The death of Lin Biao, the second most powerful man in the Chinese Government, in a Mongolian air crash in 1971 was China's Rudolf Hess moment. Rumor swirled that he had been fleeing Mao Tse-tung's ire, but if something very odd had happened very few people knew much about it. Even after the publication of material from the trials of Lin Biao's so-called accomplices - which revealed a nation-wide conspiracy to topple Mao - little is known of the affair in the West. The slow reconciliation with the West began shortly afterwards with President Nixon's visit to China, followed by the death of Chou En-lai and Mao, and then the chaos of the overthrow of Mao's wife and the 'Gang of Four' and the establishment of the new economic order. These events took the spotlight away from the shadowy story of Lin Biao, but it was always an extraordinary tale waiting to be told. This book makes no claim to be the absolute last word, and is itself born in secrecy. The author, a Chinese national with truly impressive access to published and secret material, uses a pseudonym to hide his or her real identity. Whoever they are they have written a crackling story of events that involve millions of players, but yet which ultimately succeed or fail based on an invitation to Lin Biao to have dinner with Mao and Chou. The tension of this situation holds the reader in a sort of deadly thrall, knowing - as the conspirators do not know - that Chou's honeyed words and fulsome welcome hide a deadly intent. It should be said at this point that the author appears to be no great fan of Chou En-lai (and certainly not of Mao) but he paints a picture of breath-taking ruthlessness and management of power both secret and overt by these two men. Nor were the conspirators at all backward in developing their plans. In order to provide a cover story for Mao's assassination, and as a 'bit of a diversion', they intended to launch an all-out war with the USSR and had armies poised to cross the borders. All in all this makes the plot to assassinate Hitler seem a very casual affair. Next time you read about the 'orderly transition of power' between one prominent Chinese leader and his successor it might be worth reflecting on how much goes on beneath the surface of Chinese politics, and how ruthlessly power is sought and won. If only half of what this book claims to be the hidden truth of Chinese politics is actually true, then it is a very dangerous and extraordinary game indeed. Very highly recommended. ( )

Many of the books I've read about the cultural revolution make mention of Lin Biao and his death in a plane crash while escaping China. It was never a detailed explanation and I always wondered about the lack of information. I ran across this book at the library, and since it wasn't a very big book, I decided to read it out of curiosity. The information comes from secret reports, interviews and diaries. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it was an interesting read. If it's true the reality of how Lin Biao died is rather gruesome. And the cover-up was rather clever. If you are interested in this kind of book, I recommend it. ( )

Snapshots of a very consequential point in modern history. The pictures of the conspirators faltering at the brink of success are memorable, and the narrative handles Mao's looming presence very well.