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Our Friends in Beijing
Jon Swift is in trouble.
His journalism career is in freefall.
He's too old to be part of the new world order and he's never learned to suck up to those in charge. But experience has taught him to trust his instincts.
When, for the first time in years, Jon runs into Lin Lifeng in a café in Oxford he wonders if the meeting is a coincidence. When Lin asks him to pass on a coded message, he knows it's not.
Travelling to Beijing, Jon starts to follow a tangled web in which it is hard to know who he can trust. Under the watchful eyes of an international network of spies, double-agents and politicians, all with a ruthless desire for power, Jon is in a high-stakes race to expose the truth, before it's too late.
His journalism career is in freefall.
He's too old to be part of the new world order and he's never learned to suck up to those in charge. But experience has taught him to trust his instincts.
When, for the first time in years, Jon runs into Lin Lifeng in a café in Oxford he wonders if the meeting is a coincidence. When Lin asks him to pass on a coded message, he knows it's not.
Travelling to Beijing, Jon starts to follow a tangled web in which it is hard to know who he can trust. Under the watchful eyes of an international network of spies, double-agents and politicians, all with a ruthless desire for power, Jon is in a high-stakes race to expose the truth, before it's too late.
Paperback
Published February 3, 2022
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85 people want to read
About the author
John Simpson
275 books125 followersJohn Simpson, a Vietnam-era Veteran, has been a uniformed Police Officer of the Year, a federal agent, a federal magistrate, and an armed bodyguard to royalty and a senior government executive. He earned awards from the Vice President of the United States and the Secretary of the Treasury. John has written articles for various gay and straight magazines. John lives with his partner of 35 years and three wonderful Scott Terriers, all spoiled and a breed of canine family member that is unique in dogdom. John is also involved with the Old Catholic Church and its liberal pastoral positions on the gay community.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 24, 2021
John Simpson, the experienced BBC World Affairs journalist writes a sequel to his Moscow, Midnight which introduced us to the ageing, overweight, analogue reporter in a digital world, Jon Swift. This is a political espionage story, a blend of fact and fiction, set in repressive and authoritarian China, with Simpson drawing on his experience of the country, such as providing us with a detailed historical account of the Tiananmen Square atrocities where protesters were shot indiscriminately. Swift is living in Oxford with his cat, Yorick, when he apparently coincidentally runs into a old close Chinese contact of his, Lin Lifong, with his daughter, Lily, set to study at a Oxford College. Lin is no longer the protestor he first met in 1989, protected by the influence of his father, he is now an immensely wealthy man, with a meteoric career as a rising star within the Chinese political establishment.
With his professional career in tatters, Swift only has 3 months left in his post, his instincts tell him there is a big story brewing in China, after being attacked by a bogus Chinese TV News team, he is certain that Lin will be at the heart of it. His employers agree to his request to go to China with ambitious producer, Alyssa Roberts, a woman he has fallen for. They arrive in the country, immediately aware they are of interest to state security, feeling the heavy hand of their surveillance activities. Swift gets in touch with old contacts, including the likes of Raj, a spook based at the British Embassy, bookstore owner Wei Jingyi, Terry Ho, Singaporean Gary Sung, and a contact he met more recently, Martin Prinsett, a man with close connections to Lin and his wife, 'Madame Jade'. As Swift and Alyssa chase the exclusives, they travel to Kashgar and to Huzhang, where Lin is the powerful Party Secretary who has moulded it into the image of the Mao era.
