Canadian author Louise Penny (left) is at the top of the tree when it comes to crime fiction. Her novels featuring Quebec police detective Armand Gamache always rate highly when we review them and we can’t wait for the next…
Mellissa Fung is an award-winning Canadian journalist who has covered wars and conflicts, human rights and international politics, and was even abducted by the Taliban in 2008.
Bring these two together and world domination – in thriller writing terms, at least – is a distinct possibility. Well, it has come to pass. Louise and Mellissa have teamed up to write The Last Mandarin, a book that in fact deals with the topic of world domination as the US, China, and possibly some rogue actors too, square off. The entire world is on high alert.
The solution begins with food blogger Alice Li. She’s summoned to the White House to meet the president. What does the POTUS want with an influencer? Well, that’s where Alice’s mother, Vivien, comes into play. A Chinese dissident, she escaped her homeland after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1988 and therein lies a link to what’s going on.
The administration rope both of them into the operation to stop the next attack on global security, and they’re thrust into a plot of epic proportions. The trouble is, they don’t actually get along all that well. Mother-daughter time is going to have to be put to one side, though, as soon Alice and Vivien are in Hong Kong, and later the Chinese capital, at the heart of the country’s ancient empire, trying to prevent a calamity.
So that’s the set-up, and today we’re pleased to bring you our chat with Louise and Mellissa about The Last Mandarin, its characters and the inspiration behind it.
What are crime fiction lovers going to love about The Last Mandarin?
Mellissa: I think they will love the political intrigue – in true Louise Penny style, there are twists and turns and lots of surprises that will keep you guessing until the very end. It’s all too scary and plausible, given the world we are living in, so it serves as a bit of a warning.
Tell us about Alice and Vivien. Where did the inspiration for these characters come from and how have you developed them?
Louise: I’m not sure there are many mothers and daughters who have not struggled with their relationship. Mellissa has. I have. That’s where Vivien and Alice come from. Real life. We wanted to make them relatable, recognisable. Not always sympathetic. Complex in their yearns, and misunderstandings, desperate for approval while fearful of rejection. Even as they face a looming catastrophe they are ill equipped to stop. It was also important that their character and relationship evolves through the book. But I won’t say how…
And what are they up against?
Mellissa: They’re up against so many things. First, it’s hard to know who they can trust, even within their own families. Then, they have to wade through what’s real and what’s not in terms of what they’re being told by various sources – something we all struggle with in this age of disinformation and misinformation. And then, ultimately, they are up against the clock.
Who are some of the other interesting characters we’ll meet?
Louise: It was so much fun writing the characters of the American President and the Chinese President. Their relationship in many ways parallels that of Vivien and Alice. Suspicious of each other. Desperate to find common ground, but constantly misinterpreting the other. They are funny and warm, monstrous and expedient.
How did your writing collaboration come about and – as a crime author and a journalist duo – what complementary qualities do each of you bring to the work?
Mellissa: It really was Louise’s idea to write together. I’ve never written fiction before and she had always encouraged me to try. I didn’t have the confidence – or creativity – to do it on my own, so she generously suggested doing it together! How can I refuse a masterclass in fiction from one of the best mystery writers living today? No one knows plot and character development, and pacing, better than Louise Penny.
How does the writing happen in a practical sense? Does Louise write one chapter, Mellissa the next?
Louise: That was pretty much it. We’d go over each other’s writing, so that there was a common ‘voice’ and tone. We always talked about ‘what next’, and I cannot think of a single instant when we disagreed. It helps when we each bring different strengths to the table, and respect what the other offers. Mellissa is a remarkable writer – that also helped!
Mellissa: It was more Louise going over my endless paragraphs and suggesting we use more dialogue – that was also part of the masterclass!
You are both strong women and you are each from different generations, as are your main characters. Do you, Louise, have a better feel for Vivien and you, Mellissa, for Alice? Or the other way around, maybe? Or do you each relate to them in other ways?
Louise: What an interesting question… I like both, and was at times annoyed by both. Vivien is more like my mother… and Alice, with her insecurities and defensiveness, is much more like my relationship with her. As is her longing for approval. Sigh.
Mellissa: I think I am more like Alice too, with all her insecurities about not living up to her mother’s expectations. Ha! But I also understand Vivien, and the strength of her political convictions. I respect her for that.
Part of the intrigue here is going to be in working out who the bad guys are. In the news, on social media, etc, it’s often the Chinese. But it’s not as black and white as that, is it? The US is just as terrifying at the moment. What is your take re how China is depicted and how does it come through in the story?
Mellissa: I think that in the West, we often depict China as the bad actor on the world stage. And in China, the Americans are depicted as the bad actors. Given what’s happening in America right now, they might be right. I still have family in China, and they are all just living their life. There are still too many political prisoners and there is no freedom of speech, but you can argue that’s what is happening in the US right now too. So we wanted to show that it’s too simplistic a world view to see things in black and white like that. We all live in the grey, so it was important that the Chinese president, while wielding absolute power over his country, also be seen as a real human being, with a wife and a family. The same with the US president. Both just want what is best for their people. We hope.
What are some of the bigger themes you wanted to explore in The Last Mandarin?
Mellissa: I think the mother-daughter relationship – as Louise said, it’s something most women can relate to. And then the whole idea of world powers competing for military and economic dominance, which is something we are witnessing right now. Add artificial intelligence into that equation as well as anti-government forces in all countries, and things can escalate very quickly.
Mellissa, you’ve been covering global news and conflicts for decades as a reporter, and Louise, your background is very much detective fiction, apart from State of Terror. Which political thriller or even espionage authors or books that have inspired you and why?
Louise: I always loved the Smiley books – had a small crush on Smiley. The more cerebral spy/political thrillers always attracted me. And when writing one, I will sometimes go back and re-watch Enemy of the State and The Lion in Winter.
Mellissa: I love the Gamache books, of course! I also love Mick Herron. Slow Horses is some of the best television out there right now. For non-fiction, Erik Larsen’s In the Garden of Beasts was chilling and riveting and stayed with me for a long time. And of course, All the President’s Men inspired a generation or two of journalists.
What’s next for Vivien and Alice, and what’s next for Louise and Mellissa?
Louise: Well, we’re launching The Last Mandarin and touring. And I have another Gamache novel out on 20 October 2026, called Miss Wolcott’s Ghost.
Mellissa: I hope Alice becomes a real big-time influencer with millions of followers with her food blog! Mellissa is just marvelling at how Louise has already written a whole other book since we finished this one!
The Last Mandarin is released 12 May 2026. Grab a copy with the buttons below.
