There are four forces which operate in the plot: the British,
the fading colonial masters of Hong Kong, the triads or tong,
China, which will take over Hong Kong and "Charlie" Chan,
a somewhat fanatic chief inspector of the Hong Kong Police.

The triads are supposed to be some of the most violent criminal
organizations in the world. I read somewhere that they once
cut the arms off a journalist in a conference room where he
worked. With the take over of Hong Kong by China the triads
have to adjust to the new power realities of another criminal
faction, the generals of the Red Army. The fading British
Empire wants nothing more than to extract itself from Hong
Kong. Like a cork floating in this stormy sea is inspector
Chan and his investigation. The violence that is the
undercurrent in the story simply reflects the violence of the
triads and the Red Army. Reading this book I not only was
reminded of the storied corruption of the Red Army but also
of the fact that China executes over 1,000 people a year,
taking them to killing fields and shooting them in the head.

The book also captures the Hong Kong obcession with making money.
This obcession with business and profit has historically made
much of the Hong Kong population apolitical. While British
law and jury trials existed in Hong Kong, the British never
ran their colony in a democratic fashion. The
rulers of Hong Kong were appointed in London, never elected.
So the assumption of power by China in some ways changed little,
at least on the surface.

The question that this book brings up,
but does not answer because it was published in 1997, is what
effect two lawless organizations, the triads and the Red Army,
have had on Hong Kong. The politics and power structure of the
Middle Kingdom make the late Soviet Union appear transparent
by comparison. The rule of law seems to be emerging slowly
in China. Has the corruption, drug and arms trafficing changed
as well?

I read this book after reading Burdett's "Bangkok 8". Like
the excellent "Bangkok 8" this is a story of complex plot
and realistic characters. As other reviews have noted, "The
Last Six Million Seconds" deserves to be in print. I look
forward to more of Burdett's work.


Another fine Burdett mystery   August 16, 2004
 12 out of 15 found this review helpful

The Last Six Million Seconds is a marvelous combination of engrossing mystery and the drama of Hong Kong's transition from a British colony to the control of a Chinese dictatorship. Throughout the story, one of Burdett's strengths is his ability to capture the intangibles of culture. Consider this insight:

"In the beginning was the Word. But it was sung, not spoken. Prehistoric humans from Peking Man in the East to Cro Magnon in the West used the full range of the vocal scale to sing instructions for the hunt, sing guidance to their children, sing reverence to the gods that provided the mammoths. They would have despised the flat, dead speech of modern times for the tuneless whitterings of ghosts.....the oldest language in modern usage is also the most musical. With nine tones to condition meaning, Cantonese can present a challenge to a tin ear from the Bronx." (p.283)

Burdett uses Richard Hughes' formula of 'a borrowed place living on borrowed time' to explain the psychological challenge Hong Kong residents face during the last six million seconds before they return to Chinese control.

The criminal activities of the People's Liberation Army, including their willingness to use violence and intimidation to create rigged enrichment for a small handful of Generals, are described in accurate details. Burdett even uses official United Nations reports to enhance the sense of realism. He also manages to weave through all this the issue of the Laogai--the prison/slave labor system by which 50,000,000 people live lives of enslavement in China, according to Burdett.

Burdett's protagonist is a driven Chinese-Irish policeman seeking answers to the brutal deaths of two Chinese men and an American girl. The journey is worth the read. Indeed I am beginning to believe that anything John Burdett writes is worth reading.


One of the Best Mysteries I've Read in Ages   April 7, 2004
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

It's Hong Kong and there are two months left to the PRC's (People's Republic of China) takeover of the British Colony. Detective Inspector Chan Siu-kai, called Charlie Chan by just about everybody who knows him after the character in the old movies, is out in a launch in search of a clear garbage bag that had been reported floating off the coast by some tourists. The contents, three human heads. And by strange coincidence the Hong Kong police have the remains of three bodies, sans heads, that had been fed alive into a giant meat grinder.

Charlie and his comrades find the bag and its grisly contents, but a PRC Coast Guard launch comes up on them as they are in PRC waters. The Chinese want the bag, Charlie bribes them and takes the heads back to Hong Kong even as he wonders who told the PRC about the heads and why would they care?

The powers that be in Hong Kong meet secretly and they are of two minds. Some of them want Charlie taken off the case because he has a high success rate and he's honest. They don't want the case solved and they definitely don't want someone working it who they can't control, because the British don't want to rock the boat before the Communist takeover and this case has potential huge political considerations. They eventually decide to keep Charlie on the case, but to have him report to an officer they think they can trust.

However Charlie isn't so easy to control and when wealthy Emily Ping commits suicide and Charlie is framed for her murder, he goes all out to solve the crime and it looks like the political bosses on both sides of the border may learn that not only can Charlie not be bought, but he can't be threatened either.

This mystery by Mr. Burdett is one of the best I've read in ages and it's a crying shame that it's out of print. One can't help but wonder what in the world is going on in the book industry when they allow an excellent book like this to die. Fortunately you can still get "Bankok 8" by Mr. Burdett everywhere books are sold. As far as "The Last Million Seconds" goes, my recommendion is to buy it used if you can find it, because you won't find a better thriller or mystery anywhere.


An Honest Cop in a Sea of Corruption   December 5, 2003
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I can't believe this is out of print. It should be out in paperback, as it's far superior to most mystery/thrillers you can buy today. Thankfully there's a lot of online places where you can get a good used copy. That said, I'll get on with my review.

The book opens with DCI "Charlie" Chan on a police launch in rough seas near the Communist border, seeking out three severed heads floating in a plastic bag. He is investigating a gruesome murder made even more grisly by the fact that the victims' bodies have already been put through a meat grinder.

There are only two months left before the official hand over of Hong Kong to the Peoples' Republic of China. Or to be more accurate, for those residents of the territory who fear that day, a mere six million seconds, and that's the amount of time Chan has left to put together the pieces of a bizarre puzzle before it gets buried by the change of administration.

Chan is an uncompromising, unhappy, chain smoking, half-Chinese, half-Irish cop who is more comfortable with his asian ancestry. He is ethical, honest, and unfazed by his superiors. Furthermore, despite a principled dedication to his job, he doesn't attend the social functions that grease the wheels of free-wheeling ambition. His efficiency and his success rate are legendary, but in this sea of corruption he is distrusted because of these very qualities.

As the story moves along a web of deceit and subterfuge unravels which connects a communist general, Chinese Triads and the Mafia, unlikely bed-fellows united by the common language of money.

Mr. Burdett writes with an insider's knowledge of Hong Kong prior to its transfer from Great Britain to the PRC, as well as knowledge of the sinister world of both the People's Liberation Army and the Chinese Triads. Chief Inspector Chan, is believable and human. He makes mistakes, suffers from self-doubt and solves crimes through good police work and determination, despite the roadblock and red tape thrown in his path

This is certainly a five star story and again, it's a darned shame that it's out of print. I highly recommend that you get yourself a used copy if you can.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene