The Devil of Nanking: an extraordinary, electrifying thriller by one of Britain's bestselling crime-writers

Mo Hayder

Feb 2010 · Random House

About this ebook

Fans of Stephen King, Stuart MacBride and Karin Slaughter will devour this warped and brutally bloodthirstly thriller from bestselling and prize-winning author Mo Hayder. Deeply haunting, this will stay with you well after the final page is turned...

'Haunting, lyrical, disturbing, important, suspenseful and wonderfully written' -- HARLAN COBEN
'Left me stunned and haunted. This is writing of breathtaking power and poetry' --
TESS GERRITSEN
'Couldn't put it down' -- ***** Reader review
'One of the best books I have read in a long time' -- ***** Reader review
'Weird, creepy, vile......brilliant!!!!!' -- ***** Reader review
'An absolutely brilliant book. Read it NOW!' -- ***** Reader review

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1990: Tokyo

Grey Hutchins is in pursuit of an obsession. She is searching for a piece of film taken during the infamous Nanking massacre of 1937. Some say it never existed. Grey is certain that it does, and that it lies hidden - somewhere in Tokyo.

Alone in an alien city, Grey becomes a hostess in an exclusive club catering for Japanese businessmen - and gangsters. One gangster dominates - an old man in a wheelchair surrounded by a terrifying entourage - who is rumoured to rely on a powerful elixir for his continued health. It is an elixir that others want - at any price ...

Previously published as Tokyo, The Devil of Nanking is a literary thriller of the highest order. With its heady atmosphere of overt violence, lurking fear and sexual tension, this is a novel that takes hold of the reader and does not let go until its explosive final pages.

Ratings and reviews

I wasn't sure if I liked this book at first. The main character was strange to say the least, but wow once I got into the story it just builds like a storm into a dark, disturbing, exciting climax. As I said it's a slow start that builds into a real page turner. I couldn't put it down. Great.

This is nothing like you expect from Mo Hayder and the JC novels . A complex story line which links the main protagonists until the final chapters hit you like a sledgehammer. I can read most things with ease, but this unsettled me. I have since researched Nanking history and the realisation that the story has a deep factual core only serves to make it even more unsettling. Mo Hayder has an uncanny skill.

I found it really hard to put this book down. I loved the interchanging chapters about Nanking and Grey in Tokyo. The descriptions in this book are fascinating and beautiful. the last 100 pages or so were action packed, and everything came together in such a haunting way. all the elements in this book are intertwined. This is a book about ignorance, war, lust, women, childbirth, evil, and horror. I enjoyed it so much. Thank you, Mo Hayder.

About the author

Mo Hayder has written some of the most terrifying crime thrillers you will ever read. Her first novel, Birdman, was hailed as a 'first-class shocker' by the Guardian and her follow-up, The Treatment was voted by the Times one of 'the top ten most scary thrillers ever written'. In 2012 Gone won the prestigious Edgars Best Novel award.

Mo left school at 15 and has worked as a barmaid, security guard, English teacher, and even a hostess in a Tokyo club. She has an MA in film making from the American University in Washington DC and an MA in creative writing from Bath Spa University. She now lives in England's West Country and is a full-time writer.

For more information on Mo Hayder and her books, see her website at www.mohayder.net