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Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers' Favorite
It is the summer of 1940. The SS President Jackson has arrived in Shanghai, and aboard is Paul Obermann, a man fleeing law enforcement after an insurance-fraud scheme in San Francisco. It is bad enough that he is flat broke, as his partners made off with all the money in the deal. Tso Jingfu, a powerful Green Gang gangster and political operative, always looking to expand his underground business, quickly spots Obermann and co-opts him. Obermann is given a new identity, Carlos Morta from Macao, and is made manager at one of Tso’s clubs. He grows close to Svetlana, a club worker, and learns that she knows Tso’s dark secrets. Tso soon discovers this and hunts them down to protect himself. While Obermann goes into hiding, Svetlana is not lucky enough, and he vows to avenge her. When Pug White, an American intelligence veteran, offers to recruit Obermann to work as a double agent inside the Nazi and Axis circles in Shanghai in exchange for protection from Tso, he accepts. Obermann is about to tread a dangerous path of duplicity and survival that will put his life on the line. Find out how it all goes down in City of Masks by Mike Blumenthal.
If you are looking for a historical espionage thriller flavored with noir crime, drama, action, adventure, and nerve-shredding suspense, City of Masks by Mike Blumenthal is a must-read. Blumenthal wastes no time introducing me to the cast and their dilemmas from the start. The gritty, intricate, and fast-paced narration and cinematic depictions transported me back to 1940s Shanghai. It felt like I was next to the cast, experiencing every moment and taking in their settings, from the nightclubs and opium parlors in the Badlands to the hotels and apartments in the French Concession, and Ward Road Jail in the shabby district of Hongkew. I got a clear picture of that era’s culture and lifestyle amid the backdrop of World War II in Shanghai. Blumenthal masterfully balances the character and plot development. I relished the high stakes, depth, and intrigue on every page. I loved this compelling tale. It would make a hit Hollywood movie.
