cover image The Revolutionary's Confession

The Revolutionary's Confession

George Grayson. Intrigue Press, $24.95 (331pp) ISBN 978-1-890768-21-8

A lost fortune in gold on two sunken Chinese ships could change the course of history and shift global power from democracy to communism in this remarkably adept thriller from former corporate lawyer and first-time author Grayson. Bright young Philadelphia attorney Sam Zhang learns of the long-lost Chinese treasure, and dies from a bullet in his head shortly after revealing his discovery to his ruthless boss, Bob Silver. Zhang's sister, Kristina, brings his mentor, university professor and former U.S. attorney Jason Behr, onto the case. While on Silver's trail, Behr discovers that Zhang was completing a manuscript about the Chinese revolutionary Chen Hai. In 1937, when the Japanese were battling for possession of Shanghai, Chen Hai attempted to steal $48 billion in gold from corrupt Chinese government officials determined to hide the fortune from the people. In his diary scribbled in the pages of the books of Chairman Mao, Chen Hai (who turns out to be Zhang's grandfather) rationalizes the theft with hopes that the money will be diverted toward true communist interests in America and eventually be used to benefit the Chinese working class. Behr falls deeply in love with Kristina as they investigate the secret links between her brother's death and the quest for the gold. Meanwhile, the Chinese government, double agents, Silver's law firm and a high stakes corporate purchase become embroiled in the bloody fray, in which the world economy is at stake and which eventually explodes in a kind of postindustrial showdown-in-hell. This bite-your-nails suspense novel delivers a powerful and timely message about nonviolent revolution, East-West understanding and the precarious balance of global economic power. (June)