Mo Hayder

A young Englishwoman arrives in Tokyo to seek a long-lost piece of film footage dating back to the 1937 Nanking Massacre, journeying deep inside the secret history of the massacre in her pursuit of the truth.

The Devil of Nanking

“Extremely creepy . . . The diabolically gifted British author spins a fascinating mystery from the legacy of Japanese atrocities during World War II (A)” (Entertainment Weekly). With the redolent atmosphere of Ian Rankin and the spine-chilling characters of Thomas Harris, Mo Hayder’s The Devil of Nanking takes the reader on an electrifying literary ride from the palatial apartments of yakuza kingpins to deep inside the secret history of one of the twentieth century’s most brutal events: the Nanking Massacre. A young Englishwoman obsessed with an indecipherable past, Grey comes to Tokyo seeking a lost piece of film footage of the notorious 1937 Nanking Massacre, footage some say never existed. Only one man can help Grey. A survivor of the massacre, he is now a visiting professor at a university in Tokyo. But he will have nothing to do with her. So Grey accepts a job in an upmarket nightspot, where a certain gangster may be the key to gaining the professor’s trust. An old man in a wheelchair surrounded by a terrifying entourage, the gangster is rumored to rely on a mysterious elixir for his continued health. Taut, gritty, sexy, and harrowing, The Devil of Nanking is an incomparable literary thriller set in one of the world’s most fascinating cities—Tokyo—from an internationally-bestselling author. “A haunting, lyrical, disturbing, important, suspenseful, wonderfully written and beautiful book.” —Harlan Coben

4.5 of 5 stars

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This book, inspired by the real Nanking massacre in 1937, was very dark and very disturbing. I can really feel myself holding my own breath as this was so intense, so incredibly terrifying and chilling to read that I can feel the goosebumps all over me while reading this book. Especially the ending where it finally showed what was inside that film Grey was seeking. My stomach seriously turned!! The twist of this book made my head spin. It was so fitting to have both Grey and Shi Chongming's perspective which was shown in a different timeline, both perspective eventually meet and decided to drop the bomb at the end. There are a lot of trigger warnings that everyone should be aware of before reading, but nevertheless, this was very thought provoking. I highly highly recommend this for those who are willing to proceed with this kind of book.

Laura Mauler

Twisted and twisting plot - in the best ways.

Olivera Mitić

I don't know what I expected from this book, but it certainly wasn't this.

Jana Pashovska

Gruesome, weird and bizarre, and although it is a fictional story, it brings to light the very real, very tragic massacre of Nanking in China, and the horrors that people are capable of afflicting to one another. I am quite lost for words because of how hard this book hit me, with all the horrific accounts of the massacre and the lengths some people go to escape their dark past and avoid taking responsibilities. Definitely not a book for the squeamish. I cannot exactly say I 'enjoyed' it, for what is there to enjoy in pain and tragic loss of life of tens upon thousands of people, but it definitely impacted me strongly.

ines

Richard Binder

petit-chocobo

Obsessed by the past, a young Englishwoman arrives in Tokyo to seek a long-lost piece of film footage dating back to the 1937 Nanking Massacre, journeying from the decadent hostess bars and palatial apartments of yakuza kingpins in Tokyo to deep inside the secret history of the massacre in her pursuit of the truth. Reader's Guide available. 50,000 first printing. $50,000 ad/promo.

The Devil of Nanking

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