A review of ‘The Shanghai Circle’ by a member of the Online Book Club on the 19th of December 2023

4 out of 5 stars

Reading this book was a journey into a world where I did not know what to expect, the writer did not disappoint, and he is able to paint vivid images in his descriptions of events, places and his characters. At some point I felt like I had to stop and appreciate the history in the writing before I could continue, I have to admit that the story kept me on the edge of my seat and I could barely wait to see or read what was next.

This narrative skillfully incorporates such serious matters in a fictional way that would make a reader enjoy reading about topics they might sometimes find un-enjoyable. The editing skills incorporated in this tale are meticulous, the editor(s) certainly paid attention to detail, the writing is impeccable and the use of phrases native to the origin of the story is a breath of fresh air to the reader, I enjoyed learning these words and seeing their use in context in a way that I would have otherwise not learnt about.

On a scale of one to five, I would rate this book a 4. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, however, the introduction of new characters in the story was in quick succession and it gives the reader a short period of time to familiarize with and get to know one character before another one is introduced in a very different context than the one the reader was in, it almost felt as if the writer had flight of thought in the beginning owed to the fact that the chapters at the beginning of the book are very short and focusing on different characters.

It is not an easy task to explain in depth about this book without letting loose a few spoilers here and there but I am looking forward to reading other books in this series in order to see what the author has in store for these characters that I have had a chance to connect with and gotten to know through this writing.