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Red Roulette: An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today's China Hardcover – September 7, 2021

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,660 ratings

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“THE BOOK CHINA DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ.” —CNN​

SELECTED AS A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by THE ECONOMIST and FINANCIAL TIMES

This “powerful and disturbing” (Bill Browder, author of Red Notice) New York Times bestseller is narrated by a man who, with his wife, Whitney Duan, rose to the top levels of power and wealth—and then fell out of favor. Whitney had been disappeared four years before, but this book led to her dramatic reemergence.

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, traveling 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 residing overseas with his son, learned that his now ex-wife Whitney had vanished along with three coworkers.

This vivid, explosive memoir shows “how the Chinese government keeps business in line—and what happens when businesspeople overstep” (
The New York Times) and is a “singular, highly readable insider account of the most secretive of global powers” (The Spectator).
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Editorial Reviews

Review

An Economist Best Book of 2021

A Financial Times Best Book of 2021

“Shum knew he was picking a fight with the CCP the minute he decided to write
Red Roulette and is aware he is now a marked man — he has reviewed his will and made sure his affairs are in order. ‘This is my David and Goliath fight,” he says. ‘Except it’s Goliath times a million.’”
The Sunday Times (UK)

"A memoir that shows how the Chinese government keeps business in line -- and what happens when businesspeople overstep...
Red Roulette shows how government officials keep the rules fuzzy and the threat of a crackdown ever present."
--The New York Times

“Offers a rare peek into the luxe lifestyles of China’s elites…a vivid portrait.”
—The Washington Post

“Full of fabulous titbits….It’s [the] level of detail on Beijing’s inner workings—published in English for the world to read—that has clearly spooked the communist high command….A singular, highly readable insider account of the most secretive of global powers.”
The Spectator

“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, The Economist

Red Roulette was already shaping up as a must-read account of corruption at the highest levels of the Chinese Communist Party. But the sudden reemergence last week of Whitney Duan, Shum’s former wife, four years after disappearing into apparent arbitrary detention in Beijing, has made the book a news story.”
POLITICO, China Watcher

Red Roulette is quickly shaping up to be the new must-read among observers of Chinese elite politics…..A vivid portrait of the splashy lifestyles of China’s business and political elites…Shum deploys his piquant sense of detail and offers a rare glimpse into the webs and knots of China’s political and business royalty.”
The Diplomat

“[A] thrilling debut… This well-written account is imbued with an aura of inevitable tragedy, and Shum’s searing indictment of ‘a political system that mouthed Communist slogans while officials gorged themselves at the trough of economic reforms’ is enthralling. Those interested in Xi Jinping’s China will be riveted.”
Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A deliberative, slow-building, suspenseful narrative that reveals numerous insights about the mechanics of power and greed… Observers of contemporary Chinese affairs, consistently intriguing and murky territory, will find much to interest them here. A riveting look inside ‘the roulette-like political environment of the New China.’”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Gripping…sensational…rich, nuanced, and helped change my mind about much that I thought I understood about China."
David Barboza, The Wire

“Students of Chinese politics and business will appreciate Shum’s personal narrative of China’s turbulent economic rise; this book deserves a wide audience.”
Library Journal

“Powerful and disturbing…The Chinese government will not be happy with this book. Desmond Shum lifts the curtain behind the supposed Chinese economic miracle, portraying government leaders driven by corruption, conflict of interest, and greed. Rarely has anyone in modern China been brave enough to violate its oppressive code of silence and give an honest firsthand account of what
really goes on in the corridors of power. Shum breaks all the rules so we can see it for ourselves and it’s not pretty.”
—Bill Browder, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Red Notice

Red Roulette is everything those who follow China have been waiting for: a deeply personal epic that reveals the idealism, ecstasy, and avarice of post-Deng Xiaoping China…There simply isn't another inside history of today's Chinese leadership like this one. If it spawns a new genre of Chinese personal histories—as I hope it will—Red Roulette will remain the classic of its category. Desmond Shum’s book is riveting, moving, and dangerous.”
Matt Pottinger, former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor

“Desmond Shum’s
Red Roulette gives us a rare inside peek at the cossetted Chinese elite who parlay their connections with Politburo members into billions. This is a world of Chateau Lafite, Rolls Royces, and $100 million yachts, where friendships are strictly transactional. Although the book can be fun and gossipy, it's also poignant, and, ultimately, we come away with rich insights into the workings of the Chinese Communist Party and the billionaires it has spawned.”
Barbara Demick, author of National Book Award Finalist Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea and Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town, and former Beijing bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Desmond Shum, who was born in Shanghai and raised in Hong Kong, developed the largest air cargo logistics facility in China, the Beijing Airport Cargo Terminal. He also led the development of the Bulgari Hotel in Beijing. In addition, starting in the early 2000s, he was an early pioneer of philanthropy in China, gifting extensively both domestically and internationally. Desmond holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States, and is a graduate of the joint-EMBA program of Northwestern University (US) and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner (September 7, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1982156155
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982156152
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 2,660 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
2,660 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and entertaining. They appreciate the insightful and informative content that provides useful context for understanding business and politics in China. The story is described as captivating, gripping, and suspenseful. Readers praise the writing quality as well-written, honest, and reflective. They find the political context relevant and valuable, describing the dealings between business elites and high-power political families. Overall, customers consider the book worth reading.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

