In this gripping WWII adventure, a German resistance fighter on the run from the Gestapo escapes to China on a steamer where he meets another exile and falls in love. Once in country, each does what is necessary to survive, until circumstances bring them both to a point of no return. A vivid, gripping, and romantic story where danger lurks around every corner, and no one is to be trusted.

This was a fun and complex book for being not quite 200 pages long. It has vibes reminiscent of Graham Greene and Mario Puzo, with a bit of a ship romance at the beginning that reminded me a bit of Gatsby. The setting does a lot of the work in this one, with the backdrop of the just finished war between Japan and China and the looming edges of World War 2 on the horizon. A young Jewish man and a similar-aged Jewish girl and her mother are escaping Germany to China just in time as Germany is ratcheting up their anti-Semitic policies before launching what will become WW2. Of course the boy meets the girl, and they fall in love, but in this turbulent setting it can't be that easy, and it isn't. This is somehow my first Kanon book, and I enjoyed it. Now I'll have to add more of his books to my next TBRs.

Shanghai, the setting for this historical thriller, had a place in WWII history of which many may not be aware. It became a place to which many Jewish people fled when they were trying to escape the horrors in Europe. This was because of the relative ease in entering the country. In the hands of capable author Joseph Kanon the city and its inhabitants come to life in this rather twisty tale.

Readers meet Daniel Lohr who is seeking safety by traveling from Germany to China. On his way there he meets Leah with whom he connects. They are two of the many characters in this story that brings Shanghai and its varied lements, including the criminal, to life.

Publishers Weekly gives this one a starred review noting the atmosphere, suspense, dialogue and more. I do agree with this while noting that some readers may find it a bit challenging to keep all of the characters and plot straight. I think that those who like historical thrillers and those who have read other books by Kanon will want to give this one a look.

Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

I'm always interested in reading about the life of the Jews in Shanghai during the WW2 period. And Shanghai had such an incredibly diverse population which makes for a rich setting. It's no wonder that authors love to write about it!
This was a short read that had plenty of turns and twists and plenty of dodgy characters. And the theme really is all about what one would do for love and family. I ended up wishing it was a longer book and wanting to know more and more about all of the characters. I appreciated the descriptions and names of the clubs where much of the action took place.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's such a vital piece of history!

Set early in WWII, Shanghai is an intricately woven story about a group of Jews who escape Germany and seek refuge, as the title suggests, in Japanese occupied Shanghai. What starts out as a novel about escape from the Nazis turns into a story about survival of a different sort -- life in the criminal underbelly of Shanghai. Nathan, the novel's main protagonist, is drawn into the criminal underworld by his uncle, Nathan's patron and becomes an adept survivor.
I found the novel's depiction of the life of the Chinese under Japanese occupation, all in the midst of the simmering conflict between the Chinese communists led by Mao and the counterrevolutionaries led by Chaing, woven interestingly into a story that was mainly about the moral compromises involved in daily survival in a graft-filled and violent world far from the war in Europe.

The author depicted the dialogue of the time in much the way one would have imagined the conversations of a 1940s gangster movie. Not quite what I expected, but I found it entertaining. Love, sex, murder, bribery - it's all there to entertain in this very readable novel.

Joseph Kanon is once again on point in his excellent new novel “Shanghai”, a story set in the Far East during the 1930’s. Mr. Kanon paints a vivid picture of the world changing as Europe prepares itself to go up in flames once more, new powers are jostling for position in Asia, and desperate people are willing to do anything to protect their loved ones and try to survive as the reality they’ve known disappears into the past.

Our story starts in Germany, a bad place to be in the 1930’s if you happen to be Jewish. After the terror of Kristallnacht, German Jews knew they needed to leave on matter what the cost, what they must do. There was only one port that would accept the German Jews without an entry permit, if you were able to afford the transport: Shanghai, a political oddity that was technically Chinese territory but being run by the Japanese while still recognizing the semi-independent concessions of the British and other Western powers.

