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  • Red Roulette

  • An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today's China
  • Written by: Desmond Shum
  • Narrated by: Tim Chiou
  • Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (75 ratings)

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Red Roulette cover art

Red Roulette

Written by: Desmond Shum
Narrated by: Tim Chiou
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Publisher's Summary

“THE BOOK CHINA DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ.” —CNN​

SELECTED AS A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by THE ECONOMIST and FINANCIAL TIMES

This “powerful and disturbing” (Bill Browder, author of Red Notice) New York Times bestseller is narrated by a man who, with his wife, Whitney Duan, rose to the top levels of power and wealth—and then fell out of favor. Whitney had been disappeared four years before, but this book led to her dramatic reemergence.

As Desmond Shum was growing up impoverished in China, he vowed his life would be different. Through hard work and sheer tenacity he earned an American college degree and returned to his native country to establish himself in business. There, he met his future wife, the highly intelligent and equally ambitious Whitney Duan who was determined to make her mark within China’s male-dominated society. Whitney and Desmond formed an effective team and, aided by relationships they formed with top members of China’s Communist Party, the so-called red aristocracy, he vaulted into China’s billionaire class. Soon they were developing the massive air cargo facility at Beijing International Airport, and they followed that feat with the creation of one of Beijing’s premier hotels. They were dazzlingly successful, traveling in private jets, funding multi-million-dollar buildings and endowments, and purchasing expensive homes, vehicles, and art.

But in 2017, their fates diverged irrevocably when Desmond, while residing overseas with his son, learned that his now ex-wife Whitney had vanished along with three coworkers.

This vivid, explosive memoir shows “how the Chinese government keeps business in line—and what happens when businesspeople overstep” (The New York Times) and is a “singular, highly readable insider account of the most secretive of global powers” (The Spectator).

©2021 Desmond Shum. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

What listeners say about Red Roulette

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Remarkable one view of an intriguing Communist.

Considerable personal insight viewing the personal story and insight at the table of culture coruption competition within relationship of life.

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  • TTL
  • 2023-08-17

As a Chinese living oversea

This book helps me understand a different China that I wasn’t able to experience. The author did an awesome job to make the content relevant to the readers.

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great insight

I found this book to be highly interesting and informative. From the perspective of someones rare situation in being educated in the west and growing a business in China. it gave me a very craved insight to what life is like inside China for average citizens. excellent job all around.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining audiobook book

Entertaining audiobook if you're interested to learn about the inner workings of the Chinese Communist party. It even talks about the Great Leap forward and Cultural Revolution from a first hand experience which is kind of neat.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Good, a bit self-serving

A fine exploration of the modern Chinese politu al/economic system. I felt however the author burnishes his own actions and motivations in some of the events.

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love the detailed description of how things works

I love how detailed the descriptions are on how guanxi works in china during that period.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Incredible insights on the inner workings in communist China

We hear a lot of things about China from Western media but it is difficult to make a fair judgement on how the country truly operates. This book gives an inside view on the good and (mostly) the bad that living in China involves. Definitely a insider view of what happens in the most exclusive circles in China.

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