A review of ‘The Shanghai Circle’ by a member of the Online Book Club on the 26th of November 2023

5 out of 5 stars

Shanghai: the beginning and end of one’s bloody path. As darkness descends, the nights are covered in the color of blood, flowing through the small valleys of Shanghai. The nights decide who will live and who will rise. As a Japanese invention against China, people are suffering and running away for their lives. “The Shanghai Circle” by Tony Henderson tells the story of the dark nights of Shanghai in the 1930s, where the poor are working hard for their bread and some are addicted to drugs and prostitution. In between the powerful Taipan and their triad leaders, there are enormous numbers of people.

As the legacy of dark blood continues with power and revenge, the next generation of leaders continues to follow their predecessors and take on missions of their own. Thus, the next phase of this story begins. We can experience how gangs worked in the past and how dangerous they were. one word can change the entire life of someone or society. As we go through the pages,we witness different emotions and unexpected events. At the end of the book, Tony offers us a new beginning. It’s quite fascinating when we realize that the writer is telling us this story from his own experience of traveling to Shanghai in the past. The Taipan and Triad leaders are also significant historical figures.

I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars, mostly because it is a great book with powerful storytelling and characters. We can feel the emotions from all the parts, especially when it is dark or dangerous, and the desperation for their lives and their loved ones. As I said above, it has a lot of dark themes and sexual content, so it can only be read by those who are 18+. There are a lot of explicit sexual scenes and instances of rape. These parts depict the harsh reality of the historical period. but they can also be quite unreadable for some readers. Tony did a great job with editing and obviously his book deserves 5 out of 5 stars for its editing.