian Pacific Latin America Analysis) before becoming Associate Deputy Director of Intelligence for Strategic Plans and Programs, the first Chief Human Resources Officer for CIA, and Deputy Executive Director. Petersen’s credentials also include a Master of Arts in Asian Studies with a focus on modern China.
Adult book reviews are by Susanne Dominguez.