MacLennan came to Hong Kong from Scotland during a tumultuous time in Hong Kong’s history. The governorship of Sir Murray MacLehose was to be a time of reform and progress, but with that remit came the determination of many to suppress scandals and silence those who stirred up trouble. Both the life and death of John MacLennan seemed to many of those in power to threaten the stability of one of Britain’s last colonies.
The second edition includes a foreword by Christine Loh (former undersecretary for the environment, former legislator, and founder of Civic Exchange) as well as updated information from new interviews with key people involved in the case. With endorsements from human rights researchers and the local community, this book provides insight into Hong Kong during a time of social unrest and corruption scandals, a time when homosexuality and paedophilia were often considered interchangeable and both offered easy targets for blackmail.
“Collett’s vivid account of the MacLennan case and its aftermath allows us to rediscover an episode that is important not only to Hong Kong gay history but to the history of law and criminal justice in a colonial context more broadly. A fascinating read.”
– Dr Marco Wan,
Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Programme in Law and Literary Studies, University of Hong Kong
“Nigel Collett has written a period masterpiece.”
– Christine Loh,
Former undersecretary for the environment, former legislator, and founder of Civic Exchange
Nigel Collett, a retired lieutenant-colonel of the British Brigade of Gurkhas now a biographer based in Hong Kong, is the author of The Butcher of Amritsar (2006), a life of General Dyer, perpetrator of the Amritsar massacre, and of Firelight of a Different Colour: the Life and Times of Leslie Cheung (2014).