A promising mystery debut that vividly describes its intriguing setting.
In Daniel’s debut novel, an American returns to Hong Kong, where he grew up, after his father’s unexpected death uncovers dangerous secrets.
Jake Salter, who’s around 40 and lives in Los Angeles, is sad about his widowed father Cyrus’ passing. He’s also disconcerted by the fact that his dad had recently hinted at a mysterious problem he was having, without providing any details. Why did the old man rebuff Jake’s own hints about possibly moving back to Hong Kong? It may have something to do with M.T. Kwan, one of the richest men in Hong Kong, and perhaps all of China. Jake discovers in his father’s World War II journals that his father, as a young lieutenant, led a daring rescue from a Japanese camp that saved Kwan’s life. This sealed their lifelong friendship; Kwan bankrolled a well-respected investment firm founded by Cyrus and his friend and partner, Stuart MacDonald, and Kwan is still a silent backer; now, Jake is slated to take his late father’s place at its helm. However, it turns out that Kwan is involved with the Triad, which is part benevolent society and part criminal enterprise. Also, Jake encounters a childhood Chinese friend who’s having a moral crisis; the American also encounters romance, as well as some very scary situations. Overall, Daniel delivers a first-rate adventure and mystery that’s well paced and skillfully plotted. The narrative is awash in local color, which makes sense, given that the author spent time in Hong Kong during his 20-year banking career; as he puts it, “important scenes in the story…result from everyday experiences in those colorful British colonial days.” Hong Kong makes for an exceptional location, and Daniel makes the most of it; readers will dream of its hideaways in the hills, its lush vegetation, and parties on a junk in the harbor. Daniel is currently working on two more books, also set in China and Hong Kong.
A promising mystery debut that vividly describes its intriguing setting.Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9798990457416
Page Count: 304
Publisher: BookBaby
Review Posted Online: Oct. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.
A struggling writer finds an unexpected muse when a mysterious man shows up at her cabin.
Petra Rose used to pump out a bestselling book every six months, but then the adaptation happened—that is, the disastrous film adaptation of her most famous book. The movie changed the book’s storyline so egregiously that fans couldn’t forgive her, and the ensuing harassment sent Petra into hiding and gave her a serious case of writer’s block. Petra’s one hope is her solo writing retreat at a remote cabin, where she can escape the distractions of real life and focus on her next book, a story about a woman having an affair with a cop. When officer Nathaniel Saint shows up at her cabin door, inspiration comes flooding back. Much like the character from Petra’s book, Saint is married, and he’s willing to be Petra’s muse, helping her get into her characters’ heads. Petra’s book is practically writing itself, but is the game she’s playing a little too dangerous? Does she know when to stop—and, more importantly, is Saint willing to stop? Hoover is no stranger to controversial movie adaptations and internet backlash, but she clarifies in a note to readers that she’s “just a writer writing about a writer” and that no further connections to her own life are contained in these pages—which is a good thing, because the book takes some horrifying twists and turns. Petra finds herself inexplicably attracted to Saint, even as she describes him as “such an asshole,” and her feelings for him veer between love and hate. The novel serves as a meta commentary on the dark romance genre—as Petra puts it, “Even though, as readers, we wouldn’t want to live out some of the fantasies we read about, it doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy reading those things.”
A dark and twisty look at just how far one woman is willing to go to find inspiration.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781662539374
Page Count: -
Publisher: Montlake
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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