August 10, 2009
Bangkok, the city where Vincent Calvino ekes out a living, teems with all sorts of characters, as shown in Moore's sprawling 10th thriller to feature the disbarred American lawyer turned PI (after The Risk of Infidelity Index
). Calvino foils an assassination attempt on an important new client, General Yosaporn; makes a deadly enemy of Thai businessman Apichart; watches a woman fall to her death past his hotel window; tails the “mia noi” (minor wife) of political candidate Somporn; and repeatedly crosses paths with two professional killers. He also helps a female Spanish U.N. worker, for whom he falls, rescue a young girl about to be sold for sex. In the process of tying a bunch of elaborate plot knots with these diverse strands, Moore reveals the seething stew of wealth, corruption, cultural clashes, poverty and lust that is modern Bangkok. While some readers might wish for a glossary of the many Thai terms, all will appreciate the raw passion that drives the action.