To the uninitiated, Louise Penny writing a political thriller may seem incongruous, but it doesn’t take much digging to understand just how natural a progression the release of The Last Mandarin actually is. As far back as The Nature of the Beast, readers began to see global political discussion making its way into the beloved Inspector Gamache series and most recently, the one-two punch of The Grey Wolf and The Black Wolf brought politics front and center within Three Pines and the surrounding community. Let’s not forget that Penny’s only other published novel outside of her successful series was State of Terror, a topical collaboration with Hillary Rodham Clinton—born out of a deep respect for each other and leading to a long-standing friendship. Keeping all that in mind and knowing that Louise Penny is good friends with Mellissa Fung, a celebrated Canadian journalist and activist, the appearance of the jointly written The Last Mandarin is really no surprise at all.
Make no mistake about it, The Last Mandarin is a proper political thriller with all the tension, machinations, and intrigue genre devotees demand, but it’s also—at its core—an intimate story of a mother and daughter navigating the challenging dynamics such a relationship develops over time. One can probably imagine that Fung brings realism to the espionage elements, while Penny homes in on the family dynamics, but the reality is likely far more complex. At no point during the reading of The Last Mandarin does this feel like a novel written by two individuals. There is a seamlessness to the writing, plot development, and tone that would take most author collaborations years to perfect.
The Last Mandarin starts with alarm bells going off globally, an action that is quickly linked to the Chinese government. The US administration calls Madame Vivien Li—a Chinese dissident and respected activist—to the White House, along with her daughter, Alice—a food blogger with a strained relationship with her mother. Both women know things that will help to explain China’s connection to the recent global warnings. What follows is a race-against-time globe-trotting adventure that educates and entertains in equal measure.
These two women writing at the top of their game will keep readers glued to the pages long into the night. There is an extended set-piece in the first third of the novel involving elevators that will have even the most cynical among us thinking twice about entering those claustrophobic “boxes” for weeks after experiencing what happens on the page. But at the heart of the novel is the true joy of watching as Vivien and Alice learn to respect each other as the formidable women they are without losing the close family connection.
Once The Last Mandarin transports readers to mainland China, readers will find they learn as much real-world knowledge as they do new developments in the novel’s plot. To say more is too much of a spoiler, but trust that even if you know a bit about what these characters uncover, there is still much to learn on this journey of excavation and illumination. Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung have written an important work that goes a long way towards helping average citizens understand the complexities within the global political system.
BUY LINKS: The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung
Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to BOLO Books by the publisher. No promotion was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.
