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0 of 4 members found this review helpful.The Opium Wars in Reverse
“Instead of colonial Britain forcing the Chinese to cede Hong Kong to have a base for the importation of opium, this book shows Hong Kong's last two colonial months (the title's six million seconds) as the corrupt generals of the People's Republic use Hong Kong for a vast money-laundering operation. Or maybe it's an operation to import highly enriched uranium for a nuclear device. Or maybe... The problem is that the reader is never really sure what Inspector Chan is investigating. Nominally, yes, it's the "mincer murders," in which some New York mafia envoys were chopped up alive. Or was it the corrupt generals getting back at the triads, Hong Kong's version of crime families? But then why was Emily Ping killed, and why, with so much effort was made to frame Inspector Chan by artificially transferring his fingerprints to Emily's belt, why did they just let him go? And who were "they," anyway? And was the Political Secretary a good guy or a bad guy, and if he changed sides, when, exactly, and why? And why was so much effort put into creating artificial teeth for the mincer victims if that proof of identity was for the real mafia envoys? (The clay impressions would not have been made from them, but from Clare and her two guys). And what mafia would have sent the gang that couldn't shoot up straight to handle a mission involving nuclear fuel...or was it...oh, who cares!
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-04-29.
Basically there's nothing wrong with this plot that a few bursts of a submachine pistol couldn't cure. It's better than author Burdett's Bangkok series, but it's a book only an international police thriller junkie could love.
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1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Exciting and haunting novel about post-1997 Hong Kong
“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.
An amazon user wrote this on 2008-02-17.
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.” -
2 of 2 members found this review helpful.
A Delightful Read
“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.
An amazon user wrote this on 2007-01-24.
-Martin Freifeld” -
1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
Wonderfully Dated
“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. ”
An amazon user wrote this on 2006-03-30. -
11 of 13 members found this review helpful.
Another fine Burdett mystery
“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:
An amazon user wrote this on 2004-08-16.
"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. ”
