What do you think?
Rate this book
Ava Lee #10
The Imam of Tawi-Tawi
Ava has spent two nights luxuriating in a hotel in Yunnan Province with the actress Pang Fai, with whom she has begun a secret relationship. She receives an urgent phone call from Chang Wang, the right hand to the billionaire Tommy Ordonez and one of Uncle’s oldest friends. Years ago, Ava and Uncle helped Tommy recover $50 million in a land swindle.
Uncle Chang asks Ava to fly to Manila to meet with his friend, Senator Miguel Ramirez. Ramirez asks Ava to investigate a college in Tawi-Tawi, an island province in the Philippines, which he suspects is training terrorists. Ava’s investigation leads to a partnership with a CIA agent, and together they attempt to stop an international plot, horrific in size and scope, only to have it turn on them. Ava’s judgement and morals — which Uncle helped her forge — are tested like never before.
Uncle Chang asks Ava to fly to Manila to meet with his friend, Senator Miguel Ramirez. Ramirez asks Ava to investigate a college in Tawi-Tawi, an island province in the Philippines, which he suspects is training terrorists. Ava’s investigation leads to a partnership with a CIA agent, and together they attempt to stop an international plot, horrific in size and scope, only to have it turn on them. Ava’s judgement and morals — which Uncle helped her forge — are tested like never before.
365 pages, Paperback
First published January 6, 2018
26 people are currently reading
492 people want to read
About the author
Ian Hamilton
27 books345 followersIan Hamilton has been a journalist, a senior executive with the federal government, a diplomat, and a businessman with international links. He has written for several magazines and newspapers in Canada and the U.S., including Maclean's, Boston Magazine, Saturday Night, Regina Leader Post, Calgary Albertan, and the Calgary Herald. His nonfiction book, The Children's Crusade, was a Canadian Book of the Month Club selection.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
June 1, 2020
Q:
I don’t see much value in trying to save the world by hurting or destroying people you meet along the way. (c)
Q:
I know the job is more difficult, but that should us a greater sense of satisfaction when we succeed. (c)
24/06/2017 I expect it to be superb! :)
22/07/2017 Can't wait for this one to be available!
31/12/2017 I am entirely frustrated this has not yet been published! I want it. Badly!
05/02/2018 So, finally I've gotten my hands on this guilty pleasure of mine. And it's as good as the books from this series always are!
Once again Ava gets some crazy problems to deal with and gets them over with!
Love this series and definitely want MORE!
When the CIA fly less than you do, then you suddenly realise you have a debt collection habit. At least that's how Ava might be summarized here. Luvvy-luv! Favvy forever!
10/02/2018 I'm in withdrawal already and seriously need MOAR! Can I get another one (or, better, a hundred!) of theese goodies soon? Pretty-please?
Q:
He’s dangling bait, she thought. She admired how skillfully he had handled his end of the conversation: he had started it by invoking their connection through Uncle. Then he’d complimented her while insisting that he thought she was above flattery. Finally, he had framed his request as a personal favour. She didn’t know why he thought he had the right to ask for one, since he and Ava were hardly friends, but he had anyway, and it had been exactly the right approach. Indeed, it was probably the only approach that had a chance of succeeding with her.
“Let me make some calls,” she said. (c)
Q:
Uncle used to joke that she ate more than any man he knew; he said one day she would wake up weighing two hundred pounds. (c) Nope, it was actually her mother in the previous books who said something along this line.
Q:
“So to build the college, someone would have to get a building permit from the city?”
“Yes.”
“And I’m trying to remember…are foreigners allowed to own land in the Philippines?”
“No,” Wahab said.
“So who bought the land? Who applied for the building permit? Which company did the construction? Who paid them? There have to be a lawyer, an accountant, and a bank attached to a project of this size. Who are they?”
“Those are a great many questions.”
“There are more,” Ava said, remembering the list she’d made in her notebook. “How are Alcem and Ben and the other employees paid? How about suppliers? Somewhere there is a bank dispensing money. Whose name is on the account? Who has signing authority? Where does the money originate?”
Wahab shook his head.
“We need to find out. Someone paid for the land and for construction of the college. Someone is paying for its upkeep. Someone is paying for those students to get to the U.S. and elsewhere,” Ava said. “Money does not exist in a vacuum. It has to be moved from point to point. It has to have an origin.” (c)
Q:
“Ah, the mysterious Ms. Lee,”...
