Shanghai Audiobook By Joseph Kanon cover art

Shanghai

A Novel

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Shanghai

By: Joseph Kanon
Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
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About this listen

In this dazzling thriller, New York Times bestselling author Joseph Kanon gives us his richest setting yet: pre-World War II Shanghai, where glamour and squalor exist side by side and murder is just a cost of doing business. A love affair against all odds, a city dancing on the rim of a volcano—Shanghai is the story of a political haven that becomes a minefield of conflicting loyalties.

After the violence of Kristallnacht (1938), European Jews, now desperate to emigrate, found the consular doors of the world closed to them. Only one port required no entry visa: Shanghai, a self-governing Western trading enclave in what was technically Chinese territory, a political anomaly that became an escape hatch—if you were lucky enough to afford a ticket on one of the great Lloyd liners sailing to the East and safety.

Daniel Lohr was one of the lucky ones—lucky enough to have escaped the Gestapo when his colleagues in the resistance were caught, lucky to have an uncle waiting in Shanghai, lucky to find a casual shipboard flirtation turn unexpectedly passionate. But even lucky refugees have to confront the reality of Shanghai. With all their assets, and passports confiscated by the Nazis, they arrive penniless and stateless in a tumultuous, nearly lawless city notorious for vice. When you can sink fast, how far are you willing to go to survive? What lines do you cross? As Daniel tries to navigate his way through his uncle’s world in Shanghai’s fabled nightlife, he finds himself increasingly ensnared in a maze where politics and crime are two sides of the same shiny coin. The trick, his uncle tells him, is to stay one step ahead. But how do you stay ahead of murder? How do you outrun your own past?

©2024 Joseph Kanon (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio
20th Century Espionage Historical Historical Fiction Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense China Crime Murder
Compelling Plotting • Captivating Stories • Excellent Narrator • Intriguing Storyline • Historical Authenticity
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Gripping story, excellent character development and talented narrator. Rich in what felt like authentic historical atmosphere. Reminiscent of Alan Furst.

Great story and narrator

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interesting to learn Shanghai was safe haven for some refugees but story didn't amount to much. love all Kanon's other books... too weak. Reader is excellent.

interesting subject

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Joseph Kannon does not neglect his characters as he unspools his espionage novels. Narrator excellent.

History in digestible form

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I’m a longtime fan of Joseph Kanon, but his move to Asia didn’t lead to the compelling plotting and atmospherics of his earlier novels, especially those set in postwar Germany. Nevertheless, still an enjoyable read.

Joseph Kanon’s masterful phrase making.

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The timeline and setting alone drew me in. Shanghai, late 1930s, trading entrepot controlled by weakening Western powers. The Japanese, having already taken over much of eastern China, loom as a threat. Shanghai was the Havana of the East. Gambling, shows, prostitution, drugs. Warlords. Gangs, the feared Kempetai, the Japanese version of the Gestapo. Shanghai was a dangerous place, yet a haven for European Jewish refugees who had nowhere else to go. Amidst all this, Joseph Kanon has crafted an intriguing story of using wits to survive, love, betrayal, and redemption.

No Safe Haven in Shanghai

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A fascinating and very different view of Jewish refugees washed up on the shores of Shanghai as World War II is circling. The decadence of Shanghai like a microcosm of the world. Kanon creates a menacing and brooding atmosphere and characters that are sympathetic as they are flawed and broken. A moving book.

A very different story of Jewish refugees

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Loved the story, characters and especially the performances. Very visual. It really came to live.

A great movie!

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I was very interested in learning more about Jewish refugees fleeing Europe and what they found in Shanghai. The author does San excellent job developing characters and in drawing you in to 1940s Shanghai. The narration also helps to pull the reader into the setting and I felt I was observing the actual characters as their stories progress.

Great setting, characters, and plot

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I really did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did. Give it a try!

Surprised

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Difficult to follow at times. I didn’t care for the narrator. I would not recommend.

Unique setting

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