53 customers mention "Readability"53 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and entertaining. They say it portrays the rise and fall of modern entrepreneurs in Communist China in an honest and engaging way. The book reads less like an autobiography and more like a fantasy novel.

"...unique in the detail it provides that I found it a quick and very interesting read." Read more

"...This well written book is fascinating to read...." Read more

"...It is excellent book however I’m afraid it might be a bit hard to understand for average western reader." Read more

"...This book reads familiar and authentic and to a certain even darker and more nihilistic than I have expected...." Read more

44 customers mention "Insight"41 positive3 negative

Customers find the book insightful and well-written. They appreciate the author's insider perspective on how businesses and politics work together in China. The personal lives of the author and his ex-wife are also interesting. Overall, readers find the book informative and eye-opening, providing useful background information for the story.

"...Very well written. 3)Fascinating look at the personal lives of the author, his ex-wife, and various movers & shakers of China...." Read more

"...It just gives me additional view to what I already know...." Read more

"...the site of the Genesis to be prime real estate, the development to be best in Beijing and Bulgari to be the best hotel in town...." Read more

"The author starts off with his background. This is somewhat useful for context, but I felt he rambled a bit and made this part longer than it was..." Read more

29 customers mention "Storytelling"29 positive0 negative

Customers find the story captivating, gripping, and suspenseful. They describe it as a morality tale for our times and a real inside story about how the Party operates. Readers praise the book as monumental and an honor to share in a person's life story.

"...The author has tremendous courage to write this book and we benefit from it. Cons: 1)I wish the book was even longer...." Read more

"...making the same points about favor-giving over and over, but the story is so unique in the detail it provides that I found it a quick and very..." Read more

"...sympathize with the author's ex-wife's plight, and his rags to riches story is fascinating...." Read more

"...The story is filled with intrigue and you learn about the way business was all relationship driven and in particular how his wife Whitney nurtured..." Read more

27 customers mention "Writing quality"24 positive3 negative

Customers find the writing quality good and easy to read. They appreciate the honest, reflective writing style and detailed portrayal of China's emerging history. The book is described as a must-read for Chinese readers. The author's character is described as impressive.

"...Very well written. 3)Fascinating look at the personal lives of the author, his ex-wife, and various movers & shakers of China...." Read more

"...the author is attesting to facts as they happened, he writes a detailed portrayal of how China's emerging economy exploded upward with the Party and..." Read more

"...This well written book is fascinating to read...." Read more

"...I guess that’s why I can read and understand this book easily. It just gives me additional view to what I already know...." Read more

6 customers mention "Political context"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book provides an insightful look into China's political and economic systems. They appreciate its insights into the dealings between business elites and high-powered political families, as well as the rises and falls of individuals and policymakers. The book also provides a detailed account from an insider perspective of the Chinese political and economic environment.

"...read if you like to read about frauds, corruption, or political backstabbing." Read more

"...book detailing the workings of the Chinese political and economic systems from an insider. The disappearance of his ex wife is a side story...." Read more

"...’s political fractions and purges, the dealings between business elites and high power political families, and the rises and falls of business..." Read more

"...Useful for business-interested people and policymakers alike. Also satisfies the curiosity of anyone interested in what goes on behind the red doors." Read more

6 customers mention "Value for money"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book compelling and worth the money. They appreciate the story about wealth, connections, and real estate in China.

"...He claimed the site of the Genesis to be prime real estate, the development to be best in Beijing and Bulgari to be the best hotel in town...." Read more

"...It gives a perspective of the opportunities in China and how investments were made and how connections were maintained...." Read more

"...Dealing with all of the Chinese names was a bit difficult, but worth the effort." Read more

"...into the business world of China, how it works, the corruption, wealth, and the importance of being connected." Read more

5 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive2 negative

Customers have different views on the book's pacing. Some find it fast-paced and engaging, while others find it slow and repetitive.

"...but the story is so unique in the detail it provides that I found it a quick and very interesting read." Read more

"...Unfortunately the second half was the opposite. Slow and repetitious." Read more

"...Nonetheless, the book makes a fast and interesting read if you like to read about frauds, corruption, or political backstabbing." Read more

"Slow during the first 1/3, exciting for the second 2/3..." Read more

4 customers mention "Corruption"0 positive4 negative

Customers are unhappy with the corruption and bribery in the book. They mention a crooked government that gets crueler as you get higher up.