“That’s the second time I’ve been called that tonight,” ... “There is absolutely nothing mysterious about me, and I prefer being called Ava.”(c)
Q:
Uncle believed that how you presented yourself to the world was a reflection of your inner being. He had been meticulous in his dress and manner. (c)
I don’t see much value in trying to save the world by hurting or destroying people you meet along the way. (c)
Q:
I know the job is more difficult, but that should us a greater sense of satisfaction when we succeed. (c)
24/06/2017 I expect it to be superb! :)
22/07/2017 Can't wait for this one to be available!
31/12/2017 I am entirely frustrated this has not yet been published! I want it. Badly!
05/02/2018 So, finally I've gotten my hands on this guilty pleasure of mine. And it's as good as the books from this series always are!
Once again Ava gets some crazy problems to deal with and gets them over with!
Love this series and definitely want MORE!
When the CIA fly less than you do, then you suddenly realise you have a debt collection habit. At least that's how Ava might be summarized here. Luvvy-luv! Favvy forever!
10/02/2018 I'm in withdrawal already and seriously need MOAR! Can I get another one (or, better, a hundred!) of theese goodies soon? Pretty-please?
Q:
He’s dangling bait, she thought. She admired how skillfully he had handled his end of the conversation: he had started it by invoking their connection through Uncle. Then he’d complimented her while insisting that he thought she was above flattery. Finally, he had framed his request as a personal favour. She didn’t know why he thought he had the right to ask for one, since he and Ava were hardly friends, but he had anyway, and it had been exactly the right approach. Indeed, it was probably the only approach that had a chance of succeeding with her.
“Let me make some calls,” she said. (c)
Q:
Uncle used to joke that she ate more than any man he knew; he said one day she would wake up weighing two hundred pounds. (c) Nope, it was actually her mother in the previous books who said something along this line.
Q:
“So to build the college, someone would have to get a building permit from the city?”
“Yes.”
“And I’m trying to remember…are foreigners allowed to own land in the Philippines?”
“No,” Wahab said.
“So who bought the land? Who applied for the building permit? Which company did the construction? Who paid them? There have to be a lawyer, an accountant, and a bank attached to a project of this size. Who are they?”
“Those are a great many questions.”
“There are more,” Ava said, remembering the list she’d made in her notebook. “How are Alcem and Ben and the other employees paid? How about suppliers? Somewhere there is a bank dispensing money. Whose name is on the account? Who has signing authority? Where does the money originate?”
Wahab shook his head.
“We need to find out. Someone paid for the land and for construction of the college. Someone is paying for its upkeep. Someone is paying for those students to get to the U.S. and elsewhere,” Ava said. “Money does not exist in a vacuum. It has to be moved from point to point. It has to have an origin.” (c)
Q:
“Ah, the mysterious Ms. Lee,”...
“That’s the second time I’ve been called that tonight,” ... “There is absolutely nothing mysterious about me, and I prefer being called Ava.”(c)
Q:
Uncle believed that how you presented yourself to the world was a reflection of your inner being. He had been meticulous in his dress and manner. (c)
May 15, 2020
Entering week eight of coronavirus, I deserve a break. And one of my favorite series of all time has to be Ian Hamilton's Ava Lee books. Canadian by birth, Chinese by race, lesbian by choice, and accountant by vocation, Ava Lee is one special protagonist.
Now in her mid-thirties, she hasn't slowed down any. She has agreed to help out an old friend-of-a-friend and ends up collaborating with a government she hasn't worked with in the past. The whole experience looks like it will end badly, but the denouement shocks us utterly. Hamilton plot lines are unique. He doesn't copy anybody and he always talks about our culture now, highlighting personalities and events that look vaguely familiar from the headlines. This contemporaneity may be why I admire his style so much.
Author Hamilton writes in his Acknowledgements that this was a difficult book to write and indeed, was not originally part of this series. That statement raises all kinds of questions in my mind, but I can unequivocally say that this story is breathtaking in the leaps it takes in plot and character development. Remember what I say about 'familiar' figures and you will forever wonder what truth there is in this heartbreaking novel. In the very next book in the series, Ava says something about "one can never be too cynical," and one fears she learned that lesson from cases like this one.
