The mysterious death of a prominent Shanghai businessman sparks rumours of corruption, financial impropriety and industrial espionage at the Sino-US joint-venture he managed. China’s Ministry of State Security sends in a team to investigate the death while across the Pacific in Los Angeles agents detain the businessman’s son believing he and his father are involved in the theft of sensitive technology.
The story unfolds through the eyes of the businessman’s widow in Shanghai as she tries to find out what happened to her husband and her son. She is lied to and obstructed at every turn, making her even more determined to get to the truth. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more of a threat she becomes and eventually she has no option but to make a desperate bid to flee the country.
The action takes place in 1993, against the background of Beijing’s bid to host the Olympic Games in the year 2000 but it soon becomes clear that the Olympics are not the only games being played; the intelligence communities in China and American, local politicians and business leaders are scheming behind the scenes to protect their own interests and eliminate their enemies.
The Games is a novel more than two decades in the making. Inspired by actual events surrounding the death of the managing director of Shanghai Volkswagen in 1993, The Games is a work of fiction that explores the murky world of Chinese business and politics and what happens when rumours start spiralling out of control and create their own reality. It shows how even those in positions of power can be brought down and destroyed by the very system they sought to serve.
My story in the South China Morning Post on the intrigue surrounding the death of Shanghai Volkswagen managing director, Fang Hong, published March 17, 1993
There was little interest in the book when it was first written in 1995 (modern China was not yet on most people’s radar and the book did not comport with many publishers’ orientalist expectations) but with downfall of Bo Xilai and the murder trial of his wife Gu Kailai in 2012, it was obvious that many of themes in the book were still relevant and that now might be a good time to revive it.
The 115,000-word text is now basically complete, subject to further editing. If anyone, in particular, literary agents and or publishers are interested in seeing a detailed synopsis and a sample chapter please contact me directly at [email protected]