At the age of twenty-two and in search of adventure, Chris Emmett joined the Royal Hong Kong Police. He served on the Chinese border during the tail end of Mao's Red Guard era and did three tours with the paramilitary Police Tactical Unit. Later, he worked as a detective in Hong Kong's bustling business district and in the force headquarters' Narcotics Bureau. After nearly thirty years in key detective and uniform posts, he retired in the rank of Senior Superintendent. He now lives with his wife in the scenic Yorkshire Dales. This is Chris Emmett's fourth book. 'The Barbarian Manchu,' is the sequel to his first fictional work, 'The Scholar's Blade.' Both are set during history's bloodiest civil war - The Taiping Rebellion.