We also learn that Hamilton had such deep disagreements with his long-time editor Janie Yoon over this book that they went their separate ways. I did notice that Ava is not quite as sure of her ability to solve every problem as she has been in earlier books. She's getting older, something I appreciate since I very much am, too.
This story takes place in the Philippines and yes, it is a departure from other efforts. During the action sections of the novel, Ava barely speaks to the folks who bring her the case. We follow her, hoping there is not an iota of truth to any of it, but suspecting a story like this doesn't get conceived in a vacuum.
A very special series. Read it.
Now in her mid-thirties, she hasn't slowed down any. She has agreed to help out an old friend-of-a-friend and ends up collaborating with a government she hasn't worked with in the past. The whole experience looks like it will end badly, but the denouement shocks us utterly. Hamilton plot lines are unique. He doesn't copy anybody and he always talks about our culture now, highlighting personalities and events that look vaguely familiar from the headlines. This contemporaneity may be why I admire his style so much.
Author Hamilton writes in his Acknowledgements that this was a difficult book to write and indeed, was not originally part of this series. That statement raises all kinds of questions in my mind, but I can unequivocally say that this story is breathtaking in the leaps it takes in plot and character development. Remember what I say about 'familiar' figures and you will forever wonder what truth there is in this heartbreaking novel. In the very next book in the series, Ava says something about "one can never be too cynical," and one fears she learned that lesson from cases like this one.
We also learn that Hamilton had such deep disagreements with his long-time editor Janie Yoon over this book that they went their separate ways. I did notice that Ava is not quite as sure of her ability to solve every problem as she has been in earlier books. She's getting older, something I appreciate since I very much am, too.
This story takes place in the Philippines and yes, it is a departure from other efforts. During the action sections of the novel, Ava barely speaks to the folks who bring her the case. We follow her, hoping there is not an iota of truth to any of it, but suspecting a story like this doesn't get conceived in a vacuum.
A very special series. Read it.
January 22, 2019
A new direction in the Ava Lee series. With her love life now settled with a famous Chinese actress, Ava moves away from her old debt collection business with Uncle and her new business ventures with May to answering a request from a prior client, Chang Wang and Tommy Ordonnez. They ask her to speak to a business partner of theirs, a Philippine senator, about concerns raised by the Muslim Brotherhood about a secret camp in Tawi-Tawi. Harking back to the days with Uncle, Ava decides having a favor from her former, connected clients can't hurt. As she investigates, she eventually brings in a CIA partner seeking redemption. When Ava figures out the culprits, major pressured is applied to make her remain quiet, risking not only truth, but trusts she cannot ignore.
July 23, 2018
Yay! The truly dashing Ava Lee is back. In #10 of the series, Ava is back to the world of favours granted through our dear Uncle and his associates. No, she doesn’t owe anybody anything- she is respecting those Old World alliances which have a keen ethical draw to her professional past, and Ava is compelled to assist.
Unlike the last “fashion world” settings, this novel sets Ava off into more of the “derring-do”, action and intrigue-driven style of the earlier period in her life. She was asked to employ her investigative powers, but not as a forensic accountant, and I enjoyed her involvement in a case which was less personal for her.
Ava this time was more hard boiled, less fashionable, ate less great food, was less vain but was more reflective. A more nuanced character. I liked her more.
The plot, centred on a college suspected of training terrorists, is convoluted - yet in the bizarre upside down world times we seem to be living in these days, the twisted ending might not be that fantastical after all. (I hope not...).
But...yummy fiction! Five fast paced Ava Lee stars!
Unlike the last “fashion world” settings, this novel sets Ava off into more of the “derring-do”, action and intrigue-driven style of the earlier period in her life. She was asked to employ her investigative powers, but not as a forensic accountant, and I enjoyed her involvement in a case which was less personal for her.
Ava this time was more hard boiled, less fashionable, ate less great food, was less vain but was more reflective. A more nuanced character. I liked her more.
The plot, centred on a college suspected of training terrorists, is convoluted - yet in the bizarre upside down world times we seem to be living in these days, the twisted ending might not be that fantastical after all. (I hope not...).
But...yummy fiction! Five fast paced Ava Lee stars!
