The Abalone Ukulele: A Tale of Far Eastern Intrigue is an historical novel set in 1913 Shanghai, where four cultures are about to collide: China, Korea, Japan, and the US.
The point of collision is three tons of Japanese gold ingots meant to undermine an already collapsing China.
Three ordinary men, a disgraced Korean tribute courier, a bookish naval officer, and a polyglot third-class quartermaster realize they must foil Japanese subversion and -- with sub rosa assistance from Asiatic Station -- highjack that gold to finance a Korean insurrection.
Three ordinary women complicate, and complement, their efforts: an enigmatic changsan courtesan, a feisty Down East consular clerk, and a clever Chinese farm-girl.
It is a tale that wends through the outskirts of Peking to the Yukon River; from the San Francisco waterfront to a naval landing party isolated on a Woosung battlefield; from ships of the US Asiatic Fleet moored on Battleship Row to a junk on the Yangtze; and from the Korean gold mines of Unsan to a coaling quay in Shanghai.
Soon a foreign intelligence service, a revolutionary army, and two Chinese triads converge on a nation's ransom in gold.
| Ukulele | A |
|---|---|
| Shanghai, where four cultures are about to collide | China |
| Three ordinary women complicate, and complement, their efforts | An enigmatic changsan courtesan a feisty |
New Academia Publishing/ The Spring The abalone ukulele: a tale of far eastern intrigue, paperback/r. l. crossland
