The Palace of Heavenly Pleasure

A group of foreigners in the northeastern town of Shishan finds the status quo upset when Helen Frances, a young woman with a middle class upbringing but a fatal flaw, arrives and falls in love with the Hon Henry Manners.

The most astonishing range of characters awaits you in this novel; the wicked brothel-keeper Madam Liu and her sadistic son Ren Ren, the pragmatic, rational missionary Dr Airton, the American zealot Septimus Harding, the equivocal Mandarin. Not to mention the wonderfully complicated anti-hero Henry Manners, the prostitutes Fan Yimei and Shen Ping, the bandit Iron Man Wang, the Mongolian shaman. And the ingenue, Helen Frances herself, whose innocence covers an unorthodox curiosity.

“'With his colourful characters and Boxer Rebellion setting, Adam Williams has created a scintillating adventure polished by a dash of history . . . What Williams makes of his characters is a rattling good read. Full of love and loss and guts and gore and derring-do, this is as good as an adventure story gets. Some novelists are adept at driving a story on through dialogue, while others find narrative more natural. Williams is a master of both. Ths is his first novel, yet technically accomplished. Beyond a cracking story, well conceived and executed, is there more? Yes, much. ... He excels in communicating China's simultaneous similarity and strangeness. Entertaining, engaging and informative,this book deserves to do well.' - The Times”

If you like derring-do, murderous characters, interesting sexual practices and intrigue, this is for you . . . indulge in a heady, passionate drama. - Sunday Express

Absolutely wonderful - Penny Vincenzi

Storytelling of the epic kind - this 700 page tale about sinners and lovers in 1900s China will have you gripped - Heat

An epic historical and romantic story as well as an impressive first novel. - Sunday Mirror

Adam Williams, whose family has lived in China since the late nineteenth century, was born and raised in Hong Kong. For the last eighteen years he has been representative in Beijing of a Far East trading conglomerate. In 1999 he received an OBE for services to Sino-British trade. Adam lives in China and Italy and has three children. To find out more, visit Adam's website www.adam-williams.net or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/_AdamWilliams.

A group of foreigners in the northeastern town of Shishan finds the status quo upset when Helen Frances, a young woman with a middle class upbringing but a fatal flaw, arrives and falls in love with the Hon Henry Manners.The most astonishing range of characters awaits you in this novel; the wicked brothel-keeper Madam Liu and her sadistic son Ren Ren, the pragmatic, rational missionary Dr Airton, the American zealot Septimus Harding, the equivocal Mandarin. Not to mention the wonderfully complicated anti-hero Henry Manners, the prostitutes Fan Yimei and Shen Ping, the bandit Iron Man Wang, the Mongolian shaman. And the ingenue, Helen Frances herself, whose innocence covers an unorthodox curiosity.

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