Harrowing deaths, heartbreaking tragedy, brutality, and danger follow the tenacious Swift and Alyssa who refuse to be put off by the obstacles that come their way, having to negotiate the political tightrope of the Rosa Klebb like Madame Wu and Lin Lifong. This is a interesting read with its insights into China and its culture, including the widespread use of 'traditional medicine' made from endangered African animals, and the upsetting 'wet markets'. However, the book has it flaws, the writing sometimes feels laboured and uneven, and some characters feel underwritten. I should warn readers about the nightmare of the horrifying animal abuse that takes place in the narrative. The novel makes for compulsive reading overall, particularly if you have an interest in China. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
With his professional career in tatters, Swift only has 3 months left in his post, his instincts tell him there is a big story brewing in China, after being attacked by a bogus Chinese TV News team, he is certain that Lin will be at the heart of it. His employers agree to his request to go to China with ambitious producer, Alyssa Roberts, a woman he has fallen for. They arrive in the country, immediately aware they are of interest to state security, feeling the heavy hand of their surveillance activities. Swift gets in touch with old contacts, including the likes of Raj, a spook based at the British Embassy, bookstore owner Wei Jingyi, Terry Ho, Singaporean Gary Sung, and a contact he met more recently, Martin Prinsett, a man with close connections to Lin and his wife, 'Madame Jade'. As Swift and Alyssa chase the exclusives, they travel to Kashgar and to Huzhang, where Lin is the powerful Party Secretary who has moulded it into the image of the Mao era.
Harrowing deaths, heartbreaking tragedy, brutality, and danger follow the tenacious Swift and Alyssa who refuse to be put off by the obstacles that come their way, having to negotiate the political tightrope of the Rosa Klebb like Madame Wu and Lin Lifong. This is a interesting read with its insights into China and its culture, including the widespread use of 'traditional medicine' made from endangered African animals, and the upsetting 'wet markets'. However, the book has it flaws, the writing sometimes feels laboured and uneven, and some characters feel underwritten. I should warn readers about the nightmare of the horrifying animal abuse that takes place in the narrative. The novel makes for compulsive reading overall, particularly if you have an interest in China. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
September 19, 2021
About John Simpson Author Details on this site are incorrect.
February 21, 2022
As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot (there are other reviews like that out there already!)
This is the sequel to "Moscow, Midnight" by the well known and respected UK journalist John Simpson.
This novel has a more political feel to it, dealing with modern day China. The pace is entirely different from the Moscow novel, and although slow at times, I feel it probably reflects the reality of life for journalists trying to get interviews with prominent political figures overseas - waiting and making (at times) fruitless journeys.
The writing is partly based on real events - namely Tianeman Square - and felt authoritative as the author has drawn on his own experiences of that time. We get to know the main characters a little better, and there is an extensive cast of well observed and well written supporting characters.
I enjoyed the book on the whole (see below) and will read more by this author.
TRIGGER WARNING: Do not read this book if you will be distressed by animal cruelty. I was extremely upset by the authentic description of a "wet market", and remain so whenever I think about it. However it seemed essential to the plot and was not included gratuitously.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers. All opinions my own.
This is the sequel to "Moscow, Midnight" by the well known and respected UK journalist John Simpson.
This novel has a more political feel to it, dealing with modern day China. The pace is entirely different from the Moscow novel, and although slow at times, I feel it probably reflects the reality of life for journalists trying to get interviews with prominent political figures overseas - waiting and making (at times) fruitless journeys.
The writing is partly based on real events - namely Tianeman Square - and felt authoritative as the author has drawn on his own experiences of that time. We get to know the main characters a little better, and there is an extensive cast of well observed and well written supporting characters.
I enjoyed the book on the whole (see below) and will read more by this author.
TRIGGER WARNING: Do not read this book if you will be distressed by animal cruelty. I was extremely upset by the authentic description of a "wet market", and remain so whenever I think about it. However it seemed essential to the plot and was not included gratuitously.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers. All opinions my own.
April 13, 2022
Although Simpson puts his first-hand experiences as a BBC foreign correspondent to good use I found this story curiously flat. The protagonist, Jon Swift, is a journalist whose career has stalled, partly because of his age and partly because he won’t toady. Under notice of redundancy, he wangles one last trip to film in China, following a hunch that something ‘big’ is about to happen there. Years earlier Swift had reported the student protests in Tiananmen Square. He knows the country well, and has many contacts, including a man called Lin Linfeng, who had been one of the Tiananmen protestors but is now a senior party official. The story moves back and forth across China and it doesn’t take long for Swift to realise there is, indeed, something major about to happen. I was disappointed to find this novel so disappointing!
