The Beijing Conspiracy

August 12, 2019
Former Delta Force operator Jack Ford, the hero of this farfetched political thriller from Flint (the Inspector Singh mystery series), receives a letter from Xia, with whom he became intimate some 30 years earlier when she was a student youth leader in Beijing during the lead-up to the Tiananmen Square massacre and hasn’t heard from since. Xia needs Jack’s help, though she doesn’t say for what. She adds, “If you won’t help me, please help our daughter. Her name is Fei Yen.” Curious about this unknown daughter, Jack sets off for China. En route, he comes by chance into possession of a document that could have explosive political repercussions. China’s new leader is being opposed by a cold-blooded general, who will stop at nothing to gain power. Meanwhile, the unnamed U.S. president behaves in Trump-like ways, though American readers may find it jarring that he appoints a Democratic woman as vice president as a sop to “unity” after her predecessor’s death. Other, supposedly more rational characters also make odd decisions. As an antiwar satire, this is a muddle. Fans of Inspector Singh will be disappointed.