The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer (1913)

About the book: The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu is the first title in the famous series of "Yellow Peril" novels published by English writer Sax Rohmer, aka Henry Sarsfield Ward (1883-1959), between 1913 and 1959. The novel, like its many sequels, pits the "evil genius" of the Far East against the British Duo, Denis Nayland Smith and his sidekick Dr. Petrie.


First line: "A gentleman to see you, Doctor."
 
My thoughts: This is a book of it's time, racist and so not politically correct. Having been right after the Boxer Rebellion and opium wars I suppose it reflects the feelings then. Even so, I found it to be an entertaining mystery with a smart, inventive bad guy. As Nayland Smith and  Dr. Petrie, try to rescue several people around London the threat of attack by the evil  Dr. Fu Manchu, he (Dr. Fu Manchu) uses poisonous insects, drugs and various henchmen (called dacoits & thugees) to kill his victims.  I thought it was fast paced, a page turner that kept me reading. I enjoyed all the new-to-me words, which were easy to look up on my Nook! this is the last book for the Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge this year.