Review by: Cornish Eskimo
Review by: Cornish Eskimo
November 4, 2023
An incredible work of fiction based on years of first-hand experience as a journalist, John Simpson, who was on the ground at Tiananmen in 1989, brought us this jaw-dropping political thriller. I can see the author in the book's main protagonist - a failing BBC journalist Jon who gambles on a big story in an attempt to save his career. This novel weaves together threads of Oxford and Beijing, both resonate strongly with me. The more you read, the more you wonder how much is fiction and how much is based on true stories. All plots point to the actual events of Bo Xilai's failed power struggle against China's incumbent President Xi. All characters are so well crafted that you cannot help but share their emotions as they venture in and out of Beijing. The ending, for me, is very sudden and somewhat anticlimactic, leaving the future of the main characters in our imagination.
February 3, 2022
Readable but disappointing; the author keeps referring to incidents in his professional past some of which have a bearing on the story and some which don't add anything. His main character is called Jon; can't he distance the hero from himself ?
John le Carre and Gerald Seymour both had former professional lives which gave them material for their books. However, they managed to disguise the fact instead of continually mentioning it .q
This book has put me off readings any more of his output.
John le Carre and Gerald Seymour both had former professional lives which gave them material for their books. However, they managed to disguise the fact instead of continually mentioning it .q
This book has put me off readings any more of his output.
August 3, 2024
Good detective/spy story although the main characters are only investigative journalists. The action takes place in Beijing, China, years after the Tienanman massacre of students who were protesting against the Chinese leadership. The novel is clearly written with the insight of somebody who knows the political and social background of Chinese society, since John Simpson had worked as a reporter from China for more than 30 years.
February 12, 2022
I do like a political book but this was very slow and it felt like it was more reminiscing than a great story. But it won't put me off from reading more by Mr Simpson as I have really enjoyed previous books.
I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.
I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.
June 8, 2022
John Simpson remains a fine journalist with a huge international experience. Much of the content of this novel is based on his experience in China and it comes across clearly. Unfortunately the joining of this to the story of the novel - an attempted coup in China - is pretty obvious and doesn't really work that well.
February 20, 2023
A brilliant read.
This is the second book I have written from John Simpson. The first took a while to get behind the poetic narrative for me but resulted in a great story. In this book, the author had me gripped from the first page to the end. Absolutely loved the intrigue, the wit and the danger that were the cornerstones of this intriguing book. Well worth a read.
This is the second book I have written from John Simpson. The first took a while to get behind the poetic narrative for me but resulted in a great story. In this book, the author had me gripped from the first page to the end. Absolutely loved the intrigue, the wit and the danger that were the cornerstones of this intriguing book. Well worth a read.
February 11, 2022
a good and exciting read
I didn’t really believe any of it. The characters were too glib some how especially the main protagonist. But the story galloped along and China was brought to life very vividly.
I didn’t really believe any of it. The characters were too glib some how especially the main protagonist. But the story galloped along and China was brought to life very vividly.
October 9, 2025
Got this in a charity shop. It was fine for £2 . The fiction elements were so-so - not a particularly well-plotted story, or well-drawn characters, but interesting to find out more about China / Tianamen Square.
March 30, 2022
Too much dialogue and not enough plot!
September 20, 2024
A good story, engaging and informatory
May 18, 2025
fiction?
Seems so real. You want to know the end. It does not disappoint. One can only wish democracy will prevail worldwide.
Seems so real. You want to know the end. It does not disappoint. One can only wish democracy will prevail worldwide.
July 23, 2023
Don’t bother
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews