A bit of a "Boys own adventure" book. a lot of the action is high improbable but the action is fast paced and the basic premise is all too believable. I was amused by the POTUS in the book. Jack is a great all action hero. i can imagine this book as a film. I remember the Tiananmen Square massacre well
A good debut and with a bit of tightening up I think this author's next book will be even better. Good characters who you find yourself rooting for coupled with the somewhat enigmatic oriental. A good read overall

I thoroughly enjoyed this preview copy of The Beijing Conspiracy, and thank you for providing it in return for an honest review.

I warmed to the quirks and foibles, and back history of Jack Ford! I also liked the combination of the plotline now and thirty years’ previously. It resonated too because I recall watching the Tiananmen Square episode on the television and linking that as a central theme anchored the story.

As fast-paced espionage and political thrillers go, this one kept me riveted, as did the double-dealing and political intrigue, both in Chine and the USA.

Shamini adopts an effortless narrative style of writing, and the book flows quickly.

I highly recommend it!

After living through the pandemic and the did or didn't the virus leak from a Chinese laboratory I have been super interested in learning more about the PRC. This novel was an excellent offering to satisfy my curiosity. Jack Ford is a former Delta Force soldier who has spent a few years of his late teens/early twenties in Beijing during the Tiananmen Square protests. There decades later he receives a letter from the girl he saw while he was there informing him he is a father and has a daughter. Curious, Jack books himself on a flight and stops in Singapore to meet up with his friend Peter who was also in Beijing with him. His friend gives him an envelope. Hours later his friend is assassinated in front of him. Both the Chinese and American government desperately need to get hold of the document. When Jack's daughter is abducted he has to choose between saving her or the lives of many should war break out at the result of the document getting into the wrong hands. At times i found it difficult to keep up with the differing characters but this didn't detract from my enjoyment. A hugely satisfying and thought provoking read.

Jack Ford was with the US Embassy in Beijing in 1989 during the Tiananmen Square student uprising and fell in love with Xia, one of the students. He then was in the Marines. Now, he receives a letter from Xia saying that his daughter (who he didn't know about) was in danger. He contacts his old friend at the embassy, Peter, to find out about Xia and her daughter. Meanwhile, a US agent known as the Emperor, has sent a letter to the embassy saying that there is a conspiracy between General Zhang in China with the National Security Advisor, Griffin.

Peter is on his way to the states with the letter from the Emperor and meets Jack in a Park in Hong Kong. Peter is killed by Chinese trying to get the letter back just as Jack arrives. Jack manages to kill the Chinese and get the letter before continuing to Beijing. Jack has his work cut out for him. He is impressed by his daughter, Fei Yen. While trying to protect her, he must try to stop the conspiracy. While the US President Potus is clueless, the vice president Elizabeth Harris is far more competent in trying to prevent WWIII.

This book is funny, but scary, and quite different from the Inspector Singh books.

A very good read. A plot at the highest political level between American and China. Assassination, love & betrayal, this book has it all. The storyline kept my interest throughout. I would thoroughly recommend.

I found it quite difficult to get into this book, but once I did I couldn’t stop reading it. This is a fast paced thriller involving a clandestine plot between government members of the USA and China, and an ex-CIA spy. Jack Ford, our hero, is called to China by an ex-lover – he hasn’t been back since witnessing the atrocities of the Tiananmen Square massacre. His 'mission' is to find and save a daughter he never knew he had, and prevent a new world war. This was a compelling but somewhat complicated read. I enjoyed the story even though it was completely unbelievable in parts, and would like to read more of this author’s books.