Red Roulette: An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today's China
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- Create Date：2022-08-23 06:52:11
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Desmond Shum
- ISBN：1982156163
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Summary
As Desmond Shum was growing up impoverished in China， he vowed his life would be different。 Through hard work and sheer tenacity he earned an American college degree and returned to his native country to establish himself in business。 There， he met his future wife， the highly intelligent and equally ambitious Whitney Duan who was determined to make her mark within China’s male-dominated society。 Whitney and Desmond formed an effective team and， aided by relationships they formed with top members of China’s Communist Party， the so-called red aristocracy， he vaulted into China’s billionaire class。 Soon they were developing the massive air cargo facility at Beijing International Airport， and they followed that feat with the creation of one of Beijing’s premier hotels。 They were dazzlingly successful， traveling in private jets， funding multi-million-dollar buildings and endowments， and purchasing expensive homes， vehicles， and art。
But in 2017， their fates diverged irrevocably when Desmond， while residing overseas with his son， learned that his now ex-wife Whitney had vanished along with three coworkers。
But in 2017， their fates diverged irrevocably when Desmond， while residing overseas with his son， learned that his now ex-wife Whitney had vanished along with three coworkers。
Reviews
Harry Lee
，
Interesting story and life， and insight into what happens behind the scenes。 First heard about this book through a podcast 。。。
DivyaJyoti Rajdev
，
My review for the book jacket would be something like "Corrupt & narcissist husband writes book after wife's disappearance revealing just enough about powerful people to fire warning shots incase he's targeting next， while strongly putting the financial burden of misdeeds on his wife。"Recommend the books if you can tolerate annoying narrators in favor of the content， and want to get an inside look into large scale political corruption & elitism across Asia。 My review for the book jacket would be something like "Corrupt & narcissist husband writes book after wife's disappearance revealing just enough about powerful people to fire warning shots incase he's targeting next， while strongly putting the financial burden of misdeeds on his wife。"Recommend the books if you can tolerate annoying narrators in favor of the content， and want to get an inside look into large scale political corruption & elitism across Asia。 。。。more
Patrick
，
Riveting。 A page turning， honest， and revealing account of the trials of being a successful entrepreneur in China in the last few decades。 This is an unvarnished window into an opaque but important part of the world。 Ultimately tragic。 The author’s self effacing and plain style amplifies the message。
Sheldon Fine
，
Excellent reading about China。
Kenneth Mulle
，
The author shares a first hand account of the rise and fall of political elites along with the corresponding trajectory of their economic fortunes。
Peter Griffiths
，
Can see why people dislike the author and the book， but I think aside from that the rarity of getting a perspective from inside the top levels of China’s political system more than makes up for it
Antonina Sh
，
The book is definitely educational。 If nothing else， it's an interesting insight into Chinese way of thinking， building relationships， etc。 But it did leave a bad taste in my mouth。 I could not empathize with the author。 I feel like a lot of the book was him trying to make himself look better， although he is just as much part of the problem。 Also， it was rather superficial， with some facts and details just kind of glossed over， as if unimportant， but makes it look like avoidance of substantive i The book is definitely educational。 If nothing else， it's an interesting insight into Chinese way of thinking， building relationships， etc。 But it did leave a bad taste in my mouth。 I could not empathize with the author。 I feel like a lot of the book was him trying to make himself look better， although he is just as much part of the problem。 Also， it was rather superficial， with some facts and details just kind of glossed over， as if unimportant， but makes it look like avoidance of substantive issues。One thing this book definitely taught me is that the idea of globalized world is impossible。 It is mind blowing how different the Western and the Eastern cultures are。 Certainly， there are differences between smaller groups， so-called tribes， but this huge division between the West and the East。。。 It's lightyears away。 And I don't see it as a bad thing either。 I just don't see a world where every country is functioning under the same rules， with no regard or adjustment for mentality and cultural differences。 。。。more
