The Water Rat of Wanchai

Ava Lee takes on a master criminal in her most dangerous case yet.

In Ian Hamilton's The Water Rat of Wanchai, we meet forensic accountant and martial arts expert Ava Lee in her early days working for the mysterious businessman Uncle as they track down large sums of money that have disappeared. One of Uncle's longtime friends has requested help for his nephew, who needs to recover five million dollars from a business deal that went sideways. Ava steps in and immediately is off on a global hunt for the missing money that has her dodging shady characters.

On a journey that takes her from Seattle to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Guyana, and the British Virgin Islands, Ava encounters everything from the Thai katoey culture to corrupt government officials. In Guyana she meets her match: Captain Robbins, a godfather-like figure who controls the police, politicians, and criminals alike. In exchange for his help, Robbins decides he wants a piece of Ava's five million dollars and will do whatever it takes to get his fair share.

The Water Rat of Wanchai (International Thriller)

Ave Lee Book One

By Ian Hamilton

Picador

ISBN #978-1250032270

Price $14.61 (paperback)

400 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“Superb Writing.”

Ava Lee is assigned to track down five million dollars cheated from a relative of Uncle’s friend in a fish scam. The trail is easy to follow, but the people in power that Ava must deal with are worse than the crooks, and are easily turned to murder. And their power stretches beyond their own locale. However, they’ve never met someone like Ava Lee, and Uncle’s worldwide connections might prove even more powerful than world dictators.

Although the numbering system appears messed up, this is the first novel in the series. Ava has partnered with Uncle now for over ten years, and their bond is totally Chinese. The author’s writing style is smooth, and the story flows swiftly, even if the trail seems slow. 400 pages seem more like 200 pages, making for a fast read. The characters come alive, though at times it appears Ava finds the culprits and money a bit too easily; it’s the retrieval of the money that can cause problems for her. Thankfully, there isn’t page after page of martial arts, but when the need arises Ava employs bac mai with lethal force. Highly recommended for fans of interesting female leads.

Last Call For The Church

There is a power shift coming, and a pivotal turning point in human history is on the horizon. Radical Islamic terrorism and the possibility of a nuclear war have staggered the world that we once knew. The cervical and moral safety net that once protected us has been broken. Prophetic events are speeding up! The global upheaval that the world is currently witnessing is only the beginning of unimaginable chaos. Last Call for The Church delivers a powerful and convincing precept upon precept teaching on the Rapture of the church, and the crucial timing of it based on parallels presented by ancient Jewish wedding customs. The author is a real-life storyteller, and she accomplishes the call to understand the Rapture, what it will be like, and why Jesus found it necessary to teach in terms of a wedding, a bride, and to reference Himself as a Bridegroom. The author exclusively writes to you, the reader. She takes you on a classroom tour of prophecies and parables, and offers a strong case for an aggressive Pre-Tribulation Rapture based on Scripture, and the frequencies of current worldwide trends. She writes just as straightforward as she teaches. In Last Call for The Church, you will get a truly unique understanding of the Rapture as it applies to a collective body of believers, referred to in the Bible as a bride, or better known as the church.

Last Call For The Church (Christian Prophesy)

By Patricia C. McGlennon

Independent Publishing Platform

ISBN #978-1456515218

Price $11.95

142 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

“A Must Read.”

The author, a nationally registered belief therapist, discusses the prophesy of the marriage parable, as Jesus told to His disciples on the Mount of Olives. She weaves the parable through the final days and the Rapture of the Church before the terrible day of the Lord, known as Tribulation, explaining how this could not have occurred until Israel became a nation in 1948, and the growing pile of nuclear weapons now capable of destroying all flesh in the world. It’s a call for

Christians to be ready, to be prepared for the coming of our Lord. We will not know the day or hour, but will recognize the signs.

Is this a bedtime story for Christians? Yes, but that’s not a bad thing. We Christians need to hear the story, and understand the symbolism of the Bridegroom coming unexpectedly for His Bride. The author repeats the warning over and over throughout the book, and it is necessary. Christians can be a stubborn bunch, and are often busy about things of this world, and not looking for the coming of Messiah, or we’re trying to set dates for the Second Coming. Instead, we need to be prepared, always. Read the book for a Blessing. The author includes keys to Bible verses, so keep the Bible handy for quick reference. Highly recommended for Christians, and a challenge to unbelievers – are you prepared for the Tribulation?

Tom Johnson

Author of THE SOUL STEALERS

Behind The Mask Volume 2

BEHIND THE MASK Volume 2 by Tom Johnson. Published by FADING SHADOWS. Titles and cover design by Tom TV Powers. When the most valuable diamond in the world in stolen right under the watchful eyes of Burton Blayne, it’s a direct challenge to Funny Face, the Nemesis of the underworld. But despite all his efforts, the Star of Africa eludes him.

When a young man is found dead by cobra venom, Inspector Gregg calls in the underworld’s greatest enemy, the Phantom Detective. But before the crimefighter can unravel the mystery, Steve Huston is beaten by hoodlums, and Muriel Havens is captured by the gang. Will the Phantom reach the mastermind before another dies from cobra venom?

When the Man In Purple uncovers an evil plot of massive greed, his team of rogues plan to remove their ill-gotten gain from their vaults, but he soon discovers that these seven men of crime are as vicious as any mad dog, and a wrong move on his part could easily end his young career.

         A small time gang kills a patrol officer during a robbery, and Captain McGrath wants Tony Quinn’s help in discovering the killers. Meanwhile, the Phantom Detective also wants something from Tony Quinn, and the Black Bat might have a say in the matter.

