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City of Devils
City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir | Paul French
2 posts | 2 read | 7 to read
1930s Shanghai could give Chicago a run for its money. In the years before the Japanese invaded, the city was a haven for outlaws from all over the world: a place where pasts could be forgotten, fascism and communism outrun, names invented, fortunes made - and lost. 'Lucky' Jack Riley was the most notorious of those outlaws. An ex-Navy boxing champion, he escaped from prison in the States, spotted a craze for gambling and rose to become the Slot King of Shanghai. Ruler of the clubs in that day was 'Dapper' Joe Farren - a Jewish boy who fled Vienna's ghetto with a dream of dance halls. His chorus lines rivalled Ziegfeld's and his name was in lights above the city's biggest casino. In 1940 they bestrode the Shanghai Badlands like kings, while all around the Solitary Island was poverty, starvation and genocide. They thought they ruled Shanghai; but the city had other ideas. This is the story of their rise to power, their downfall, and the trail of destruction they left in their wake. Shanghai was their playground for a flickering few years, a city where for a fleeting moment even the wildest dreams seemed possible. In the vein of true crime books whose real brilliance is the recreation of a time and place, this is impeccably researched narrative non-fiction told with superb energy and brio, as if James Ellroy had stumbled into a Shanghai cathouse.
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Christinak
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Next up more nonfiction. This was recommended by a friend - I trust his recommendations so I am reading this without a clue about it (or Shanghai history or culture.)

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rdkate
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Pic of my recent trip to Shanghai, loved it so was looking forward to the book. Recommend with reservations. The information was amazing and the author really got you into Shanghai during the crazy times of the late 30s, a really interesting time. However, sometimes almost too much detail that detracted from the story and his writing was how I imagine Jimmy Cagney would write ( you all aren't too young for that reference, are you?) you are warned.