An enthralling listen

Well worth a listen!!! The writer paints a vivid picture of life in 1930's Beijing and the "old boys " of the British establishment.

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fantastic and gripping

well researched and gripping story. good narrator and well worth the listen. would recommend to all

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Fascinating revealing microcosm, a forgotten world

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes highly

Any additional comments?

It's a true, but utterly forgotten, story from a distant land, a different way of life (and death) in a different time that has been swept away by forces that have changed the world. Or maybe it's a story of today ,here and now with just the clothes and the names changed to make it feel remote
Told in a journalistic reportage linear fashion the story winds around the death of a beautiful and terribly young European girl in China in the mid 1930's.
Paul French brings the story back to us and in doing so reveals a strange world on the edge of apocalypse. A world of age old perversions, the corruption of truth and justice by greed, fear, weakness, the temptation of the vulnerable ; of preconceptions, vested interests and prejudices.
It's the story of one highly eccentric much maligned old man and his quest for justice at a time when the world was transfixed by earth shattering realignments in the status quo and had forgot or chose to forget about individual almost domestic and potentially embarrassing horrors.
Splendidly researched, compellingly written and disturbing on many levels.
The last throws of degenerate empire and the empire of the degenerates in a strange , far distant place brought to life in the microcosm that was the exploitation and murder of a far too familiar ,too trusting , too hedonistic young girl , and the dismissal of the subsequent investigation as too difficult ,too lost in internecine disputes on jurisdiction, too remote, too troublesome to be able find the simple dirty vicious truths.
I was angered by the incompetence and corruption, moved by the fathers determination to find the truth if only for his own satisfaction, astounded by the place and time that the story revealed, and deeply saddened by the loss of what was little more than a child in a wicked world
Great story, good book.

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A gripping tale, brilliantly narrated

Crawford Logan has such a magnificent voice for this story, and what a story it is. As a resident of Beijing for three years and counting, it was even more compelling, knowing the locations mentioned in the book as I do. Couldn't stop listening, would recommend to anyone.

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Atmospheric recreation of an era

If you could sum up Midnight in Peking in three words, what would they be?

Authentic, Unusual, Interesting

What did you like best about this story?

Builds on an genuine case using historical documents and fills in the backdrop with convincing atmospheric detail.

What about Crawford Logan’s performance did you like?

The story came to the forefront not the narration and this felt very professional. i e. an excellent performance.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me want to find out a lot more about the history of this period in China.

Any additional comments?

A fabulous listen whilst in early stages of planning for a trip to China.

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A worthy first foray into the talking book

Would you listen to Midnight in Peking again? Why?
The story was exceptionally detailed and re-reading may gather up more details than on first listen. The book didn't take long for me to get through, as I travel an hour to and from work on public transport.

What other book might you compare Midnight in Peking to, and why?
The book most reminds me of Empire Made Me by Robert Bickers. This was the first book I ordered as an e-book over in China. The two books are cross over the same time period in the same country. The two non-fiction books used detailed historical references, letters and notes to support the narrative.

What about Crawford Logan’s performance did you like?
The narrators performance was exemplary. It couldn't be better and I eagerly await more books read meticulously by him.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I developed great empathy with Mr Werner, for his loss but also a huge amount of respect for the strength of character he showed throughout his search for the truth and the culture and background he had, that had made him that way. It reminded me of a stronger more resolved version of myself. A character to aspire to. I felt sickened at Mr. Han's creative derailment of the investigation, and Officer Botham's unprofessional and brutish drunken man-handling of the witnesses. I felt revulsion at the self-serving bureaucrats who's cowardice and self-serving actions made no sense in blackballing a man who from every angle out flanked them in class, dignity and resolve.

Any additional comments?
Class from start to finish. It was a pleasing touch that the author had a chance to speak at the end of the work. I hope that this practice is carried over onto other books as I felt it added sincerity, insight and respect for both the writer and the listener - me. Thank you very much!

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3 people found this helpful

Fascinating.

An interesting subject but was there sufficient fact / research to write a book? Seemed to make the very most of the material but the conclusions could have been reached in half the time.

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3 people found this helpful

Enthralling read

This was on special offer so I thought I'd give it a go and I don't regret it for one minute. When the body of a young girl is found severely mutilated in Peking in 1937 a half-hearted investigation leads to the inquiry being shelved with the compliance of the British authorities. This murder could not have happened at a worse time - Peking is surrounded by Japanese troops threatening to invade at any moment; events in Europe are leading towards an inevitable conflict so the death of one little rich girl was hardly going to be the centre of attention from the various political actors. The author does a stunning job on recounting Chinese history from the period 1911 onwards without it being heavy or too detailed. His picture of the Badlands of Peking is striking and you feel you can see and smell it. Although the enquiry is soon over the quest of one man, the girl's father by adoption, is not going to stop there. He persists with dogged determination to uncover the truth and what a sordid truth it turns out to be. One wonders if the officials involved in wishing to class the affair were not perhaps indirectly involved. The prevailing arrogance of the Empire officials goes a long way to explaining why the Empire crumbled. The whole account is like a documentary and the narrator is brilliant. He reads in a sober and restrained manner which means it is the research which comes to the fore. I would love to read more books about this period of China's history thanks to this book. I cannot reccommend it highly enough.

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5 people found this helpful

FABULOUS NARRATION ON A DISTURBING TRUE STORY

RNIB have employed Crawford Logan for many years: his narration is always first rate - do keep having him on your books. For those who are blind/partially sighted, and use RNIB's talking book service, I would recommend The Fixer by Bernard Malamud.

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Incredible story

I can really recommend this book for anyone who enjoys crime investigations especially ones with a historical perspective. The story recounted here is incredible - all the more so given that it is a true one. The book also includes interesting descriptions of life in Peking at the time especially for the numerous foreigners who lived there for a whole host of different reasons, which was really fascinating.

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8 people found this helpful