"...and fails to deal with the reasons for, and the impact of, corruption in China...." Read more

"...A horrifyingly crooked government, more cruel the closer you get to the top." Read more

"...Corruption, briberies, political calculations, and the outsized influence of the "red aristocracy" run the show." Read more

"Insights on Corruption at the highest levels in China..." Read more

Most fascinating China business book (and it’s not just about business) in years
5 out of 5 stars
Most fascinating China business book (and it’s not just about business) in years
What a page turner. If you’ve done biz in China, you would resonate with many stories and names in here. If you’ve not, and the book deters you, it might just have been a wonderful thing that happened to you.If you’re are a student, scholar, or sociologist, this book gives you perhaps the most vivid picture of how kleptocracy works.An important insight from the author is that even the prime minister level official and his family would take mere bread crumbs, compared with the red princelings who got connection primarily with the military. The military isn’t just owned by the Communist Party, it IS the Party.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2021
    This is a very well written book that is informative in ways that other books cannot.

    The book provides a very rare glimpse of inner political workings of China, and it is nothing like how things work in the US.

    The author and his ex-wife were formerly insiders of the highest levels of China.

    They were masters of guanxi, or trusting relationship, to create business opportunities for themselves as well as for their political patrons. It is a formula that has enriched countless Chinese business people, bureaucrats, politicians, and communist elite.

    The author, with high degree of credibility, asserts that the present Chinese system is not only extremely corrupt, but it is also designed to protect & prosper its communist elite. The entire Chinese system is about benefiting the Chinese communist elites and their descendants. Those who play the game brilliantly can become, like the author and his ex-wife, very wealthy.

    The author is a very good observer and he sees the big picture. He believes the Chinese economic success had an awful price: China has become an win-at-all-costs society in which ethics, integrity, societal responsibilities are discarded for the losers. In China, it is almost impossible to acquire tremendous wealth & success without also benefiting (paying off) the communist elites and the bureaucrats. Now, China is descending into political authoritarianism that threatens any rights and civil liberties the Chinese had enjoyed as citizens in the last 30 years.

    If you want to understand how communist China works, then you must read this book. It is highly recommended.

    Pros:
    1)Unique book on China with insiders information on the inner workings of its system.
    2)Very well written.
    3)Fascinating look at the personal lives of the author, his ex-wife, and various movers & shakers of China.
    4)Deep and thoughtful analysis on the present day China and its near future.
    5)The author has tremendous courage to write this book and we benefit from it.

    Cons:
    1)I wish the book was even longer. It was a real page-turner.
    50 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2024
    Red Roulette is a different kind of book.

    Assuming the author is attesting to facts as they happened, he writes a detailed portrayal of how China's emerging economy exploded upward with the Party and Capitalism working hand-in-hand. As always with tyrannical regimes, the capitalists were sainted as they built the strength of China and the party got to bask in the reflection of rapidly improving living standards. Once the capitalists began to become a rival source of wealth and started having ideas that threatened the monolithic China vision held by the party, the capitalists became tools to be controlled and carefully managed by those CCP rulers they massively enriched.

    The book reveals China as nothing more than a modern feudal society. Princelings vie for power and wealth with an eye on the prize of advancement. A good deal of the jockeying involves devaluating or destroying fellow contenders for power. Those imprisoned and/or executed for corruption are shown to usually be targeted for being part of the out-gang that ascending cliques want to diminish as threats. This won't be a surprise for those who have read of China's development since Deng opened the country to the West, but the level of detail and specific naming of players and their actions will be new. It is the same story as in the court of Henry the VIII, Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Soviet Union, the Kims' North Korea, and Putin's Russia (to name a few - really the usual pattern of autocratic regimes). To paraphrase John Wilkes Booth and turn his assassination utterance on its head, "thus always with tyrants."

    The author and his wife thrived in this China. Using relationships, brilliant management of petty and grandiose graft to procure official favors and hard work, they became for a time leading developers and emblemic of China's fast lane entrepreneurs. This came undone when their highest-value patron was targeted in an internecine power struggle and the author's wife (by then ex-wife, though still business partner) took the fall as the family of China's Premier (the number two or three guy after Xi) sought to divert attention from the family's massive accumulation of wealth. His wife's penalty was abduction and disappearance by the regime. Escaping China, the author says he sought to create this accounting of the rise and fall of their business empire for the benefit of their son, so he would know the truth of his mother's situation.

    I'm sure the larger gist of what the author reveals is correct. He is pretty open as to his role in out-sized schmoozing, gift giving and obsessive management of the officialdom they needed for approvals and state action and his portrayal of his own actions could be accurate (I do wonder if they are complete). His wife was brilliant in the dark arts required to maneuver powerful people and add them to her stable of supporters and enablers. It must have been an exhausting life, though she seems to have been invigorated by her abilities to win favor and manipulate.