January 29, 2019
A good book, however I prefer the older books with Ava working with Uncle.
January 13, 2018
Ian Hamilton hasn't lost his knack for writing a compulsive suspense thriller. I whipped through this latest Ava Lee investigation in only a few days. The art is built around the relatively short chapters that end with questions which compel you to read 'just one more chapter' and before you know it the book is finished.
Although this isn't a return to the debt collection days with Uncle (which I think to many are the reason they became Ava fans in the first place) "The Imam of Tawi-Tawi" does reacquaint us with some of those characters whom we met in The Disciple of Las Vegas (Ava Lee #2) & The Scottish Banker of Surabaya (Ava Lee #5).
This time Ava is called in as a "favour" to investigate the possible nefarious goings-on at a religious school in a remote southern island of the Philippines. The solution comes with some twists and turns and is not at all predictable. We get our first clue hint of the big bad from the use of a single word during an interview with Ava, so see if you can spot that.
Although the reading was compelling I was left a bit down and unsatisfied in the end. Perhaps because there was no satisfactory final confrontation? Hard to say more without being a spoiler. Maybe I long for Uncle and the debt collection days and this seemed to promise something more along those lines but it didn't follow through in the end. And Ava's martial arts skill of bak mei was called upon for only a page or so? We want more than that!
Although this isn't a return to the debt collection days with Uncle (which I think to many are the reason they became Ava fans in the first place) "The Imam of Tawi-Tawi" does reacquaint us with some of those characters whom we met in The Disciple of Las Vegas (Ava Lee #2) & The Scottish Banker of Surabaya (Ava Lee #5).
This time Ava is called in as a "favour" to investigate the possible nefarious goings-on at a religious school in a remote southern island of the Philippines. The solution comes with some twists and turns and is not at all predictable. We get our first clue hint of the big bad from the use of a single word during an interview with Ava, so see if you can spot that.
Although the reading was compelling I was left a bit down and unsatisfied in the end. Perhaps because there was no satisfactory final confrontation? Hard to say more without being a spoiler. Maybe I long for Uncle and the debt collection days and this seemed to promise something more along those lines but it didn't follow through in the end. And Ava's martial arts skill of bak mei was called upon for only a page or so? We want more than that!
September 28, 2019
Ava Lee keeps expanding her relationships. When you think about as how she's kept her her integrity and how her influence has grown, and the relations she has with leaders of powerful Asian organizations, how could I not see where she might go? Ava gets the job done, she follows the trails, and is methodical. I love that she writes everything out longhand in moleskin notebooks that after each case are put in a bank vault.
November 24, 2019
Ava Lee takes a different path in her 10th outing. Asked for a favour by a former associate, Chang Wang, Ava heads to the Philippines to investigate a claim that a college in a remote area may be training jihadists. Ava pulls in a CIA agent through a connection in Indonesia as the situation becomes more complex.
This is a favourite series of mine, but this entry didn't grab me. From my perspective, the way events unfolded was highly unlikely. Ava would have been excluded, other than as a witness, as soon as a government agency was involved.
Here's hoping the next book has Ava hanging out with Xu, skirting the boundaries of legality with the Triad and associates.
This is a favourite series of mine, but this entry didn't grab me. From my perspective, the way events unfolded was highly unlikely. Ava would have been excluded, other than as a witness, as soon as a government agency was involved.
Here's hoping the next book has Ava hanging out with Xu, skirting the boundaries of legality with the Triad and associates.
January 13, 2018
The series that I have always look forward to every January! I still prefer Ava when she was in her debt collection business rather than her ventures now, which are becoming more and more globalized now and far-fetched.
January 21, 2018
Fantastic. Ava is back!! There were a few books in the series that focused too much on the fashion industry and were, to be honest, dull. But this is the Ava Lee I love: courageous, strong and independent. Looking forward to the next one!!!
January 30, 2018
In the interest of full disclosure, I have a couple of cautions. First, I received a free copy of the book via Netgalley. Second, I am a huge fan of the Ava Lee series and have read all of the books. I think they are terrific.
In this book, Ava undertakes an investigation for a previous client of her defunct debt recovery business. This takes her to Mindanao in the southern Philippines to look into a suspicious school. The fear is that it is training Islamic terrorists. Ava applies her usual forensic accountant investigation methods, e.g. follow the money. There's a lot of the usual frenetic travel around Asia (Ava seems to have conquered jet lag) and for a change of pace she goes to Australia to interview a former student of the college. All this activity is in aid of a shocking and surprising conclusion.
