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Missing in Shanghai: Jess Turner in London and Shanghai
A gripping, fast-paced thriller, set in present-day London and in Shanghai in 1984. Entrapment, betrayal, and espionage lurk beneath the pages, with an ending you won't see coming. Jess Turner is working on the China desk in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It's her job to ensure the State visit of the Chinese Premier runs smoothly. But tensions are running high. As work progresses, Jess uncovers shocking, secret events that happened in Shanghai in 1984. A British Ambassador died, and another diplomat, Marianne Henderson, went missing in the city and has never been seen again. Not only that, all evidence Marianne ever existed vanished with her. When Jess starts asking questions, she is warned off. But she is caught up in a chain of events she has no power to control. As she digs in the past to find out what happened to Marianne, Jess finds herself in grave danger.
425 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2018
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6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 15, 2018
What should have been simply a day in the office for Jess Turner took a seedy turn into the past and a whole lot of trouble for her and the people who worked in the diplomatic service in present day . Now this was my first novel in the series, but I soon realised that Jess was no way a chill out and leave it to others sort of lady. Oh no, so when she is organising a state visit for the Chinese Premier it wasn’t enough just to plan his time in London, she came across a name that appeared to be involved in a cover up going way back to 1984. The mysterious disappearance of Marianne Henderson, working in a similar role as herself but in Shanghai had never been solved. Then, with a little more digging she found that Marianne had been linked to a suspicious death of someone pretty well high up and alarm bells began to ring. I got the feeling that Jess wasn’t someone to let this go and well things were certainly going to hot up!
Oh boy, I do like novels that deviate from the run of the mill stories and this definitely gave me a run for my money. I loved that the author has taken what she knows from her own life, working in the diplomatic service herself and wound into it her imagination to create a cracking story round it. It makes the whole thing seem very plausible. From the hierarchy and ceremony of it all to a very well researched darker side. It blends seamlessly into a story that wowed me.
The novel is really well-balanced with chapters alternating between present day with people who are linked to the visit of the Chinese Premier and way back in 1984 Shanghai as told by Marianne Henderson. Totally engrossing and more than intriguing the untouchables may be more fragile than they think, with Jess prepared to push the boundaries way past her own safety and those she loves. The end totally knocked me for six. Game set and match!
I wish to thank the author for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
Oh boy, I do like novels that deviate from the run of the mill stories and this definitely gave me a run for my money. I loved that the author has taken what she knows from her own life, working in the diplomatic service herself and wound into it her imagination to create a cracking story round it. It makes the whole thing seem very plausible. From the hierarchy and ceremony of it all to a very well researched darker side. It blends seamlessly into a story that wowed me.
The novel is really well-balanced with chapters alternating between present day with people who are linked to the visit of the Chinese Premier and way back in 1984 Shanghai as told by Marianne Henderson. Totally engrossing and more than intriguing the untouchables may be more fragile than they think, with Jess prepared to push the boundaries way past her own safety and those she loves. The end totally knocked me for six. Game set and match!
I wish to thank the author for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
July 15, 2018
Jess and Tom are back together again, this time on Jess’ turf of London, not quite as exotic as the Turks and Caicos Islands of Deadly Deceit but this story is equally as intriguing. With a split timeline and an unsolved cold case, Jess and Tom have their work cut out for them.
A lot of the story is set in Shanghai in the mid ‘80s, following the death of the British Ambassador. It’s a very different world to the one Jess lives in, no Internet, no mobiles. The world of Marianne however does have its secrets and they’re buried deep in history. But someone has handed Jess a shovel to dig them up. This is the mystery of the disappearing diplomat.
I whizzed through Missing in Shanghai, desperate to find out what had happened to Marianne Henderson. Was she dead? Who killed her if she was? Who killed the Ambassador? There are culprits to keep me guessing all with plausible motives. The author made me feel like I was there shadowing Marianne, Jess and Tom. You can tell that she is drawing on her experience as a diplomat to seamlessly interweave the politics and location of the job into a whodunnit.
