The spectacular fall from grace of Chinese Communist Party leader Bo Xilai has triggered a riveting political scandal seeped in twists and turns worthy of a Hollywood thriller or detective novel.

Bo's sacking as head of the Chongqing megacity, his purge from the powerful Politburo and the revelation that his wife is a suspect in the alleged murder of a Briton feed into what has become China's biggest political scandal in decades.

His is a story of betrayal, hunger for power and money which remains shrouded in plenty of mystery while the rumour mill goes into overdrive, particularly on foreign Chinese websites not blocked by the nation's censors.

Click on thumbnail to view the people behind the story. (Photos: ST, TNP, BT)