Ted Daniels
，
I couldn't get into this book， skimming through the middle to get to the end。 I felt like I was reading another take on "Crazy Rich Asians"， but without all the fun。 The fact that they put Bill Browder testimonials on the front and back covers should have raised a big flag for me。 A red flag， of course。 I couldn't get into this book， skimming through the middle to get to the end。 I felt like I was reading another take on "Crazy Rich Asians"， but without all the fun。 The fact that they put Bill Browder testimonials on the front and back covers should have raised a big flag for me。 A red flag， of course。 。。。more
Ellie
，
"Red Roulette" is about Desmond Shum， once a prominent Chinese businessman。 Shum grew up in poverty。 However， he earned high marks in school and was able to go to college in America。 Striving to leave his mark as a businessman， Shum eventually partnered with the entrepreneurial Whitney Duan。 Whitney and Desmond formed tight relationships with those influential within the Chinese Communist Party， particularly the wife of premier Wen Jiabao， Auntie Zhang。 The couple created the massive air cargo f "Red Roulette" is about Desmond Shum， once a prominent Chinese businessman。 Shum grew up in poverty。 However， he earned high marks in school and was able to go to college in America。 Striving to leave his mark as a businessman， Shum eventually partnered with the entrepreneurial Whitney Duan。 Whitney and Desmond formed tight relationships with those influential within the Chinese Communist Party， particularly the wife of premier Wen Jiabao， Auntie Zhang。 The couple created the massive air cargo facility at the Beijing International Airport， and one of the most luxurious hotels in Beijing。 Shum exposes the red aristocracy in China。 I struggled to f0llow the book or stay engaged at times， simply because I'm not well-versed in the business world。 It was a little bit hard to get through。 However， the conclusion was stunning。 Shum does a great job of illustrating the corruption and deception present in today's China。 It's a testament to the depths that humans are willing to go to for power。I was particularly touched by Whitney Duan's disappearance， which came a few years after their divorce。 Duan mysteriously disappeared in front of the same hotel that she and Shum helped to create。 After finishing this book I did some quick Googling， and found that Duan called Shum the night before the book's release。 She appeared to be under pressure from her captors to persuade Shum not to publish the book。 However， that has been the only evidence of life from Duan since her disappearance。 What happened to her is beyond disturbing， but most of all it's sad。Although the writing was occasionally challenging to understand， "Red Roulette" is a critical book to understanding the state of events in China currently。 There are few other books of its kind， making it an important read for anyone interested in the subject matter。 Things are not as they seem in China。 。。。more
Natalie
，
3。9
Navdeep Pundhir
，
This is the story of a guy who travelled in high places when the going was good， made a lot of money by being close to the Chinese Premier's wife and pretended to be the only upright amongst a bunch of cheats。 Well， how convenient。 He's a kind of Lutyens version of China who are now claiming that all's bad in China！ A very poor idea to expose to the world how low Communist party of China has stooped to when all it has done is to stop feeding the corrupt。 I am no Communist sympathiser but this gu This is the story of a guy who travelled in high places when the going was good， made a lot of money by being close to the Chinese Premier's wife and pretended to be the only upright amongst a bunch of cheats。 Well， how convenient。 He's a kind of Lutyens version of China who are now claiming that all's bad in China！ A very poor idea to expose to the world how low Communist party of China has stooped to when all it has done is to stop feeding the corrupt。 I am no Communist sympathiser but this guy basically is crying foul for not being allowed to cheat anymore。 How sad！ 。。。more
Rachel
，
起初听来颇有八卦的兴致，逐渐便觉得无趣：一来讲述的都是人尽皆知的操作，没看NYT的文章也能知道内容都是对已被曝光事件的解释，附带的都是无关紧要的小细节，二来作者显然随财富提高而膨胀，十分高看自己，譬如一边利用政治关系牟利一边还认为自己是伟大的企业家，操作没有“dirt” ；认为亮马河边的工程靠的是自己全球化视野而向夫人要话语权 - 须知从一开始有机会参与这个工程皆因她关系；甚至后面对Xi政府的crackdown的愤慨，反而让人觉得是好事 - 难不成经济利益都要被这些“关系”圈的人把持？当然，本书的好处自然是让我窥见这样的人是怎么看待问题的。让我意外的反而是像Whitney这样毫无背景的能进入到最高圈子，当然也不免沦为可以随时牺牲掉的棋子。Whitney是个人物，可惜一来没能完全意识到，基于利益的关系，只会考虑当下 - 纵然你在他微时给过多大的扶持，都不免他climb up后都抛脑后只基于当下形势要求权力，二来行走在高危地带，却未能做到狡兔三窟，早点在海外准备。
Tianze
