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The Last Six Million Seconds: A Thriller

The Last Six Million Seconds: A Thriller
Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 5.0/5Average rating of 5.0/5Average rating of 5.0/5Average rating of 5.0/5Average rating of 5.0/5

List Price: $24.00
Asia Trips Trips Price: $22.00
Your Savings: $ 2.00 ( 8% )
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Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co

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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780688147747
ISBN: 0688147747
Label: William Morrow & Co
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 385
Publication Date: 1997-02
Publisher: William Morrow & Co
Studio: William Morrow & Co

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Editorial Reviews:

An exciting new thriller, in the tradition of Gorky Park.

In shops throughout Hong Kong, clocks are ticking down the seconds before control passes from the British to the Chinese on June 30, 1997. With The Last Six Million Seconds, John Burdett has written a riveting and timely thriller that takes place on the eve of the changeover.

Royal Hong Kong Chief of Police Chan Siu-kai ("Charlie") is called to the harbor at the South China Sea and discovers three heads floating in the water. Confronted with a case of triple homicide, Chan has to find out why the coast guard and an outside agency are opposed to his investigation. Chan, a determined Eurasian policeman, goes in search of the killer and the truth behind the British government's involvement, while uncovering the shocking behind-the- scenes machinations of the Red Chinese.


Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Exciting and haunting novel about post-1997 Hong Kong
Comment: Six million seconds adds up to about 67 days. This novel takes place in the 67 days leading up to the British hand-over of Hong Kong to the mainland Chinese government in 1997.

I won't go into all the details about Inspector Chan, etc. because other reviewers have done a good job of that already; but let's just say that this exciting, perceptive and often grisly novel satisfies as great crime fiction and as incisive commentary on the changes taking place in the "new" China.

Wherever there is money, there is greed and corruption; and the oligarchs (former Communist generals) who run mainland China have no qualms about using whatever means at their disposal (bribery, extortion, slavery and murder) to control their newly won prize. This is the force Inspector Chan has to reckon with, and since he is Eurasian, I take it that Burdett is letting us know that both East and West will have to reckon with the powers-that-be in China -- whether they like it or not. The Chinese oligarchs have the ability to influence world affairs just as the European Colonists once did. And, as Burdett's story testifies, the Chinese know full well what's at stake and have no fear about having to play hardball to come out on top.

Burdett has an insider's understanding of a world few uninitiated Westerners understand (he was a lawyer for a British firm in Asia for many years). He provides readers with the perfect guide to the crossroads of East and West -- the Eurasian Inspector Chan.

A fun and absorbing read. A must for any Burdett fan.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: A Delightful Read
Comment: I am a fan of Burdette's, having read his Thailand books. Based on Amazon reviews, I 'had' to buy this even though the lowest price was way more than I usually spend. It was worth it! The previous reviewers have echoed my sentiments; I just wanted to add one more 5 star rating and to say I wish he would write more.
-Martin Freifeld

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Wonderfully Dated
Comment: Burdett shows alot of the promise that is even more evident in his later books based in Bangkok. Excellent pre-handover thriller. I'd have liked to see some more Charlie Chan books.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Another fine Burdett mystery
Comment: The Last Six Million Seconds is a marvelous combination of engrossing mystery and the drama of Hong Kong's transition from a British colony to the control of a Chinese dictatorship. Throughout the story, one of Burdett's strengths is his ability to capture the intangibles of culture. Consider this insight:

"In the beginning was the Word. But it was sung, not spoken. Prehistoric humans from Peking Man in the East to Cro Magnon in the West used the full range of the vocal scale to sing instructions for the hunt, sing guidance to their children, sing reverence to the gods that provided the mammoths. They would have despised the flat, dead speech of modern times for the tuneless whitterings of ghosts.....the oldest language in modern usage is also the most musical. With nine tones to condition meaning, Cantonese can present a challenge to a tin ear from the Bronx." (p.283)

Burdett uses Richard Hughes' formula of 'a borrowed place living on borrowed time' to explain the psychological challenge Hong Kong residents face during the last six million seconds before they return to Chinese control.

The criminal activities of the People's Liberation Army, including their willingness to use violence and intimidation to create rigged enrichment for a small handful of Generals, are described in accurate details. Burdett even uses official United Nations reports to enhance the sense of realism. He also manages to weave through all this the issue of the Laogai--the prison/slave labor system by which 50,000,000 people live lives of enslavement in China, according to Burdett.

Burdett's protagonist is a driven Chinese-Irish policeman seeking answers to the brutal deaths of two Chinese men and an American girl. The journey is worth the read. Indeed I am beginning to believe that anything John Burdett writes is worth reading.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Excellent. Brilliant! Bring back Charlie Chan....
Comment: Hey, I think I am going to give another synopsis of the story....nah!

Others have already done that better than I could so I will just support their thesis: This is a must read. Granted it has faults: It isn't redundant. Its not obvious. It is well written. Its written for for clever grown ups who don't like to be horsewhipped with the same old cliches and knit-one-pearl-twos. If you can get around those faults, this book might keep you glued to your chair.


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