The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder

Rating: 5.0

What it's about:
Grey is a solitary Englishwoman who comes to Japan looking for a piece of rare film footage shot during the 1937 Nanking Masssacre - a clip that documents an enormity beyond the reach of history books. Her quest leads her to Shi Chongming, a reclusive scholar who is one of the massacre's few survivors; to a crippled gangster who clings to life with the help of a mysterious elixer; and to a handsome American whose interest in her may be more sinister than romantic. Moving from decadent hostess clubs and yakuza mansions to the killing fields of the past, The Devil of Nanking is a pitch-perfect spine-chilling tour de force. - taken from book

My thoughts:
Creepy. Disturbing. Horrifying. Unsettling. Brilliant. The Devil of Nanking is one book I will never forget. It it profoundy disturbing and raw but it's a book you just can't put down. What happened during The Rape of Nanking in 1937 is inhuman and hard to read about and Mo Hayder doesn't sugar coat her writing. The story goes back and forth between 1937 and modern day Japan with Grey looking for the elusive rare video footage of The Masssacre. She knows who has it but he asks her to find something for him in return. And that's where it gets really creepy. The Devil of Nanking has an atmosphere of pure grit and concrete. It's a great mystery and a terrifying thriller but it's more than just that. It's a book that explores the difference between ignorance and evil. It's a shocker that will keep you on edge right up until the end.