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 An easy read。 The author is able to state happenings in a clear and fluent fashion， and most of （though not all） the time I agree his point of view which I perceive as not bias。What I feel lacking is more details of what happened after his divorce， the book doesn’t shed much light on this part。
Lisa
，
I really wanted to enjoy this book for the value of the insider information on Chinese wealth and corruption， however， it was written in such a repugnant way that I could not enjoy it at all。 It was very difficult to get through this book as it was written through the lens of a man who is insufferably narcissistic and arrogant。 Despite having to seemingly rely on his wife for nearly every business venture， he complains endlessly about how controlling she was and paints her as a ruthless plutocra I really wanted to enjoy this book for the value of the insider information on Chinese wealth and corruption， however， it was written in such a repugnant way that I could not enjoy it at all。 It was very difficult to get through this book as it was written through the lens of a man who is insufferably narcissistic and arrogant。 Despite having to seemingly rely on his wife for nearly every business venture， he complains endlessly about how controlling she was and paints her as a ruthless plutocrat whom he is worthier than。 From his telling of events， it sure seems that he would never have been as successful and wealthy if not for her business tact and networking skills， so it's quite unsettling how he seemingly denies this and paints her as the villain of his memoir。 Additionally， Shum claims he grew up in a poor family， yet his general attitude and descriptions of his excessive wealth are written in such a distasteful way that I cannot believe the man was ever poor for a day in his life。 I wish this book could have been written by someone else who could have been more objective and less self-serving。 。。。more
Ari Katz
，
Really a 3。5， the book is not well written and chock full of cliches， which kind of distracts from the story。 Shum is typical of autocratic-regime tell-all authors， in that he was happy to play the game until it affected him and his family。 He and his wife cashed in as well-connected property developers， then when Xi took over and went after anyone not on his team， things fell apart for Shum and he fled the country。 Still， taken as a whole， the book makes the point that today's China is not bein Really a 3。5， the book is not well written and chock full of cliches， which kind of distracts from the story。 Shum is typical of autocratic-regime tell-all authors， in that he was happy to play the game until it affected him and his family。 He and his wife cashed in as well-connected property developers， then when Xi took over and went after anyone not on his team， things fell apart for Shum and he fled the country。 Still， taken as a whole， the book makes the point that today's China is not being built for the collective， but for the privileged。 The only thing that matters is proximity to power。 If you're not connected or somehow disturb your connections， you can lose everything fast。 I was hoping for more of the details， but too often Shum starts a story and then skips all the details right to， "。。。 in the end， such and such happened。" Still looking for something more revealing about how China works。 。。。more
Nicholas Conlon
，
Really enjoyed this - such a easy to read summary of what it was like growing up in China / HK / US and then returning to China to make a fortune the “guangxi” CCP-orientated waySome particular pieces really resonated:“There’s a lie perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party that it prioritizes the collective over the selfish interests of the individual。 Many in the West， unhappy with the West’s obsession with individual rights， buy into this fantasy that the Chinese Communist Party focuses on t Really enjoyed this - such a easy to read summary of what it was like growing up in China / HK / US and then returning to China to make a fortune the “guangxi” CCP-orientated waySome particular pieces really resonated:“There’s a lie perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party that it prioritizes the collective over the selfish interests of the individual。 Many in the West， unhappy with the West’s obsession with individual rights， buy into this fantasy that the Chinese Communist Party focuses on the common good。 The reality is that the Party’s main purpose is to serve the interests of the sons and daughters of its revolutionaries。 They are the primary beneficiaries; they are the ones sitting at the nexus of economic and political power。”These children of the revolutionaries live a different life to normal， or even super wealthy， Chinese。 Basically royalty The book hammers this home and so is a great insight into the upper workings of China and the CCP 。。。more
