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A Killing Smile
First in the Land of Smiles Trilogy
In 1957 Richard Mason's The World
of Suzie Wong shocked the world with an exotic tale set in Hong
Kong, then in 1973 Paul Theroux's Saint Jack followed with a powerful
story set in Singapore, and in 1991 Christopher G. Moore's A Killing
Smile has registered a tour de force with a haunting drama set in
Bangkok.
A Killing Smile is a simple but
deep story about the aftermath of events following the death of
a successful Los Angeles attorney's wife. Lost, confused, and angry,
Lawrence Baring, Esq. goes to Bangkok and confronts Tuttle--the
man his wife, Sarah, had once loved.
The story follows the conflict
and enveloping relationship of Baring and Tuttle in the underworld
of Bangkok's Patpong, Soi Cowboy, and the late night meeting spot
called HQ where spies, gangsters, diplomats, pimps, businessmen,
writers, teachers, travellers gather along side the women they buy
for the night. The novel is filled with twists and turns and atmosphere
and absolutely fascinating characters shipwrecked in a society they
vaguely understand.
Heaven Lake Press (2000), 4th
ed., 269 pp.
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