The Last Mandarin

A Novel

By: Louise Penny, Mellissa Fung

Narrated by: Eunice Wong

A gripping thriller about family and power co-written by Louise Penny, #1 bestselling author of the Gamache novels, and Mellissa Fung, an award-winning journalist.

A mother and a daughter race against time in this all-too-real thriller that reaches from Tiananmen Square all the way to the White House.

Alice Li, a first-generation Chinese American and former food blogger, has long lived in the shadow of her mother, Vivien Li— a Tiananmen Square dissident turned world-renowned human rights activist and passionate advocate for a free and democratic China.

When security and fire alarms go off simultaneously all around the world, setting off a panic, the signal is traced back to China. As world leaders scramble to respond, Vivien and Alice are called to the White House in hopes Madame Li can interpret the Chinese intentions. But why involve Alice?

If China isn’t behind the attack, Vivien warns, someone even more dangerous is pulling the strings. Mother and daughter must join together to overcome their estrangement if they have any hope of preventing global catastrophe. From DC to Ohio to Hong Kong, they work to prevent the next attack, along the way decoding an ancient legend and uncovering a secret language invented by women, for women.

The Last Mandarin is an electrifying study of absolute power and voracious greed, political terror and personal conviction. But it is also an intimate examination of choice, of sacrifice, of memory and myths, both cultural and personal. It is the story of a mother and daughter, as well as a compelling international thriller about the precarious balance of power across the world, and within a family. And what happens when both break down.

In a world ruled by power, even family can be a weapon.

Critic reviews

"[An] intelligent espionage thriller... Penny’s trademark humor mingles well with Fung’s political expertise. The result is an eerily plausible nail-biter."—Publishers Weekly

"While the strained relationship between Vivien and her daughter Alice forms the emotional core of the book, readers will be captivated by the race-against-time structure of the story... A treat for Penny’s fans, and a solid political thriller in its own right."—Booklist

"Most ambitious..." --Kirkus Reviews