Maarten Koller
，
This author is very brave。 I believe his insiders account of the Chinese government。 Mostly because the feeling I get from this book is that the author believes in China and that with another government， things can go great。 But the （corrupt） power of the communist party reaches far。 Wish it was different， it would make for a better world。 Ironically， especially for the Chinese themselves。
Peter Vegel
，
Just an okay read。 All the intrigue and details over this and that deal or this and that fancy meal get quite boring fast。
Nicholas
，
The book will read to many as a self-serving account of what is on page a self-serving regime。 In fact， most parts of the book are dedicated to outlining how the two collapsed into this image of a 'rising China' to outsiders。 That is， how a group of self-serving entrepreneurs， princelings， bureaucrats existed symbiotically with a self-serving political regime bent on survival at any costs， until they didn't。 A rare instance where the ‘dog-eat-dog’ spirit that defines free market capitalism runs The book will read to many as a self-serving account of what is on page a self-serving regime。 In fact， most parts of the book are dedicated to outlining how the two collapsed into this image of a 'rising China' to outsiders。 That is， how a group of self-serving entrepreneurs， princelings， bureaucrats existed symbiotically with a self-serving political regime bent on survival at any costs， until they didn't。 A rare instance where the ‘dog-eat-dog’ spirit that defines free market capitalism runs on the same course as ‘take-no-prisoners’ Machiavellian politics。 An intermarrying of creativity and control， high corruption and high deliverables， scheming entrepreneurs and unimaginative bureaucrats。While the state and the private， the personal and the political， ideas of statesmen and business（wo）men blurred considerably in this autobiography， Shum kept trying to enforce a separation， which is reflected narratively in his eventual separation from his ex-wife Whitney Duan。 That， on the one side， there is the capricious， above-the-rules， corrupted party state that Duan once envisioned a future in （until it’s too late）; and， on the other side， there is the also-greedy but play-by-the-（corrupted） rules entrepreneurs with a mission and an appetite for risk and ‘over-the-top’ conspicuous consumption。 Shum clearly saw the future， and the room for redemption， in the latter， which he often hinted as the bourgeoisie if the ‘no bourgeoise， no democracy’ thesis still works for China。 Despite his indifferent tone， it is obvious that Shum wanted a modicum of redemption personally， as seen in the highlighting of his participation in the pro-democracy march for Hong Kong after his participation in the counter-protest。But I guess this is where it becomes a bit off-putting for some readers， as what Shum sketched is a case of ‘can do’ predatory capitalism running on the treadmills of， and then against ‘no can do’ predatory statism。 But a tale about heartlessness and grit probably shouldn’t complain when its protagonists were met with heartlessness and grit of a different nature。 After all， there is a saying that the hand that makes you， can break you too。 Shum wants to argue that the Reds （the Communist power-holders） and the roulette-players （the entrepreneurial types） are somewhat qualitatively different， but the game of Red Roulette he showcased could easily be read a different way: that it’s just an ecosystem of bigger fishes devouring big fishes such as himself。The book’s biggest contribution is that Shum complicates the idea that the mega-rich in China are all handpicked and made so by the party。 His picture is that of a party that loomed over the system but did not spin every wheel and charted every path to riches。 Through a very personal story told in an unsentimental tone we Asians who grew up in a reserved， patriarchal culture will relate to， Shum shows that the heartlessness and grit that defined China’s skyrocketing economy is not so much an exact mirroring of the CCP’s inner culture， but rather an ingenious， if not revolting， product of cultivation by those who has figured out how to thrive within the system （until they didn’t）。 In other words， every capitalist economy is defined by a degree of heartlessness and cutthroat competition， but this level of throat-cutting and heartlessness can only be found in China。 Herein lies the value of an insider’s account， it provides an ethnography of high corruption that an outsider’s account doesn’t， as the latter often focuses on highlighting the debauchery instead of sketching the lifeworld of the riches。 It doesn’t make reading Shum’s retelling less repulsive。 But in not celebrating nor condemning， he provides us with enough to understand， and to judge。Shum might not be transparent enough， but he’s a rare combination of being well-placed， well-informed， and honest enough to provide an account that has both analytical and storytelling value。 If Red Roulette is not a book that really fits the mould of speaking truth to power， it at least is one that speaks truth about wealth and power in China。 。。。more
