Review: Colorful, entertaining, exciting
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 5, 2014
Full disclosure: I was contacted by this author for an open and honest review. The opinions below are entirely my own.Having never been to Shanghai, or to Ireland, I cannot personally speak to the exactness or authenticity of their representation here. What I can say is that in "Gangsters of Shanghai", O'Sullivan has created a remarkable portrait of both.I will warn readers that if extensive description is not to their taste, they may be put off by this work. However, I found that it was mixed very appropriately with the action, creating realistic, living, breathing locales that perform as outstanding backdrops for a winding plot. They make this book the entertaining, thrilling read that it is.On the other hand, it is fortunate that the city is so vivid because some of the characters fall rather short. Their complexity is appreciated - true good and evil are rarities, and most of the cast display both sides to themselves. The problem is that so few can really be sympathized with. We don't have to like a character, or even fully understand them, but we do have to care, and I couldn't find myself terribly concerned with their ultimate fates.But don't let my wordiness regarding the book's one major flaw weigh too heavily, as I stand behind a 4/5 score. As always, with questions or comments, please leave a note below or contact me at SeanOnAmazon@gmail.com.