The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Melissa Fung. Minotaur Books, 2025. 400 pages. *****
This fast-paced, all-too-real thriller will keep you guessing until the very end. "Set in China and the United States, it is a study of absolute power and voracious greed, political terror and personal conviction. But it is also an intimate examination of choice, of sacrifice, of memory and myths, both cultural and personal. It is the story of a mother and daughter, as well as a compelling international thriller about the precarious balance of power across the world, and within a family. And what happens when both break down."
I received a netgalley copy to review.
The premise of this story is so diabolical, fascinating, and frightening, all at the same time. What if all the alarms across the world went off at the same time? The planning and coordination to pull something like that off boggles the mind. What's next to get our attention and who has the resources and manpower to execute a catastrophe of epic proportions? The Last Mandarin is a standalone novel and the latest in her political thrillers. The research and planning that went into this novel is amazing. On a more personal note, it is also the story of the complicated relationship of a mother and her daughter racing against time to stop the next attack. Highly recommend.
From Louise - "Over countless lunches in noodle joints, Mellissa and I sketched out the plot, the characters, the themes. Then we got to work. THE LAST MANDARIN will be in your hands on May 12th. As well, as a show of our love of independent bookstores, there is a limited edition we created just for independents in North America. It has a special chapter and a message from Mellissa and me. You can pre-order it from your favourite shop, or go online."
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