I think more or less the same thing about all mysteries from the 60's and 70's, and that's that they're too short to tell the story they're intending to. I think it's partly due to the less prevalent movie choices and partly just the lack of computers to do the editing; but this book again would have been better if it were fleshed out more.

I've not read any other Baron books, but I liked the perspective of him heading out to Hong Kong and getting caught between Red China and the Nationalists. But especially late in the book, the covering of his meeting with the representatives of both those governments takes up roughly a page apiece, and I doubt you could get permission to blow your nose from those governments without three meetings, documentation filled out in triplicate, and a countersigned order from the British governor.

So the book falls short there when compared to a similar, more recent book. But far from a bad read, the historical details appear to be accurate, and the plot is compelling and the resolution is a surprise. Worth a few hours. ( )