Gerald Felix Warburg, The Mandarin Club

The Mandarin Club

Gerald Felix Warburg

Bancroft, Apr 2006, $25.00, 320 pp.

ISBN: 1890862452

The six (Rachel Paulson, Alexander Bonner, Branko Rosza, Mickey Dooley, Martin Booth, and Beijing exchange student Lee Tai Ling) first met at Stanford and realized they shared an interest in China; Barry Lavin served as a mentor father figure encouraging them. Thus these scholars formed the MANDARIN CLUB to discuss China, and hopefully make a better world by understanding the culture. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter, following up on President Nixon's opening the diplomatic door, recognizes trade with the People's Republic of China. Suddenly the club members are no longer inane nonentities, as Wall St and Uncle Sam need experts, which The Mandarin Club members contain.

Over time, each became a success. Rachel is a highly regarded Beltway lobbyist. Alexander is an investigative reporter following leads on intelligence leaks. Branko is chief of the China desk at the CIA. Dooley sells technology to the Communists. Martin works for the Congress. Lee keeps an eye on his country and his five associates, as he still hopes for a free China. These six and their mentor will soon be caught in an international game of cat and mouse, in which China and the United States appear to be heading to war; they are the only hope to prevent pandemic catastrophe.

This is a terrific modern day thought-provoking character driven espionage thriller, that enables the audience through the MANDARIN CLUB members to eavesdrop on the DC power brokers. The action is fast paced and fun to follow, but it is keeping the sextet consistent and genuine that makes the tale worth reading. Gerald Felix Warburg will have the audience pondering over abstract concepts, like what and who is truly the patriot, and who is the ideologue wrapping exclusive labels within the flag. Anyone opposed to the Patriot Act is obviously an anti-patriot. This fabulous tale never slows down, as the audience sees closely how DC, and to a degree Beijing, react to a potentially lethal crisis caused by one another.