Red Roulette: An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption, and Vengeance in Today's China

Written by Desmond Shum

Narrated by Tim Chiou

“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).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Sep 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9781797132631

Desmond Shum

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. 

Reviews for Red Roulette

[tupackard · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An honest and absorbing telling of Desmond Shum's life (thus far) and what he has witnessed. Listening to the story I can see why China's current rulers would like to stop the publication of this book, and according to the press the author has received intimidating messages. What he writes jives with what I've heard from people with direct China experience. The role of connections, and the game played by well known Western entities and the Red princes and princesses, are laid bare in this first person narrative.

[ElsenOravor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating cross-section exposing diseased layers of Chinese business and political society.

[Morris Avendaño · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Insightful and truthful, if you want facts and data about the CCP and the reality in mainland China.

[Raghavendra Bhamidimarri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book. A must read for China enthusiasts to get an insider view of how political system works there.

[Dillon Evans · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Skip the first half of the book. The second half of the book provides insights into doing business in China and how corruption is rampant there.

[YQ · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating insider knowledge and first-hand experience recounting, this book also aligns with a lot of what "China watchers" describe what the red aristocracy is like in PRC. Fun stories. The ending chapters felt a bit rushed.

NOW -- I wish the audiobook had a better narrator! The narrator was erroneously mispronouncing names of key political characters ... including the very famous Bo Xi Lai. This is important because non-English names are already difficult to remember as-is for many English speakers, and mispronouncing them will make it harder for folks to understand stories that appear on different platforms.