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Series · espionage thriller

China Maroc

by Eric Van Lustbader

The China Maroc series by Eric Van Lustbader has 2 known books (2 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Jian (1985).

Books
2 known books (2 novels)
Published
2
First published
1985
Status
completed
Shelved under
Thriller
Last checked

Start here: Jian (1985) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Jian

Jian (1985)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. Jian

    Novel

    Jian is the book that started it all: the first entry in Eric Van Lustbader's China Maroc series, published in 1985, running 510 pages. It precedes Shan in the reading order. The series ran from 1985 to 1986 across 2 books.

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  2. Shan

    Novel

    Shan is the 2nd book in the China Maroc series, written by Eric Van Lustbader, published in 1986 at 544 pages. It follows Jian as the final entry in the series.

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About the China Maroc series

A shorter, denser companion to Van Lustbader's Nicholas Linnear books, the China Maroc novels follow Jake Maroc, a top agent of the Quarry -- a secretive American intelligence agency -- as he's drawn into the fight over Hong Kong's future in the last years of British colonial rule. Jian (1985) sets four ancient pieces of jade as the key to a decades-old scheme, with Jake caught between his sworn enemy Nichiren and the calculating Communist minister Shi Zilin, while the KGB, Chinese intelligence and the Americans all maneuver for control of the colony. Shan (1986) follows Jake deeper into betrayal and Hong Kong's hidden power structures, into the inner circle poised to shape China's future, before sending him to a remote plateau in the Burmese highlands where Eastern mysticism and Cold War tradecraft collide.

As in the Linnear books, Van Lustbader treats Asian settings, martial philosophy and clan/family loyalty as load-bearing plot material rather than exotic backdrop, but China Maroc trades ninjutsu for Cold War espionage and Hong Kong's geopolitics -- a tighter, more overtly political two-book run rather than an open-ended series.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the China Maroc series?

Two: Jian (1985) and Shan (1986).

What order should I read China Maroc in?

Jian first, then Shan, which picks up directly from where Jian leaves off.

Is China Maroc connected to the Nicholas Linnear novels?

No -- different characters and a different agency (the Quarry rather than Linnear's corporate/martial-arts world), though both series share Van Lustbader's dense approach to Asian settings and espionage.

Is the China Maroc series finished?

Yes -- it's a complete two-book story. Van Lustbader did not continue Jake Maroc's story beyond Shan.

When is China Maroc set?

In the final years of British Hong Kong, against Cold War maneuvering between American, Soviet and Chinese intelligence over the colony's future.

Reading order last verified .