Nury Vittachi is one of the bestselling English-language authors in Asia. Born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), he lives in Hong Kong, where he is a popular newspaper columnist. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including four in the "Feng Shui Detective" series.
" Vittachi's unique worldview infuses his writing with vitality and gives his characters a charming believability...[it's a] virtual vacation" -- Publishers Weekly "His ear for dialogue is almost perfect" -- South China Morning Post "Packed full of delightful quirks, the novel zips along at a fun, fast and furious pace" -- HK Magazine (Hong Kong) "A wacky and hilarious whodunit" -- Asian Review of Books
A bestselling English-language author based in Hong Kong, Vittachi stands to become a lot better known in the U.S. with this soft-boiled mystery peopled by quirky, engaging characters, the first in a new crime series. Set in Singapore and featuring C.F. Wong, a "geomancer" or feng shui master, this lighthearted novel blends, blurs and contrasts the three main ethnic groups of the Asian city-state-Chinese, Malays and Indians. Along with his cohorts, Madame Xu and Dilip Kenneth Sinha (both psychics), the gifted, if often reluctant, detective gets drawn into a plot to save a young girl who has an extraordinarily bleak future, psychically speaking. Wong is dragged to Australia to solve the case by his intern, Joyce McQuinnie, a British-Australian teenager forced on him by a valued client. McQuinnie makes a great foil for his crankiness and obsession with order. The author, unfortunately, sometimes vies for the big laugh with groan-worthy broad humor, usually revolving around someone's accent or lack of understanding of English. Overall, however, his love for Singapore and its distinctive internationalism shines through. Vittachi's unique worldview infuses his writing with vitality and gives his characters a charming believability. American readers should enjoy the virtual vacation this book provides. (Jan. 21) FYI: Vittachi is also the author of Riding the Millennium Storm: Marc Faber's Path to Profit in the Financial Markets (1998). Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
" Vittachi's unique worldview infuses his writing with vitality and gives his characters a charming believability...[it's a] virtual vacation" -- Publishers Weekly "His ear for dialogue is almost perfect" -- South China Morning Post "Packed full of delightful quirks, the novel zips along at a fun, fast and furious pace" -- HK Magazine (Hong Kong) "A wacky and hilarious whodunit" -- Asian Review of Books
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