I saw a different Ava in this book, which shares similarities with the James Bond novels. She is on her own much more than before, her usual sidekicks are nowhere to be seen. Even her Toronto banker is barred from helping her. This means she needs to enlist new support, e.g. the RCMP officer she met in a previous book and a CIA agent. There's a mention in the author's Acknowledgement that this book went through several iterations: is the final product an unhappy compromise between an attempt to refresh Ava"s character and one to branch out to geopolitical intrigue? I am fussed that Ava (and the series) might become another run-of-the mill "thriller" series.
Despite my concerns, this is a good story, although not one of the best books in the series.
In this book, Ava undertakes an investigation for a previous client of her defunct debt recovery business. This takes her to Mindanao in the southern Philippines to look into a suspicious school. The fear is that it is training Islamic terrorists. Ava applies her usual forensic accountant investigation methods, e.g. follow the money. There's a lot of the usual frenetic travel around Asia (Ava seems to have conquered jet lag) and for a change of pace she goes to Australia to interview a former student of the college. All this activity is in aid of a shocking and surprising conclusion.
I saw a different Ava in this book, which shares similarities with the James Bond novels. She is on her own much more than before, her usual sidekicks are nowhere to be seen. Even her Toronto banker is barred from helping her. This means she needs to enlist new support, e.g. the RCMP officer she met in a previous book and a CIA agent. There's a mention in the author's Acknowledgement that this book went through several iterations: is the final product an unhappy compromise between an attempt to refresh Ava"s character and one to branch out to geopolitical intrigue? I am fussed that Ava (and the series) might become another run-of-the mill "thriller" series.
Despite my concerns, this is a good story, although not one of the best books in the series.
January 12, 2018
For followers of Ian Hamilton's Ava Lee, take note.
This one is very different. In fact, in acknowledgements, Hamilton states he wrote this first as a standalone, not even an Ava Lee novel. It went through several shapes and re-writes and became one, a very solid, but different Ava Lee book.
Asked to look into something by her mentor, Uncle's friend and associate, Chang, Ava reluctantly agrees and this decision takes her on a back and forth and back mission to Tawi-Tawi at the tip of the Philippines, to Hong Kong, to Manila, and repeat.
The 'something' is rather scary, a college training young men to become terrorists. The target, seemingly, is Jewish people in certain cities in America, mostly. Ava must determine by her forensic fact finding the truth of this. What she discovers is mind-boggling. More behind the scenes people get involved, all on the down-low.
Everyone gets it wrong.
The result is shocking.
As in the Couturier of Milan, there is considerable dialogue that moves the story forward and exceptionally strong characters, mostly men, that meet their match in Ava.
Morality, world politics, and basically, the right thing versus the wrong thing loom large.
This novel is a breeze to read. I had it finished just like that.
Seamless, fluid, classic Hamilton.
Ava Lee is iconic.
This one is very different. In fact, in acknowledgements, Hamilton states he wrote this first as a standalone, not even an Ava Lee novel. It went through several shapes and re-writes and became one, a very solid, but different Ava Lee book.
Asked to look into something by her mentor, Uncle's friend and associate, Chang, Ava reluctantly agrees and this decision takes her on a back and forth and back mission to Tawi-Tawi at the tip of the Philippines, to Hong Kong, to Manila, and repeat.
The 'something' is rather scary, a college training young men to become terrorists. The target, seemingly, is Jewish people in certain cities in America, mostly. Ava must determine by her forensic fact finding the truth of this. What she discovers is mind-boggling. More behind the scenes people get involved, all on the down-low.
Everyone gets it wrong.
The result is shocking.
As in the Couturier of Milan, there is considerable dialogue that moves the story forward and exceptionally strong characters, mostly men, that meet their match in Ava.
Morality, world politics, and basically, the right thing versus the wrong thing loom large.
This novel is a breeze to read. I had it finished just like that.
Seamless, fluid, classic Hamilton.
Ava Lee is iconic.
November 14, 2017
Ugh I just wrote something and now I have to try to remember it. I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the earlier books in the series. The current news cycle and the situation Ava finds herself in this book are similar and after a fashion you get tired of wanting to hear about. I’m not sure what Ian is doing in terms of Ava’s character development, but it’s diminished in a way in this latest book. I loved it when Ava was front and center in the previous books and it’s like she took a bit of a back seat in this one. I enjoyed reading this book, it just was t what I was expecting.
April 26, 2018
Not a typical series entry. A little slow in spots, but still a good story. Recommended.
April 8, 2020
Former clients of Ava's ask her to come to the Phillipines to help them do some unspecified fact-finding. Turns out there is an Islamic "college" with some suspicious activities going on, and Ava has to do some political maneuvering between the clients she has offered to help, the local Muslim leadership, the Filipino authorities, and some other international players. Having Ava brokering massive international political minefields is a little bit of a stretch here, but of course she manages fine and upholds her integrity.
February 20, 2018
Ava ends up doing a favor for one of Uncle’s old business partners in the Philippines, a partner for whom she had one job previously. This favor is really not in Ava’s skill set. Or is it? Ava gets involved in national security and terrorism issues involving the Philippines and probably the United States. Ava quickly realizes she needs some spook help so she calls her RCMP friend which leads to the CIA. And thus begins a rather frenetic search to find a few hundred jihadis all on the down low. Shocking wrap up. Ava surprises no one though as she is a principled woman.
January 31, 2018
Uncle Chang Wang calls Ava asking for a favor. A business he and Tommy Ordonez are in with Senator Ramirez in the Philippines are having trouble in Tawi-Tawi, an area heavy populated with Muslims, and the senator feels the Zagat college is training young men for terrorism. The senator connects Ava with a member of the Muslim Brotherhood who will work with her in uncovering the truth. But now that she is no longer in the old business, she no longer has all of her old contacts to access banks. She’s forced to recruit a CIA agent to help here, and this brings American power down on her. She must see the situation through to the end, no matter what the outcome, and her life might even be at stake
I pre-ordered this book, as the synopsis led me to think this would an action-packed adventure with Ava Lee and a CIA agent against a terrorist organization. The writing was still smooth, and the characters interesting, and Ava was very proficient, but I was disappointed in the lack of action. And the Muslims all turned out to be good guys, while the Americans were evil. There is a really big twist at the end, which was nice, but not very logical. The book is called the Triad Years, but this does not include the Triads, though Ava does talk to Xu on the telephone once, so it’s hardly a Triad novel. This is basically Ava Lee and the CIA. Personally, I hope the author brings in more action, if he wants to keep readers following the Ava Lee sagas. She is better than this book shows, in my opinion.
I pre-ordered this book, as the synopsis led me to think this would an action-packed adventure with Ava Lee and a CIA agent against a terrorist organization. The writing was still smooth, and the characters interesting, and Ava was very proficient, but I was disappointed in the lack of action. And the Muslims all turned out to be good guys, while the Americans were evil. There is a really big twist at the end, which was nice, but not very logical. The book is called the Triad Years, but this does not include the Triads, though Ava does talk to Xu on the telephone once, so it’s hardly a Triad novel. This is basically Ava Lee and the CIA. Personally, I hope the author brings in more action, if he wants to keep readers following the Ava Lee sagas. She is better than this book shows, in my opinion.
January 11, 2018
Another great read!
Hurry up and write another one! The surprise twist early on of the reason for the college was scarily realistic. Really enjoy getting to learn about Asian culture too.
Hurry up and write another one! The surprise twist early on of the reason for the college was scarily realistic. Really enjoy getting to learn about Asian culture too.
January 9, 2018
This novel deviates from the standard form of Ava Lee novels. The characters are well created and the plot is excellent and very relevant to today's problems. It is intense and shows groups of different agencies working together for one major cause with a very unexpected twist at the end. One of Hamilton's better novels.
December 23, 2017
Another excellent addition to the Ava Lee series.
I do rather miss the “debt collection” days with Uncle, but we’ve moved on. At least this one wasn’t focused on the fashion industry.
I do rather miss the “debt collection” days with Uncle, but we’ve moved on. At least this one wasn’t focused on the fashion industry.