         Now available on Amazon Kindle for $2.99, at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XN5XZ88/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1488391843&sr=1-1&keywords=behind+the+mask+volume+2+by+tom+johnson

Sunshine On The Icewolf

SUNSHINE ON THE ICEWOLF by Colleen Drippe. Young Helen Kley of El Colony, a world dominated by women, doesn't know what to make of the two young men who suddenly come bursting into her life, rescuing her from a humiliating kidnap attempt. That they are offworlders, she has no doubt, that they are corporate agents of some sort, she suspects. Otherwise why do they withhold their names, giving her only the number of a safe line to contact them? In the end, she becomes friends with the one she dubs "Pro" (the other she call "Con" because of their differing attitudes) and simply learns to think of them as her guardians. Only when she comes of age, two years later, and is by custom given her father's name and an invitation to visit heretofore unknown relatives on his homeworld, does she learn the truth about her adopted guardians. In fact she learns truth after truth as she and Pro, whose real name she finally learns, must battle their way through one adventure after another as they seek her missing father while avoiding his enemies. In the end, she faces not only threats from the outside, but also the need to come to terms with her own values and background -- to choose and to choose rightly. Everything she has learned to care about depends on her choice -- her own happiness and the welfare of those who have become dear to her. Just released, this is available from Amazon for $12.48, at https://www.amazon.com/Sunrise-Icewolf-Colleen-Drippe/dp/1542658683/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1488325217&sr=1-1&keywords=colleen+drippe

The Further Adventures of Jimmie Dale

The Further Adventures of Jimmie Dale by Frank L. Packard (340 Pages), 1919. The first three chapters (1, 2 & 3) are really one arc. With Larry the Bat supposedly killed in the last adventure, six months ago, Jimmie Dale has created a new underworld identity, that of Smarlinghue, a drug addict artist down on his luck and living in the badlands. Marie LaSalle has stopped contact, as she’s still afraid for her life, and Jimmie can’t find her. One night Officer Clancy of headquarters breaks into Smarlinghue’s run-down studio, and threatens him, He wants Smarlinghue to listen in on certain crooks and report back to him – a stool pigeon! After Clancy leaves there is an envelope beneath his door, and Jimmy finds another letter from Tocsin. Now he knows Marie is still around, and probably hiding out in the underworld. He’s instructed to, basically, follow Clancy’s orders and listen in on a meeting, but something else is going on that Clancy wasn’t aware of. With this arc the police and underworld discover that the Gray Seal is still alive and up to his old tricks.

Chapters four and five are the next arc. A thief steals a diamond pendant from the home of an elderly couple and bargains it to others who fight over it. But there is more to the theft than meets the eye, and Tocsin has given Jimmie all the data. Now he must take back the pendant, and see that it is returned.

The next three chapters (6, 7 & 8) is another arc. Jimmie returns as Larry the Bat and finds the Magpie murdered, with a gray seal on his toes. He learns from Tocsin that there is also a theft of bonds tied to the murder and detective Meighan is closing in on the Gray Seal.

Chapter nine and ten is the next arc. The Wolf, a Bad Lands killer has murdered his pal, Spider Webb, and is after his hidden jewels. A note from Tocsin tells Jimmie there is more at stake, and Jimmie beats the mobster to the hideout, only to be wounded and trailed to his Sanctuary, where Wolf grabs the jewels. But Jimmie has other things Wolf is unaware of.

In the next three chapters (11, 12 & 13), Jimmy Dale, pretending to be in an opium dream in Foo Sen’s opium parlor, overhears two crooks talking about fifteen thousand dollars being placed in a private after hours bank that would be easily stolen. Returning to his Sanctuary he finds that Tocsin has been there and left new instructions for the Gray Seal. She all ready knows about the money and theft, but she has it different, as to the identity of the crooks. As usual, Tocsin is right, though Jimmie is, too. There is only a slight change to the plans.

Chapter 14 & 15 has a neat little plot. Jimmie learns from Tocsin that the District Attorney’s son has been set up in order for the gang known as The Private Club Ring to stop the D.A. from investigating their criminal activities. Supposedly caught robbing a safe to repay money he’s lost, and a letter that could mean he had planned the robbery is all set up nicely. The boy will be prosecuted unless the Gray Seal can stop the set up.

 With Chapter 16, 17 & 18, Jimmie receives a call from an old acquaintance who is now in charge of another bank. He needs help. But when Jimmie arrives at his home, the banker is dead, a possible suicide. There is a note, but the suicide is false.  An English forger has written the note and forged his signature, as well as forged signatures on bonds.

Chapters 19, 20, 21 leads Jimmie to another murder, but the murder sets Larry the Bat up, as he’s led to believe the Tocsin has been captured. Instead, it’s the murderer disguised as Silver Mag, captured and waiting for Larry the Bat to rescue her. It’s all been a set up.

In Chapter 22, 23 & 24, Jimmie learns the details of the Tocsin’s story. He learns that one of the remaining men from The Crime Club is lawyer, Peter Marre, and he’s disappeared while working behind the scenes to kill Tocsin and the Gray Seal. There’s been another murder at a bank, and Hunchback Joe has something to do with it. Jimmie follows the trail, unearthing the clues and finally facing the ugly hunchback in a final confrontation that reveals his true identity.

The story ends with Jimmie and Marie locked in a long embrace. The stories were fun, but terribly outdated. Still, to learn the influence of the later pulp heroes like The Spider, The Shadow, The Phantom Detective, and all of Johnston McCulley’s coming costumed heroes, you need to read the Jimmie Dale adventures, for these were the blueprints. Happy reading.

Tom Johnson

Author of THE MAN IN THE BLACK FEDORA