The Jade Dragon
Garrett Hutson
Paperback
(Warfleigh Publishing, June 23, 2017)
In 1935, Shanghai is the place to be. Glittering nightlife, bustling business, and a diverse international community are just some of the appeals of the “Paris of the Orient.” Douglas Bainbridge, Office of Naval Intelligence, is beginning a two-year immersion in Shanghai when he runs into Tim McIntyre, a childhood friend from San Francisco. Tim is a reporter for the Shanghai office of the Associated Press, and he offers to show Doug the local nightlife. Enjoying a show at the Jade Dragon, Tim steps out at intermission, but never returns. Doug finds Tim’s body in an alley. The local police dismiss it as a robbery gone bad, but Doug knows there was more to it. Bystanders outside the Jade Dragon saw Tim arguing with a pair of men before walking away with them. Doug finds files in Tim’s office showing he was investigating Japanese infiltration of the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai; and also digging into the notorious “Green Gang” that controls the opium trade in China, and has deep ties to General Chiang Kai-Shek himself. Tim’s friend and fellow reporter, Art “Jonesy” Jones goads Doug into solving Tim’s murder. But in Shanghai, danger lurks around every dark corner.