(18+)
Historian and China expert Paul French is scheduled to talk about his new book, Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishman Haunted the Last Days of Old China. It explores the end of the old city of Peking in the 1930s and the desperate search for a murderer. It’s a remarkable true crime story that best-selling author John Berendt says ”draws a chilling portrait of the city’s decadent, violent and overly-privileged Euro-American expatriate community. It’s a feat comparable to White Mischief.” It takes place in 1937, with Japanese armies surrounding the city and the discovery of a young woman’s body. Chinese and British detectives must race against the clock to find the killer before the Japanese close in and capture the city. It’s an extraordinary, even lurid, story told by a historian who lives in Shanghai and frequently comments on Chinese affairs for the world press. You won’t want to miss this exciting, entertaining program!