A review of ‘The Shanghai Circle’ by a member of the Online Book Club on the 15th of March 2024

5 out of 5 stars

The book, The Shanghai Circle, is written by Tony Henderson. The story is set in the exciting but dangerous world of 1936 Shanghai. The city is on the verge of collapsing under political unrest and a raging war. The author very eloquently described the danger that exists everywhere in the city. He is also able to seamlessly intertwine the lives of the Russian exile, the triad boss, and the taipan within the story. The author’s writing was very specific and vivid. I can tell that the author performed extensive research to be able to make the story flow so seamlessly.

There was a lot to like about the book. First, I enjoyed the author’s very vivid and remarkable description of 1930s Shanghai. Oftentimes, I felt as if I, myself, was in Shanghai experiencing the story in person. I also really enjoyed the various characters within the story. I loved how each character had unique challenges and aspirations that were intricately woven together to create one very unique and uniform story.

There was honestly nothing that I did not like about the book. The author did a fantastic job of pulling in my attention from the very beginning of the book and holding it until the very last page. I loved all the dramatics and the plot twists. I also did not find any grammatical errors or typos. This is a testament to the exceptional editing and proofreading that was completed prior to the book’s publication.

I would rate this book five out of five stars for all the reasons I have stated above. I also loved the cover image of the book. Many times, people judge a book by the cover. This cover image very much drew me into reading the book since it was so visually appealing.

I would recommend this book to any readers who enjoy books about espionage and historical fiction.