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The Shanghai Assignment
After more than two decades on New York's crime beat, top reporter John Moore is enjoying semi-retirement in Vermont, writing up wire reports, hiking in the woods... and trying not to think about the story that ended his career.
But when his former intern is murdered on the campus of Shanghai’s Fudan University, Moore agrees to cover the investigation for her local newspaper. As the killings spread, Moore finds himself tracking the city’s ambitious mayor, probing a suspicious property development - and uncovering a political intrigue that could change China forever.
But when his former intern is murdered on the campus of Shanghai’s Fudan University, Moore agrees to cover the investigation for her local newspaper. As the killings spread, Moore finds himself tracking the city’s ambitious mayor, probing a suspicious property development - and uncovering a political intrigue that could change China forever.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 12, 2025
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About the author
Karl Andrews
1 bookKarl Andrews was born in London. He's worked as a museum curator, a journalist, a content creator and a ghostwriter of twenty Amazon best-selling crime novels .
He's lived in four countries and nine cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
He's lived in four countries and nine cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 26, 2025
Genre: Thriller
Description: this is apparently the first of a projected series of thrillers with John Moore as protagonist. I picked this book for review (from the many Big Al is sent) because Karl Andrews chose a name close to my heart for his protagonist: and I have long been fascinated by China, especially Shanghai, especially Shanghai between the two world wars, when it was up there with Berlin and Alexandria for glitter and excess, and a hotbed of espionage both before and after World War I. It is still possibly (apart from Hong Kong) the Chinese city with the most Western influences. Andrews is aware of this (as you can see below he has lived in Shanghai, and in Beijing) and draws his plot from one of these far flung connections. Like a good episode of ‘Law and Order’ on the telly, his story enjoys a number of twists and turns before the real reasons for the initial and subsequent crimes emerge. John Moore, journalist, has been sent to investigate the death of a young woman who was once his intern. The story opens like a flower from there on.
Author: Andrews’ CV is succinct. It tells us he was born in London; has worked as a museum curator, a journalist, a content creator and a ghost-writer of twenty Amazon best-selling crime novels; and has lived in four countries and nine cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
Appraisal: once this gets going it is an interesting – if occasionally brutal – read. Unfortunately, rather a lot of the early part of the book is spent describing Moore, the usual burned out journo, living in the backwoods of the USA, divorced and worrying about his daughter who has just started college. As almost all protagonists in crime and/or thriller books are this sort of person (only the gender varies), things could perhaps have moved on a bit faster.
Once we arrive in Shanghai the pace begins to pick up. Information about Shanghai is largely interesting. Then Moore’s investigation hits a dead end, after which the pace really picks up as new clues are discovered and the novel gallops satisfyingly towards its conclusion.
FYI: some seriously violent murders and beatings. Moore (a middle-aged man) receives significant injuries which, IMHO should’ve hospitalised him for at least a week. But he (of course) rips out his IV, pulls on his Big Boy Pants and returns to the fray after a few hours.
Some of the events upon which the plot depends rely heavily on coincidence.
Format/Typo Issues: there are rather a lot. Unfortunately as well as typos, the errors are sometimes the sort that had this reviewer wondering what the author was trying to say.
There are also lapses in continuity: eg Moore is there at Chinese New Year, in winter. Sometimes he is suitably cold, sometimes he seems completely oblivious to the sub-zero temperatures, then he remembers to mention the very inclement weather again, sometimes at length.
This review originally prepared for Big Al’s Books and Pals.
Received a complimentary soft copy for the purpose.
Description: this is apparently the first of a projected series of thrillers with John Moore as protagonist. I picked this book for review (from the many Big Al is sent) because Karl Andrews chose a name close to my heart for his protagonist: and I have long been fascinated by China, especially Shanghai, especially Shanghai between the two world wars, when it was up there with Berlin and Alexandria for glitter and excess, and a hotbed of espionage both before and after World War I. It is still possibly (apart from Hong Kong) the Chinese city with the most Western influences. Andrews is aware of this (as you can see below he has lived in Shanghai, and in Beijing) and draws his plot from one of these far flung connections. Like a good episode of ‘Law and Order’ on the telly, his story enjoys a number of twists and turns before the real reasons for the initial and subsequent crimes emerge. John Moore, journalist, has been sent to investigate the death of a young woman who was once his intern. The story opens like a flower from there on.
Author: Andrews’ CV is succinct. It tells us he was born in London; has worked as a museum curator, a journalist, a content creator and a ghost-writer of twenty Amazon best-selling crime novels; and has lived in four countries and nine cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
Appraisal: once this gets going it is an interesting – if occasionally brutal – read. Unfortunately, rather a lot of the early part of the book is spent describing Moore, the usual burned out journo, living in the backwoods of the USA, divorced and worrying about his daughter who has just started college. As almost all protagonists in crime and/or thriller books are this sort of person (only the gender varies), things could perhaps have moved on a bit faster.
Once we arrive in Shanghai the pace begins to pick up. Information about Shanghai is largely interesting. Then Moore’s investigation hits a dead end, after which the pace really picks up as new clues are discovered and the novel gallops satisfyingly towards its conclusion.
FYI: some seriously violent murders and beatings. Moore (a middle-aged man) receives significant injuries which, IMHO should’ve hospitalised him for at least a week. But he (of course) rips out his IV, pulls on his Big Boy Pants and returns to the fray after a few hours.
Some of the events upon which the plot depends rely heavily on coincidence.
Format/Typo Issues: there are rather a lot. Unfortunately as well as typos, the errors are sometimes the sort that had this reviewer wondering what the author was trying to say.
There are also lapses in continuity: eg Moore is there at Chinese New Year, in winter. Sometimes he is suitably cold, sometimes he seems completely oblivious to the sub-zero temperatures, then he remembers to mention the very inclement weather again, sometimes at length.
This review originally prepared for Big Al’s Books and Pals.
Received a complimentary soft copy for the purpose.
May 9, 2025
She has semi retired and enjoys her life but it is all going to change. Her intern has been killed and now the local paper wants her to cover it. It is going to get very complicated very quickly as she tries to find the answers to all her questions
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and it is a great read
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and it is a great read
June 25, 2025
A fantastic read! Mystery and suspense fill the pages and keep the reader engaged from beginning to end. Highly, highly recommend!
I received an advance copy of this book from Hidden Gem Books and I'm voluntarily leaving my review.
I received an advance copy of this book from Hidden Gem Books and I'm voluntarily leaving my review.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews