Bangkok Dragons, Cape Cod Tears, a mystery by Randall Peffer: the title and the cover were intriguing.
Bangkok Dragons, Cape Cod Tears by Randall Peffer
Setting: The characters, escaping to protect a priceless ruby from getting into the wrong hands, don various disguises on a train from Bangkok into Malaysia and then on a boat to Singapore. And if you check the title, you'll see that the action also moves to Cape Cod, Mass., by plane, of course. The novel includes some violence, and has transgender themes. The writing is fast paced but often poetic, and the mystery plot engaging, much of it character driven.
Publisher's description:
" When Michael Decastro gets an email from Tuki, his long-gone client, the lady of ten thousand mysteries, he doesn't hesitate a moment. He heads to Bangkok to find... what? He doesn't know. To face what dangers? He hasn't imagined. All he knows is that she's beckoned, and he can't resist her call.
Ane now face to face with Tuki and a ruby so beautiful it has its own name, Michael must make a choice: moe forward to protect Tuki, get to the bottom of her involvement with the nak lin ( cruel Thai gangsters) and see that she's safe, or run back to his father's fishing boat, hiding from the ills of the world beneath a watchcap and a raincoat.
Fooolhardy, compassionate Michael hardly has to think..."
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. The first novel in the series - Provincetown Follies, Bangkok Blues, was nominated for the Lambda Award.
Submitted to (2009 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge
Bangkok Dragons, Cape Cod Tears by Randall PefferSetting: The characters, escaping to protect a priceless ruby from getting into the wrong hands, don various disguises on a train from Bangkok into Malaysia and then on a boat to Singapore. And if you check the title, you'll see that the action also moves to Cape Cod, Mass., by plane, of course. The novel includes some violence, and has transgender themes. The writing is fast paced but often poetic, and the mystery plot engaging, much of it character driven.
Publisher's description:
" When Michael Decastro gets an email from Tuki, his long-gone client, the lady of ten thousand mysteries, he doesn't hesitate a moment. He heads to Bangkok to find... what? He doesn't know. To face what dangers? He hasn't imagined. All he knows is that she's beckoned, and he can't resist her call.
Ane now face to face with Tuki and a ruby so beautiful it has its own name, Michael must make a choice: moe forward to protect Tuki, get to the bottom of her involvement with the nak lin ( cruel Thai gangsters) and see that she's safe, or run back to his father's fishing boat, hiding from the ills of the world beneath a watchcap and a raincoat.
Fooolhardy, compassionate Michael hardly has to think..."
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. The first novel in the series - Provincetown Follies, Bangkok Blues, was nominated for the Lambda Award.
Submitted to (2009 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge
Interesting find Harvee. Hope you enjoy it :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I hope it turns out to be a good one.
ReplyDeleteI have a 50-page test, but some have a 100--if I'm not hooked by then, out goes the book--or back to the library.
Do you have a test?
I keep reading till I get bored. Then I put the book down and may go back to it later or not. So far the dialogue and action is keeping me interested, but the book is now being replaced by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which is a more intriguing book!
ReplyDeleteMark David: I'm enjoying the book even though I'm reading it along with other books! Like grazing at a table of gourmet dishes!
ReplyDeleteThat's also how I read Harvee! I somehow can't make myself stick to just one book. After reading some pages from one book, I feel myself wanting to read a different book before going back to the first one. I guess you can say we like variety (either that or I have a short attention span, hehe)
ReplyDeleteSo, you read the second book before reading the first one in this series?
Mark David: I am reading the Larssen books out of order, though I recommend otherwise!
ReplyDeleteI like that cover too! Hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteHi Harvee! Does this book somehow have the same feel as those of Burdett? Also, does this book have a gay storyline or subplot? I noticed that you mentioned it being nominated for a Lambda.
ReplyDeletePeter: Oops! Forgot what the Lambda awards were or I would have mentioned that yes, one of the main characters is born a hermaphrodite and resolves this surgically towards the beginning of the novel! I think the plot can stand by itself without this aspect thrown in, but I believe it's part of an attempt to make the mysteries different. I've come to expect more and more new "plot devices" as more and more mystery novels are written.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing this out to us, Peter.
Interesting idea. I love books where the characters have good qualities that can also become flaws--is Micheal TOO compassionate? I thought it interesting that in the publisher description, they label Michael "foolhardy." Hmm...I wouldn't be very happy with my publisher if they put that on my back cover. :)
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Elizabeth: I agree. "Adventurous" might have been a better word.
ReplyDeletePeter: Burdett is probably more hard hitting than Peffer. The title of this book has "dragon" and also "tears" - there is violence but also a lot of compassion in Peffer's book, and Buddhist philosophy/religion.
ReplyDeleteOLD FOLLOWER.
ReplyDeleteStopping by to look around.
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Elizabeth
http://silversolara.blogspot.com