Synopsis
Douglas Pearce, a young brewery worker from Pottstown, Pennsylvania, embarks on a search for information about his long-dead uncle, a quest that takes him from Toronto, to Casablanca, Cairo, Bahrain, and Singapore on the trail of a priceless stolen gem.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
*STARRED REVIEW FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY*
Benoit's smashingly good, action-packed first novel leads Douglas Pearce, a young brewery worker from Pottstown, Pa., on a quest for information about his long-dead uncle that takes him from Toronto to Casablanca, Cairo, Bahrain and Singapore, before returning him to Toronto. He gets on the trail of a huge stolen gem, and along the way finds rascals, thugs, thieves and vamps among the archeology scholars, ex-museum directors and encyclopedia publishers who appear to be his guides. With much wit and invention, Benoit convincingly portrays the Middle East. A hilarious account of chaos in the Cairo airport reads like an updated scene from Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad. Benoit adroitly contrasts the modern features of North Africa and Asia with the remnants of their ancient pasts. Two murderous chases through urban and rural Egypt build to a resolution that remains well concealed until the final pages. Some readers may find the sex scenes too brief and a bit strange, but this is a quibble. Benoit is a rare discovery, and one hopes that he plans to produce more adventure-oriented mysteries with the same skill and energy that propel this excellent debut. -- Publishers Weekly (2 February 2004)
"
Synopsis
Picture a hotel room in Singapore, 1948. A dispute is under way between black marketeer, Russell Pearce and an associate, which ends up with Pearce's murder. Fast forward to present-day Pennsylvania, where Pearce's nephew, Doug, receives a letter from a friend of his uncle inviting him to Toronto. Doug accepts...On arrival, he is enlisted by the wealthy Edna to play detective and solve the murder of his uncle. But, Doug soon knows he's made a mistake and that someone else is interested in his quest...From Morocco to Egypt to Bahrain to Singapore, Doug stumbles on, facing danger all the way.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
