In the 1930s, Shanghai was the world’s fifth largest city, an international “treaty port”, with a mixture of languages, customs and laws representing 14 foreign powers as well as the Chinese. French makes this the backdrop for his non-fiction tale of two men who “bestrode the Badlands of Shanghai like kings” in the years before Pearl Harbor. ‘Dapper Joe’ Farren, born penniless in Vienna, became an exhibition dancer (with his partner, the Russian-born Nellie) and managed chorus lines in swanky nightclubs and ultimately the largest casino in the ‘Wild East’. His partner in this last was ‘Lucky Jack’ Riley, formerly of the US Navy and a prison escapee, who became Shanghai’s slots king. French follows their rise and fall from 1929 to 1941, evoking vivid scenes ranging from desperate poverty to utmost luxury in this historical true-crime yarn. (Credit: Picador)