Debra
，
Was expecting something different。 I thought if he had said more about what was left unsaid in this book， it would have been better。
Anurag Bhandari
，
Red Roulette is a tell-all story of a nouveau riche Chinese millionaire about how he and his business partners had to navigate the immensely corrupt Chinese government to get things done。 Perhaps triggered by the sudden mysterious （but not totally unanticipated） disappearance of his wealthy ex-wife， Shum leaves no stone unturned in revealing the immodesty， shamelessness， and brutality of the Chinese government。 In doing so， he also opens up about the grey practices and behind-the-doors politics Red Roulette is a tell-all story of a nouveau riche Chinese millionaire about how he and his business partners had to navigate the immensely corrupt Chinese government to get things done。 Perhaps triggered by the sudden mysterious （but not totally unanticipated） disappearance of his wealthy ex-wife， Shum leaves no stone unturned in revealing the immodesty， shamelessness， and brutality of the Chinese government。 In doing so， he also opens up about the grey practices and behind-the-doors politics that he and his wife indulged in to gain financial leverage that ultimately made them rich。The author， after awakening to the fact that China wasn't so much "opening up" to privatization and democracy as he had felt through the years， eventually left China for a more liberal life in the west where human rights are acknowledged and celebrated。The book is written in a bloggishly simple style without dramatizing real-life events as many biographies tend to do。 I don't think it offers fundamentally eye-opening facts about how China works and the antics that the Chinese Communist Party follows to silence dissidents。 Much of it is fairly common knowledge for anyone with the slightest interest in world affairs。 Still， it's an evidence-based affirmation that what the world thinks about China is mostly correct。What emerges from the book is this picture of China - the so-called "red aristocrats" （sons and daughters of high-ranking politicians） live outrageously affluent lives that are completely detached from those of commoners。 Many western-educated， ultra-rich business persons recognize the flaws but willingly mine the system to make profits， and employ devious tactics to ensure the system never changes。 The rich are rich beyond imagination。 But everyone in China - big and small industrialists， entrepreneurs， showmen， and politicians - is at the mercy of the Chinese Communist Party。Jack Ma， where are you？ 。。。more
，
A well-written， courageous， and fascinating book disclosing China’s political fractions and purges， the dealings between business elites and high power political families， and the rises and falls of business tycoons and political stars。 It makes you wonder about China’s political and economic future。 I especially applaud the author for his courage and bravery by being so candid。 This book definitely will anger top leaders in Chinese government， and put him and his family in danger。 Highly recomm A well-written， courageous， and fascinating book disclosing China’s political fractions and purges， the dealings between business elites and high power political families， and the rises and falls of business tycoons and political stars。 It makes you wonder about China’s political and economic future。 I especially applaud the author for his courage and bravery by being so candid。 This book definitely will anger top leaders in Chinese government， and put him and his family in danger。 Highly recommend to who is interested in China。The book provides a very rare glimpse of inner political workings of China， and it is nothing like how things work in the US。 The author and his ex-wife were formerly insiders of the highest levels of China。 They were masters of guanxi， or trusting relationship， to create business opportunities for themselves as well as for their political patrons。 It is a formula that has enriched countless Chinese business people， bureaucrats， politicians， and communist elite。 The author， with high degree of credibility， asserts that the present Chinese system is not only extremely corrupt， but it is also designed to protect & prosper its communist elite。 The entire Chinese system is about benefiting the Chinese communist elites and their descendants。 Those who play the game brilliantly can become， like the author and his ex-wife， very wealthy。 The author is a very good observer and he sees the big picture。 He believes the Chinese economic success had an awful price: China has become an win-at-all-costs society in which ethics， integrity， societal responsibilities are discarded for the losers。 In China， it is almost impossible to acquire tremendous wealth & success without also benefiting （paying off） the communist elites and the bureaucrats。 Now， China is descending into political authoritarianism that threatens any rights and civil liberties the Chinese had enjoyed as citizens in the last 30 years。 。。。more
Emily
，
Action-action account of doing business in China during the 00 boom days。 Recommend as a primer of an era from one man’s account
Shelley
，
My 5-star rating is definitely very personal。 Our family lived in China from 2002-2013， although I was unaware of the deep inside operations of the CCP， as a foreigner， I could feel the shift in the energy of the city （we weren't even in Beijing）， and the requirements of the foreigners living there。 It went from being very free and open and honestly quite privileged， to being harrassed by the police for literally just being a foreigner。 We also lived in Hong Kong before the handover to China， an My 5-star rating is definitely very personal。 Our family lived in China from 2002-2013， although I was unaware of the deep inside operations of the CCP， as a foreigner， I could feel the shift in the energy of the city （we weren't even in Beijing）， and the requirements of the foreigners living there。 It went from being very free and open and honestly quite privileged， to being harrassed by the police for literally just being a foreigner。 We also lived in Hong Kong before the handover to China， and my heart is literally breaking for the people of Hong Kong。 The locals talked about the necessity of having an exit strategy because they knew。 They knew they could not trust the CCP。 I heard about this book from The Jordan Harbinger Podcast， where he interviewed Desmond Shum and I am glad I read the book as it shed so much light on the bowels of China。 The story itself was repeated ad nauseam with their over-the-top spending， partying， and disconnection of their relationship。 Honestly， I recommend reading this and keeping your eyes open to what is happening in Asia。 。。。more
snowgirl
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book helps us to get a glimpse of what actually happens in China。 The most fascinating thing about the book is that: 1’ The author has an internationally educational background， demonstrating a vivid contrast between the western and Chinese values， thus showing how different systems function when it comes to politics and economics。 2’ He has the opportunity to use what he learnt under the context of economic reform period， with the powerful help from his ex-wife， which gains him fame， fortu This book helps us to get a glimpse of what actually happens in China。 The most fascinating thing about the book is that: 1’ The author has an internationally educational background， demonstrating a vivid contrast between the western and Chinese values， thus showing how different systems function when it comes to politics and economics。 2’ He has the opportunity to use what he learnt under the context of economic reform period， with the powerful help from his ex-wife， which gains him fame， fortune and connection with the aristocrats。3’ Under the collapse of economic development and fierce political vagary in China， his western background and astuteness quickly reminded himself of what would be best for his personal interest and security。 It kind of inspires us how to BE WATER and react quickly when things change so fast。All in all， I feel a strong sense of powerlessness after finishing this book。 Individuals are far too weak compared to leviathan。 Staying optimistic in a world full of chaos is stupid and makes no difference at all。The only way out might be ALWAYS EXPECTING THE WORST， AND PUTTING NO TRUST IN OTHERS EXCEPT YOURSELF。 。。。more
Maureen
，