Jean Harrod has yet again written a brilliant murder mystery set against the back drop of the diplomatic service, setting it apart from other crime fiction.
A lot of the story is set in Shanghai in the mid ‘80s, following the death of the British Ambassador. It’s a very different world to the one Jess lives in, no Internet, no mobiles. The world of Marianne however does have its secrets and they’re buried deep in history. But someone has handed Jess a shovel to dig them up. This is the mystery of the disappearing diplomat.
I whizzed through Missing in Shanghai, desperate to find out what had happened to Marianne Henderson. Was she dead? Who killed her if she was? Who killed the Ambassador? There are culprits to keep me guessing all with plausible motives. The author made me feel like I was there shadowing Marianne, Jess and Tom. You can tell that she is drawing on her experience as a diplomat to seamlessly interweave the politics and location of the job into a whodunnit.
Jean Harrod has yet again written a brilliant murder mystery set against the back drop of the diplomatic service, setting it apart from other crime fiction.
May 20, 2018
Missing in Shanghai is the third book in the Jess Turner Diplomatic Crime Thriller series. I have to say I do love this series
In this book we catch up with Jess in London the story is told with alternating chapters set in the present and what happened Shanghai in 1984. After Jess uncovers a secret from 34 years ago that a british diplomat Marraine Henderson went missing in Shanghai. We follow Jess on a quest to unravel the mystery of the disappearance when she digs into the past and finds herself in danger.
Although this is part of a series it can be read has a standalone there is plenty of background information to get a feel for the characters.
I was grabbed from start to finish and devoured this in no time at all. Its is packed with tension and suspense where I actually felt like I was reading a modern day Agatha Christie book. The author’s stunning descriptions made me feel right there in the story willing Jess along.
Jess is a very head strong a determined character and I cannot wait to see what is in store in the next book.
This story will certainly have you guessing until the very end….absolutely gripping stuff, which I highly recommend giving it 4.5 stars.
In this book we catch up with Jess in London the story is told with alternating chapters set in the present and what happened Shanghai in 1984. After Jess uncovers a secret from 34 years ago that a british diplomat Marraine Henderson went missing in Shanghai. We follow Jess on a quest to unravel the mystery of the disappearance when she digs into the past and finds herself in danger.
Although this is part of a series it can be read has a standalone there is plenty of background information to get a feel for the characters.
I was grabbed from start to finish and devoured this in no time at all. Its is packed with tension and suspense where I actually felt like I was reading a modern day Agatha Christie book. The author’s stunning descriptions made me feel right there in the story willing Jess along.
Jess is a very head strong a determined character and I cannot wait to see what is in store in the next book.
This story will certainly have you guessing until the very end….absolutely gripping stuff, which I highly recommend giving it 4.5 stars.
May 22, 2018
Really enjoyed this. I did work out some of the plot lines and mystery quite early on but it was enjoyable despite that. A good beach side or pool side read if you want something bit more gritty than a rom-com
May 26, 2018
A gripping, fast-paced thriller, set in present-day London and in Shanghai in 1984.
Entrapment, betrayal, and espionage lurk beneath the pages, with an ending you won't see coming.
Jess Turner is working on the China desk in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It's her job to ensure the State visit of the Chinese Premier runs smoothly. But tensions are running high. As work progresses, Jess uncovers shocking, secret events that happened in Shanghai in 1984. A British Ambassador died, and another diplomat, Marianne Henderson, went missing in the city and has never been seen again. Not only that, all evidence Marianne ever existed vanished with her. When Jess starts asking questions, she is warned off. But she is caught up in a chain of events she has no power to control. As she digs in the past to find out what happened to Marianne, Jess finds herself in grave danger.
I was asked directly by Jean if I would like to review her third book seeing as I did a brilliant job reviewing her second book deadly deceit which I have enjoyed by jean.
My thoughts on this book is it does grab you from the very first page and makes you want to carry on until there is no more pages to read.
