A review of ‘The Shanghai Circle’ by a member of the Online Book Club on the 22nd of October 2023
5 out of 5 stars
The Shanghai Circle by Tony Henderson is a historical fiction book that is set in Shanghai, China at a time when ships were a major means of transport to cross oceans and lakes. Thomas, Irina, Davina and Joseph, among others, are all characters, and they all live in Shanghai at a time when crime ruled. Joseph is in fact the son of one of the biggest triads in Shanghai, which controls prostitution, drugs and clubs in the area. Irina is Russian and her family came to Shanghai after the Tzar was overthrown. they were a wealthy family, but all that is left for her now is loneliness and debt from her father, who passed away a miserable man. She, however, has to do whatever she can to survive the wretched world, even if it means selling her body.
On the other hand, Davina is the daughter of a businessman who is hardworking and loved by her father but has been so unlucky in love. Thomas is one of the employees in their companies who greatly admires his job and works hard on it.
The lives of these people somehow intertwined on the way and during the plot of the book, we see them becoming part of each other’s lives and each meeting has its own impact. To learn more about the plot and the lives of these different people, please read this wonderful book.
The thing I loved the most about the book is that it was really unpredictable. I opened the first page and was slowly introduced to all these characters and as the plot unfolded, what I thought and knew about them at the end was completely different from what I knew at the beginning, this actually excited me.
Another thing I loved was that the book was fast-paced and events didn’t drag. This made it more interesting and enjoyable and enabled me to read the book with a very curious mind.
I didn’t dislike anything about this book so I rate it 5 out of 5 stars. I also didn’t encounter any errors while reading it so it was edited well.
I recommend this book to people who love a book filled with crime but romance at the same time. People who also want to learn about Shanghai before the start of the current modern world would appreciate this book.