Chinese Whispers

Magnus is sent as an attaché to the Legation in Peking where rumours of an uprising are rife. He is then sent on an unusual quest inland to rescue missionaries. When his wife becomes pregnant, and deciding that dangers lay ahead in Peking, he travels with her to Shanghai where he is ordered to take command of a larger vessel and search for a gunrunning ship. Later in the book there is a confrontation with a Chinese cruiser that comes to an unexpected resolution.