Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China | 
pickA true crime novel about a murder of Pamela Werner in the 1930s in Peking. This is largely a narrative of the official investigation followed by a private investigation into the murder with Japan's invasion of China as backdrop. This was pretty interesting, true crime is not my typical genre. Early on as the book set the stage and gave needed background, it was quite dry, often a list of facts, but it developed and I needed to know what came next.
First library task of the day was creating a new book display. I decided to feature true crime for this one.
#adventrecommends Day 17 @emilyrose_x
I know there are those of you who like true crime books...well, here you get two-in-one. Paul French has written the story of a murder that occurred in Peking in 1937, giving his readers a fortunate mashup of true crime with historical thriller. French researched his subject matter for six years, and the result is a nonfiction book that reads like a thriller. He has such a facility with the material, and ⬇️
pickCompelling, meticulously-researched account of the brutal murder of a young British expat in the final months before the Japanese invaded Peking. Skilled true crime writing mixed with the history of the expat community. Caveat: sexual mistreatment of expat girls is alluded to & the author sides with the people of Peking over their various political & criminal persecutors-white foreigners, Japanese invaders & Chinese soldiers. #truecrime #history
This fiction reader & writer is up late delving into fascinating non-fiction. French pulls one into the complex case of a murdered ex-pat teen as China nears war with Japan. His Edgar award wining prose reads like a mystery novel. #truecrime #awardwinning #intruiged
pickAn interesting history of a time and place, in this case Peking and the foreign legation in the lead up to WW2 framed around the murder of a young woman. When failed by the authorities her elderly father, a noted but out of favor Sinologist takes up the investigation and the author argues solves the crime as war descends upon the city. A tale of corruption and immorality amongst a small expatriate community.
