The Shanghai Factor

Review “Stephen Bowlby adopts the perfect tone in this audio edition. . . . [His] characters are distinct and he differentiates between each of them subtly, never going over the top into caricature. Fans of McCarry will be as pleased, both with this latest outing and with Bowlby’s smooth, professional reading.”      —Publishers Weekly (BookPage)“Bowlby’s low-key performance mirrors McCarry’s carefully imagined, mundane world, but one permeated with an undercurrent of danger, source unknown, a fact that heightens the sense of menace. . . . . Bowlby portrays the large cast of Chinese characters . . . in authentic-sounding accents. A strong sense of place effectively adds to the impact of this cerebral, interior thriller.”      —Booklist“This is an intricately plotted tale of believable espionage that, read by Stephen Bowlby, becomes an intriguing audio.”      —BookPage Product Description An unnamed spy is dispatched to Shanghai to aid a shadowy U.S. agency known only as HQ. There he meets a mysterious woman named Mei and begins a torrid affair that threatens to expose him to Chinese intelligence, the notorious Guoanbu. As danger waits for him around every corner, and the enigmatic Mei moves into and out of his life, he finds himself drawn further into a deadly cat-and-mouse game between Guoanbu and HQ that threatens not only to end his life but to also dangerously destabilize East/West relations. From Publishers Weekly A nameless American who lives in Shanghai is recruited by a secret U.S. agency known as HQ to infiltrate a Chinese business conglomerate, the CEO of which may have ties to Chinese intelligence. But as he settles into his life undercover, he comes to learn that nothing is what it seems, and any wrong move could cost him everything. Stephen Bowlby adopts the perfect tone in this audio edition. His dry, laconic delivery of the unidentified hero's tale conveys the world-weariness of a man who has seen it all and, in the retelling of his story, is not surprised by the perfidiousness of the men and women of his past. Bowlby's characters are distinct and he differentiates between each of them subtly, never going over the top into caricature. Fans of McCarry will be as pleased, both with this latest outing and with Bowlby's smooth, professional reading. A Head of Zeus hardcover. (June) About the Author Stephen Bowlby, a lifelong performer and filmmaker, loves bringing ideas to life in ways that entertain, inviting both action and reflection. With a career in writing, directing, and film editing, he infuses his narration with a strong sense of story.