Blackmail in Beijing

Excerpt: Minister Ma lowered her tone to just above a whisper. "Mr. Ambassador, I suggest that before we discuss business that you look at the contents of the envelope on the table."

He untied the string closing the envelope and as he reached inside he felt photographs. His heart stopped. Inside were photos of him engaging in sexual activity with Sue Chang.

"Do you really want to be a martyr, Mr. Ambassador?" Ma asked. "Instead you could be like your predecessor, claim diplomatic victory and progress."

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Roger B. Schagrin is an international trade attorney with his own law firm in Washington, D.C. For thirty years, he has worked for U.S. manufacturers and labor unions to keep their plants open in the face of unfair foreign competition, primarily from China in recent years. He has traveled on numerous occasions with officials from USTR and the U.S. Department of Commerce on bilateral negotiations, including to Beijing. He has published several law review articles on international trade issues. Blackmail in Beijing is his first novel.