Shanghai’ed
Book One of the Lucky Bastard series.
A World War I survival about a Canadian first nation man with Matis blood who reluctantly fullfills a debt of honour for his life being saved, and his descent into the most dangerous city on Earth.
Shanghai’ed weaves Canadian and Chinese history through the aftermath of World War I, blending military realism, espionage, romance, and organized crime. From cavalry service and early policing to the underworld of Shanghai, every detail is grounded in lived experience and historical facts.
Firearms, tactics, and procedures are portrayed with the precision only a veteran would recognize.
About the book
A young Canadian cavalry trooper of mixed Canadian native and Scottish blood is blown up in a WWI cavalry charge in France. He is presumed dead with his horse in a deep water-filled shell crater. The trooper’s life is saved by a Chinese Canadian railway soldier. The young trooper convalescent in England from his wounds becomes a friend of the royal family because of a famous photo of him and his horse in a water-filled shell pit.
He recovers at a member of the British royal family’s castle, then returns to Canada and joins the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
While serving, arresting whiskey runners, and patrolling by horseback, he continually looks for the Chinese soldier who saved his life in the war.
The trooper teaches himself Chinese because he owes his life to a Chinese soldier. Eventually, he finds the man who saved his life. The Chinese soldier gives the debt of saving his life to Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the former president of China, touring Canada, gathering funds to fight the warlords and unify China.
The Canadian trooper knows he owes his life to Sun Yat-sen, and he wants to go to China to help the Chinese people. Reluctantly, he agrees to leave the RCMP to pay the debt of his life, he is an honorable man. He receives a letter of introduction from the head of the RCMP to the Commissioner of the western controlled Shanghai Municipal Police of China, which he is promised to join.
The Canadian ex-mountie who will serve five years in payment to help better the life of the Chinese people for the debt of his life saved. Shanghai is the most dangerous city in the world; it is controlled by many foreign governments. Murder, corruption, drugs, and espionage happen daily. Being a policeman is a very dangerous life.
Reader testimony
“Spectacular and exciting. It puts you right there as you follow the story. A great read, and I can’t wait for the next book.”
Joe, Canada
“I was born in Shanghai and know this history well. This book presents it from a completely new angle. Fascinating, romantic, and grounded in real knowledge.”
Sam Zhu, Canada
“Significant detail, authentic voices, and a diverse cast of characters. This feels like the foundation of a larger series.”
Allan Andrews, USA
About Ron Kurelo, C.D
Ron Kurelo is a Canadian of Scottish and Ukrainian ancestry from a family of veterans. He has served in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Ontario Provincial Police Northern Service, Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the Canadian Armed Forces. As part of a private veteren military organisation he trained and parachuted with armies in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. His favorite jump was with the Mongolian armed forces in the Ghobi.
He also participated in the United Nations 2005 Tsunami relief operations in Thailand and has worked for 35 years in the film industry, providing firearms, equipment, and training to performers.
