WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE 'A gripping and masterful portrait of the brutal court of Mao, based on new research but also written with great narrative verve' Simon Sebag Montefiore 'Harrowing and brilliant' Ben Macintyre 'A...

_______________ 'A revolutionary book' - Sunday Times 'A pulsating account that makes clear how important it is to look beneath the surface when it comes to any period or region in history - but above all to China' Peter Frankopan, TLS...

A groundbreaking chronicle of the violent early years of the People's Republic of China by the author of the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize-winning Mao's Great Famine. "The Chinese Communist party refers to its victory in 1949 as a...