    It is a fascinating book and well written in a direct and matter of fact style. Sometimes the author is overly repetitive in continually making the same points about favor-giving over and over, but the story is so unique in the detail it provides that I found it a quick and very interesting read.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Jesús A.
    4.0 out of 5 stars No traía envoltura
    Reviewed in Mexico on February 28, 2023
    El producto est bueno, de calidad pero no traía plástico ni ningún tipo de envoltura se maltrató un poco
  • Tonyzee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Raw, unfiltered, and entertaining!
    Reviewed in Canada on October 25, 2021
    Read this book if you:

    · Are curious about life under the Chinese government since 1945
    · Want to understand how Chinese people build business relationships with each other
    · Like juicy Chinese political gossip
    · Want to know how people with power build wealth
    · Are curious how a nation with developing ethics decides what gets punished and what gets buried.

    The history of Communist China

    Desmond’s childhood, like many at the time, was close to being normal. Times were hard but it was hard for everyone. Besides a few extra sports trophies, this was a man destined for a normal middle-class life. Then, Desmond got lucky, and his path changed (more on that later). As a child of the late 80s, and although 20 years apart, I resonated with his recollection (as my great grandfather was also punished for owning land, and then my grandfathers on both sides were tricked into moving to essentially Siberia). At this point, I enjoyed his brief recount of the history of Red China. I never quite understood why, for example, Westerners always seem to know more about Confucianism and Daoism than I would. Those were never taught in school. This book made me realize that it was all part of the design, and the government prevented us from taking ancient philosophies seriously. I value honesty and I believe we all need to delve into our past to fish out psychological blockages to heal and grow as a person. Trauma and psychological manipulations occurred when we were young especially tend to feel bigger than they are, and they affect our everyday decision-making as adults. Through this book, I was able to understand some of my own blockages. Therefore, I felt his level of candor and frankness like a breath of fresh air. Desmond wrote as he felt, and he wrote from the heart. I have learned a lot.

    Desmond the anti-hero

    Desmond’s keen observation yielded many insights into the lives of the Red Aristocrats (sons of daughters of the Chinese political elites) and the satellites that follow them around. As we read between the lines, we start to see Desmond’s own underlying psychology.

    You start to pick up, for example, that Desmon’s frank writing style didn’t come from a place of strength but rather a Naïve belief that what they were doing was good and they came from an honest desire to build a better China. Desmond called out many of the Red Aristocrats for their shady dealings and yet his own dealings were highly unethical (although legal at the time). In the case of Sun Zhengcai, Desmond added that “the party accused him of accepting bribes. I don’t think this was the case. It was more like barter.” Apparently, trading favors for favors is vastly different from, say, trading favors for money.

    In addition, Desmond himself was severely out of touch with the common society yet he called out many of the Red Aristocrats as being out of touch with the people. In many parts of the book, he mentioned that the red aristocrats succeeded through “rigged treasure hunts” and that Desmond and his wife themselves instead had to work hard to get their riches. Unlike those born with a silver spoon in their mouths, Desmond, and his wife broke their backs bowing to the aristocrats. I don’t think Desmond understands that they had been playing and winning in a rigged game all along. The irony of it all just tickles me sideways.

    But I felt the irony was necessary. This book showed the psychological aspects of the communist party and unintentionally the biases and flaws of the author. And that is what makes this book so good. We got an insight into two groups of people when you thought you came here for one. Desmond is a chaotic and flawed hero, and his biography is illuminating.

    I am not a political person and therefore I won’t get into whether the Communists are right or wrong, good or bad. It just is. However, I will point out that this book serves as a sobering reminder that you must conduct your life ethically, regardless of legal ramifications. Desmond noted, “when China passes a law it invariably makes it retroactive.” It makes sense, just because regulations haven’t caught up to the times that doesn’t mean you can and should get away with unethical acts.

    Secondly, Epictetus, the Greek philosopher warned us, “don’t envy the rich. They have their own problems.” I certainly don’t envy Desmond or Whitney after reading this book. If this is how you make money, I would rather not have any.

    Finally, this book further confirms my belief that one of man’s biggest folly is that we confuse luck for skill. This was perfectly captured in Desmond’s introduction as he wrote of his ex-wife, “She’d understood the real China until she didn’t.” When you confuse luck for skill, you tend to succeed, until you don’t.
  • Georges L. Segundo
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Rotten Reality of Chinese Wealth
    Reviewed in Brazil on October 24, 2021
    A book who exposes the real truth.
  • Joe Zhang
    5.0 out of 5 stars A good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2024
    Entertaining.
  • Socrates
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely incredible!
    Reviewed in Germany on August 24, 2024
    The book that all diplomats should read to understand how the inner world works.