Daniel Lohr was one of the lucky Jews who was able to afford the passage on a fancy ocean liner. Barely avoiding being captured by the Gestapo when his resistance cell was betrayed, Daniel is on his way to Shanghai to meet his estranged uncle Nathan, a gangster who had left Germany much earlier, one step ahead of the law. On board the ship he meets two people who will have a profound effect on his story: Leah Auerbach, a fellow Jew who has no plan for how to survive but knows she must take care of her ailing mother, and Colonel Yamada, a Japanese officer of their intelligence service who takes an interest in both Daniel and Leah. Daniel and Leah have a passionate affair on the ship, but when they arrive to Shanghai they go their separate ways, much to Daniel’s dismay.

Having to make a living, Daniel starts working for his uncle, a club owner (and more) in Shanghai’s gangster nightlife businesses. Daniel soon shows a flair for the illegal, making deals and staking his future on a new club, but always searching for Leah. When he finds her, he realizes just what she had to do to survive, as she is now the mistress of Colonel Yamada. As the Japanese tighten their grip, as the Chinese start to flex their muscles, will Daniel be able to save his uncle and Leah and survive the upcoming war?

Mr. Kanon has once again drawn us into a different world, a time and place that is unknown to most of us. He has the ability to take the big sweeping arcs of history and tell the stories of the little people who don’t get written about but are still swept up in these global events. Here he strays a bit away from his core competency of espionage, but he still manages to make this an exciting, character-driven thriller, proving once again that literate stories can come in many forms.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Scribner via NetGalley. Thank you!

This was a great thriller novel, it had a strong concept and had me on the edge of my seat from the start. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and thought they worked well in this time-period. I thought the use of Shanghai worked and how well the danger was conveyed. I was invested in what was going on and thought it worked with what I was expecting.

I can always count on a Joseph Kanon novel to be well-written. In Shanghai, there is plenty of intrigue as one doesn't know whom to trust. Unfortunately, the good writing did not come with very likable characters which dulled my interest in the novel. I like to care what happens next, and in Shanghai, I just didn't.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

This is another winner from Joseph Kanon. Well written with a compelling plot. Looking forward to what's next

Joseph Kanon is my go-to author for WWII spy stories. If you are new to Kanon, start at the beginning with my favorite Los Alamos (2010) which won the Edgar Award for best first novel, and then work your way through the nine novels to Shanghai. Geographically and literally you will cover the globe during those uniquely tense 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s — the eras when readers were officially introduced to the Espionage genre of mysteries. Imagine a more mysterious Oppenheimer-led campus in New Mexico if a murder had occurred months before the success of the atomic bomb testing; that was Kanon’s first novel, Los Alamos. From there we were taken to Germany, Turkey, Brazil, England, Russia and now Shanghai.
While the settings of these spy thrillers are key to the stories Kanon tells, he excels at dialogue. The novels are quick and engrossing. More of a Charles Cummings than a John le Carre, but the story holds you even if the detail is not as compelling as many spy masters. Screenshot 2023-12-28 at 2.28.03 PMShanghai’s plot centers on escaped Jews in 1938 who made their way to Japanese controlled China — to Shanghai, the one port which required no entry visas from German Jews. The self-governing but lawless city, perfect for stateless Jews. The desperate passengers on the ship separate once in Shanghai, but come back together as lives intertwine when each must decide their moral fate in the unfamiliar, unchosen and violent new home. I enjoy learning of a new setting in mysteries — Kanon takes readers to a very unique time and place with Shanghai. My rating: 4 of 5.
This ARC title was provided by Netgalley.com at no cost, and I am providing an unbiased review. Shanghai will be published on June 25, 2024.

Kanon does not disappoint. Compelling characters start new lives in the exotic setting of Shanghai, and learn just how far they will go to survive. Coming from Berlin's anti-Semitism, they are rightly cynical about Japan's attitude towards the Chinese. Well-written, with a solid plot, Manno addresses a time period and place not typical of the genre. Thoroughly enjoyable.

3.75. I like Kanon's writing style and the worldbuilding was well done. 3.5. Excited to see what this author writes next.

Joseph Kanon is a wonderful writer, considered by many to be among the elite of living writers. In Shanghai, he does not disappoint. This is a novel about people. People who are fleeing evil, only to be caught up in the chaotic evil of Shanghai on the brink of World War II. They find a life dominated by gambling, bribery, competing national interests, Chinese gang power and influence, as well as, growing Japenese power. The novel is not so much about grand sweeps of major events, as individuals working their way though their new culture. The writing is first class, and the novel is time well spent.