Listen free for 30 days

  • City of Devils

  • The Two Men Who Ruled the Underworld of Old Shanghai
  • Written by: Paul French
  • Narrated by: Paul Chan
  • Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
  • 3.0 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
City of Devils cover art

City of Devils

Written by: Paul French
Narrated by: Paul Chan
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $35.08

Buy Now for $35.08

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

From Paul French, New York Times best-selling author of Midnight in Peking - winner of both the Edgar Award for best fact crime and the CWA Gold Dagger for nonfiction - comes a rags-to-riches tale of two self-made men set against a backdrop of crime and vice in the sprawling badlands of Shanghai. City of Devils is a dynamic audiobook that will captivate listeners everywhere.  

Shanghai, 1930s; it was a haven for outlaws from all over the world: a place where pasts could be forgotten, fascism and communism outrun, names invented, and fortunes made - and lost. “Lucky” Jack Riley was the most notorious of those outlaws. An ex-US Navy boxing champion, he escaped from prison and rose to become the Slots King of Shanghai. 

“Dapper” Joe Farren - a Jewish boy who fled Vienna’s ghetto - ruled the nightclubs. His chorus lines rivaled Ziegfeld’s. In 1940, Lucky Jack and Dapper Joe bestrode the Shanghai Badlands like kings while all around the Solitary Island was poverty, starvation, and war. They thought they ruled Shanghai, but the city had other ideas. 

This is the story of their rise to power, their downfall, and the trail of destruction left in their wake. Shanghai was their playground for a flickering few years, a city where for a fleeting moment even the wildest dreams could come true.

©2018 Paul French (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

What listeners say about City of Devils

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 2.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Overwritten

Overwritten, overblown and read at typewriter speed. Would not recommend as being a narrative on pre-WWII Shanghai.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!