How does jean come up with these brilliant stories I don't know but her writing style is one I cant get enough off. For me this is going to be one of them books what would go on the list of best reads in 2018 (if I did that of course).
So lets get to the story and ill try and not give anything away so jess turner is working in china on the foreign and commonwealth desk and it is her job to see the state visit runs smoothly.
But with the tension running high with the work progresses jess is floored when someone mentioned the previous employer who use to do jess's job and with nothing on the database of her disappearance jess is determined to find out what has happened to Marianne. Jess is shocked on how its all was hushed up and no trace is found in the foreign office regarding Marianne only that she was the presidents assistant and was the only one around when he was found dead.
I did think I knew who it was halfway through the book and to my delight I was but wasn't expecting that and who had helped as well this is one book where you don't have to read the first two books as this one just grabs you from the page all the way to the last and leaving you wanting more all the time.
Entrapment, betrayal, and espionage lurk beneath the pages, with an ending you won't see coming.
Jess Turner is working on the China desk in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It's her job to ensure the State visit of the Chinese Premier runs smoothly. But tensions are running high. As work progresses, Jess uncovers shocking, secret events that happened in Shanghai in 1984. A British Ambassador died, and another diplomat, Marianne Henderson, went missing in the city and has never been seen again. Not only that, all evidence Marianne ever existed vanished with her. When Jess starts asking questions, she is warned off. But she is caught up in a chain of events she has no power to control. As she digs in the past to find out what happened to Marianne, Jess finds herself in grave danger.
I was asked directly by Jean if I would like to review her third book seeing as I did a brilliant job reviewing her second book deadly deceit which I have enjoyed by jean.
My thoughts on this book is it does grab you from the very first page and makes you want to carry on until there is no more pages to read.
How does jean come up with these brilliant stories I don't know but her writing style is one I cant get enough off. For me this is going to be one of them books what would go on the list of best reads in 2018 (if I did that of course).
So lets get to the story and ill try and not give anything away so jess turner is working in china on the foreign and commonwealth desk and it is her job to see the state visit runs smoothly.
But with the tension running high with the work progresses jess is floored when someone mentioned the previous employer who use to do jess's job and with nothing on the database of her disappearance jess is determined to find out what has happened to Marianne. Jess is shocked on how its all was hushed up and no trace is found in the foreign office regarding Marianne only that she was the presidents assistant and was the only one around when he was found dead.
I did think I knew who it was halfway through the book and to my delight I was but wasn't expecting that and who had helped as well this is one book where you don't have to read the first two books as this one just grabs you from the page all the way to the last and leaving you wanting more all the time.
May 17, 2018
another great instalment in the Diplomatic Crime Series. As with the previous 2 novels in the series it is fast-paced, well-written, exciting and thrilling. As a former British Diplomat (who has worked in Shanghai), the authors experiences of the diplomatic services show in the writing in an authoritative, knowledgeable and believable way.
Jess and Tom are great characters. The story flows very well and is extremely hard to put down. It is set in present day London and 1984 Shanghai and switches back and forth between the 2 eras with ease.
Missing in Shanghai is a captivating thriller of entrapment, betrayal, espionage and murder.
Jess and Tom are great characters. The story flows very well and is extremely hard to put down. It is set in present day London and 1984 Shanghai and switches back and forth between the 2 eras with ease.
Missing in Shanghai is a captivating thriller of entrapment, betrayal, espionage and murder.
May 25, 2018
As with the previous novels in the series, it's a fast-paced, explosive and mainly believable story (even if Jess does seem as indestructible as most Hollywood heroes and heroines) and I was gripped from beginning to end. The villains are slightly one dimensional - I would have liked to delve deeper into their psyches and gain deeper understanding of their motivations and hidden agendas - but Jess is a very likeable character, and I was very pleased to watch her personal story developing, alongside her professional one.
Full review on my blog : http://madhousefamilyreviews.blogspot...
Full review on my blog : http://madhousefamilyreviews.blogspot...
September 21, 2021
A fast-paced story of international intrigue along with an accurate portrayal of life in the Foreign Office
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews