The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny, Mellissa Fung
Published by Minotaur Books
Publication date: May 12, 2026
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Suspense
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Louise Penny is back with her second thriller written with a co-author. In this case it’s award-winning journalist Mellisa Fung who’s helped craft The Last Mandarin. The novel opens on a normal day when an unusual event occurs that creates immediate chaos in the world. A geopolitical terrorist attack that brings together an unlikely couple; a known political activist and her daughter, a food blogger. They soon realize their lives overlap in an unexpected way and that they’re uniquely suited to try and stop whatever these unknown terrorists have planned.
Alice is having lunch at a swanky hotel with her mother Vivian, an awkward occasion. Suddenly, the fire alarm in the restaurant goes off. Actually, every alarm of every kind everywhere in the world goes off for two minutes that turn into utter chaos and then stop. The signal that caused the disruption is determined to be from China and as the White House rushes to figure out why and what is going to happen next, they call in both Alice and Vivien. Her mother because she’s a famous Chinese dissident who escaped from China after Tiananmen Square, but Alice has no presence in political activism. The two find themselves embroiled in a plot spanning continents, all in an effort to take down an entire government and upset the world order.
There’s plenty to recommend in The Last Mandarin. Most notable are the elements of the attacks. They originate from everyday conveniences we take for granted and with each attack the damage they inflict increases. In this way, the authors succeed in nurturing a growing sense of dread and paranoia that leaches off the page, making the most mundane of items seem dangerous. This, combined with a plethora of details about ancient China and the torturous mind games surrounding global diplomacy make for immersive, tension-filled reading.
What ultimately sinks the novel is the portrayal of Alice. She’s estranged from her mother because her mother always prioritized work, yet Alice herself is written as such a fragile, unconvincing character that she invents an entire fantasy romance with another food blogger. Instead of feeling compelling, it just comes across as strange. The sharp, crackling prose I’ve come to expect from Louise Penny is largely missing here. While the premise itself is strong, the execution falls flat. My final Kindle note sums up my feelings about The Last Mandarin perfectly: “Was this entire book a rush job?” Because it feels noticeably sloppier than anything I’ve previously read from Louise Penny.”
If you want a taut, action-packed thriller I’d suggest Penny’s last collaborative effort, State of Terror, which she co-wrote with Hillary Clinton.
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*I received a free copy of this book from Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review.*
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