Red Roulette cover art

Red Roulette

An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption and Vengeance in Today's China

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Red Roulette

By: Desmond Shum
Narrated by: Tim Chiou
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About this listen

 'THE BOOK CHINA DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ' CNN
'READS LIKE A THRILLER' FINANCIAL TIMES, BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2021

In the headline-making and bestselling tradition of Bill Browder’s Red Notice comes a unique and incendiary memoir from an entrepreneur who rose to the zenith of power and money in 21st century China and whose wife was disappeared - and then mysteriously reappeared four years later on the eve of Red Roulette’s publication and global media coverage about it.

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, travelling 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 living overseas with his son, learned that his now ex-wife Whitney had vanished along with three co-workers.

In Red Roulette Desmond Shum pulls back the curtain on China’s ruling elite and reveals the real truth of what is happening inside China’s wealth-making machine. This is both Desmond’s story and Whitney’s, because she has not been able to tell it herself.
©2021 Desmond Shum (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, UK Business Corruption & Misconduct Politics & Government Professionals & Academics Thought-Provoking Inspiring

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Critic reviews

'Powerful and disturbing…The Chinese government will not be happy with this book....Rarely has anyone in modern China been brave enough to violate its oppressive code of silence and give an honest first-hand account of what really goes on in the corridors of power.' (Bill Browder, author of Red Notice)
'The book is full of fabulous titbits... It was a period of so much scheming that the Beijing Hotel employed two full-time coordinators to stagger guests so as to prevent inconvenient encounters. It’s this level of detail on Beijing’s inner workings that has clearly spooked the communist high command. Shum’s recollections are still deeply embarrassing for the Chinese Communist Party, making this memoir a singular, highly readable insider account of the most secretive of global powers.' (Cindy Yu)
'The machine was right to be worried. Large scandals of the recent past are revisited in Red Roulette… [The book] details an elite China built on secrets and fear, in which family ties are one of the only reliable bonds of trust.' (David Rennie)
All stars
Most relevant  
From the first to the last page this Book is fascinating!!

Well written and superbly performed/read!!

It gives a great insight into china’s development!

I shall have it read to me again soon on a long trip as the details are fascinating!

Marvellous book !!!

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Anyone with an interest in China or Geopolitics should read this gripping personal account of building and then losing power and wealth in a communist system and the terrifying reality of State control.

Fascinating Insight into China

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Gives an insiders perspective of China at the practical business level. The book futher confirms my view that we need to be highly sceptical in all our dealings with China.

Insiders perspective of doing business in China

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Acutely observed and beautifully written this book will tell you more about China than reading a shelf full of other books.

It also underlines how China's political elite intrigue and hold on to all aspects of life, ensuring that they and their children remain the top 1%.

This is the best book you could read on China

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Worth a listen - an interesting insight into how china operates at the highest levels of society

Interesting insight into how china operates

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An incredible story involving the power struggles and the challenges businessman faces when doing business in the second largest economy in the world. Desmond’s views maybe naturally partial and biased, given his unique position so close to the top of the Chinese leadership and his Western education and his heartbreaking personal situation. Nevertheless, Desmond’s courageous act of opening the curtains and exposing some of the most powerful individuals in the word is truly awesome.

A great book to listen

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Fascinating insight into how things are done in China as well as into China’s evolution and trajectory in the last decade or so

Fascinating insight

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you may need to have a little background of china's development to truly enjoy this book.
nevertheless, the story is really interesting.
the only issue I have, as a Chinese , is the pronunciation of Chinese names...

love it!!!

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Fascinating account of growing up during the Cultural Revolution, through it's end and into the dynamic social/cultural and economic growth of '90's/00 China.
The role of corruption, greed, power, influence and the 'it's who you know' culture of climbing the ladder.

Very easy listen. Expertly narrated by Tim Chiou.

Fascinating view of a very turbulent time in China

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Wonderful insight into the workings of China's elite societies.
Told from a view of a morally corrupt rich boy who got lucky gambling on the stock market, and who resents government's corruption while praising his own.

Insightful yet hypocritical

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