“On September 5， 2017， Whitney Duan， age fifty， disappeared from the streets of Beijing。” With that first sentence to the introduction， you would expect —perhaps hope—Desmond Shum’s memoir， Red Roulette， to be a story of he investigation into the disappearance and of course the backstory leading up to it。 Instead， the book becomes an autobiographical account of Shum’s early life， and then his meeting and marrying Whitney Duan and her personal background。I have not followed the economics and poli “On September 5， 2017， Whitney Duan， age fifty， disappeared from the streets of Beijing。” With that first sentence to the introduction， you would expect —perhaps hope—Desmond Shum’s memoir， Red Roulette， to be a story of he investigation into the disappearance and of course the backstory leading up to it。 Instead， the book becomes an autobiographical account of Shum’s early life， and then his meeting and marrying Whitney Duan and her personal background。I have not followed the economics and politics of China as closely as many other reviewers of this book， who make very good points about some factual issues （read them）。 For me， the self-serving aspects of Shum’s narrative are unfortunate， the diction often trite and riddled with cliches， but his seeming tone-deafness to how his and Duan’s crass consumption would come across to readers is actually enlightening， especially for someone who hasn’t read Crazy Rich Asians。 What makes the book worth reading is Shum’s story about how Duan cultivated “Auntie Zhang” and other elites in order to advance her business interests and how the system worked—for a while。 The irony is that Duan would anticipate Zhang’s every need and want and provide it to her to further the relationship。 But in the end， Zhang cast her off。 So did everyone else。 The one person who would have stuck by her if she had treated him more like she treated her Communist Party hacks was her husband， Shum， who had the smarts and the assets to get out of both the marriage and the country while he could。 But she treated him shabbily， controlling all of their money （ineptly）while spending millions on lavish gifts for her “friends。” Now he’s apparently remarried while Duan is dead or living in a dungeon somewhere。 Such an ironic situation for someone who believed relationships were the ticket。 To what？ 。。。more
Christopher Pitts
，
People who are so obsessed with money and power， and on top of that， like to show off about it， often come across as boring and shallow， so in that respect， this book is a bit irritating。 That said， the inside scoop on how the deals go down （you can't help but love the fact that Wen Jiabao's wife was "investing" in deals without putting in a single cent of real money） was definitely enough to pull me through the rest of it。 While the nature and actions of the players within the CCP is not at all People who are so obsessed with money and power， and on top of that， like to show off about it， often come across as boring and shallow， so in that respect， this book is a bit irritating。 That said， the inside scoop on how the deals go down （you can't help but love the fact that Wen Jiabao's wife was "investing" in deals without putting in a single cent of real money） was definitely enough to pull me through the rest of it。 While the nature and actions of the players within the CCP is not at all surprising， reading the play-by-play details was illuminating。 Flying three private jets to Europe to start a wine club， two of which were empty。。。I'm sure the ultrarich around the globe act like this， but there are a lot of passages in this book that will leave you sick to your stomach。 。。。more
Horace Derwent
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Karen Chung
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I learned of and became intrigued with the premise of this book listening to an interview with the author by Jordan Harbinger。 And it turned out to be a page turner – couldn't put it down till I finished it last night。 If you have any interest at all in how power， money and retribution work in the PRC， you will get plenty of dirt in this one。 The author is， however， careful to tiptoe around Wen Jiabao himself， maybe out of an effort at self-protection。 But Wen's wife and children are not spared。 I learned of and became intrigued with the premise of this book listening to an interview with the author by Jordan Harbinger。 And it turned out to be a page turner – couldn't put it down till I finished it last night。 If you have any interest at all in how power， money and retribution work in the PRC， you will get plenty of dirt in this one。 The author is， however， careful to tiptoe around Wen Jiabao himself， maybe out of an effort at self-protection。 But Wen's wife and children are not spared。 The conspicuous consumption described rather than inspiring any kind of envy left this reader feeling – can't they see how pointless and empty it all is？ One thing that really impressed me was how the author actually succeeded in building a duty-free cargo terminal for Beijing airport， without any background or experience at all in how it was done。 The hoops he jumped through to get it approved and built are high drama。 I'm quite surprised at how nonchalant at how the author seemed so nonchalant about his ability to get out of the PRC in one piece。 I'm relieved for him that he did， and hope he stays safe。 。。。more
Jey Islander
，