July 1, 2018
I usually blow through an Ava Lee novel in a matter of days because they were clever and fast-paced, but this tenth book of the series was a disappointment. It seemed to take the entire first half of the book in order to establish any plot or suspense. With all the stop and go, stop and go, it took over two weeks to complete. Questions that kept plaguing me included: why is Ava Lee involving herself in this investigation in the first place? Why are all these professionals, community leaders, politicians and government officials breaking their own rules to defer to Ava? So much at stake, yet Ava appears untouchable - how does the whole situation not fall apart? None of it made any sense. It felt really unbelievable. The weakest of the series so far.
October 24, 2017
One of the best Ava Lee mysteries. I like how it focuses on strategy and investigation, and I like the reveal at the end. Probably 4 stars rounded up to 5 coz I'm always thrilled to see books set in the Philippines. Ian Hamilton also appears to have hit his stride in writing about Asia. The Philippines doesn't feel exoticized and the brand name dropping no longer feels as prominent.
January 28, 2018
This is one of my all-time favourite series. They are consistently 4-star reads for me and from the first time I picked up “The Water Rat of Wanchai”, the first book in the series, I’ve been hooked. The novels revolve around Ava Lee, a young, gay, Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant who recovers money stolen in financial scams perpetrated by one shady businessman on another.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Toronto, Canada, Ava is bicultural and as the series progresses, we learn a lot about Chinese culture both in Asia and in Canada. I read a book review in the National Post that describes Ava’s personality and how it is shaped much better than I ever could:
“Like any Hong Kong ID card-carrier, she’s brand-conscious, work-obsessed, pragmatic and loyal to her family. Like any Canadian passport holder, she’s culturally sensitive, well-mannered, able to blend in and independent.” - The Water Rat of Wanchai, reviewed by Kevin Chong, National Post, 2011
In the most recent instalment of the series, Ava gets a call from an old friend of her partner Uncle asking for a favour. Family loyalty kicks in and Ava finds herself on the way to the Philippines to investigate reports of an international terrorist training centre located on the remote island province of Tawi-Tawi. If the reports are true, it will destabilize the Philippine political landscape and economy and more terrifyingly, launch a deadly series of attacks on the world.
The last few books in the series, like this one (which is #10), have taken Ava outside of both Canada and China. This is a departure from the first books in the series but is no less effective in furthering Ava’s story and globe-trotting exploits. It maintains the central theme of the entire series and continues to present Ava with morally ambiguous options where no decision is clearly right or wrong. Ava is required to rely on her own judgement, morals and loyalty.
If you liked “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson, you may want to consider picking up this series. While Ava is not as broken as Lisbeth Salander, her intelligence, kick ass martial arts skills and sheer tenacity are reminiscent.
Finally, a shout-out to the publisher, House of Anansi Press (and their imprint Spiderline). It couldn’t have been an easy choice to publish a series of books where the main character is female, non-white and gay…let alone the first novel which had “rat” in the title. Who picks up a book about a water rat...besides me of course...
Born in Hong Kong and raised in Toronto, Canada, Ava is bicultural and as the series progresses, we learn a lot about Chinese culture both in Asia and in Canada. I read a book review in the National Post that describes Ava’s personality and how it is shaped much better than I ever could:
“Like any Hong Kong ID card-carrier, she’s brand-conscious, work-obsessed, pragmatic and loyal to her family. Like any Canadian passport holder, she’s culturally sensitive, well-mannered, able to blend in and independent.” - The Water Rat of Wanchai, reviewed by Kevin Chong, National Post, 2011
In the most recent instalment of the series, Ava gets a call from an old friend of her partner Uncle asking for a favour. Family loyalty kicks in and Ava finds herself on the way to the Philippines to investigate reports of an international terrorist training centre located on the remote island province of Tawi-Tawi. If the reports are true, it will destabilize the Philippine political landscape and economy and more terrifyingly, launch a deadly series of attacks on the world.
The last few books in the series, like this one (which is #10), have taken Ava outside of both Canada and China. This is a departure from the first books in the series but is no less effective in furthering Ava’s story and globe-trotting exploits. It maintains the central theme of the entire series and continues to present Ava with morally ambiguous options where no decision is clearly right or wrong. Ava is required to rely on her own judgement, morals and loyalty.
If you liked “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson, you may want to consider picking up this series. While Ava is not as broken as Lisbeth Salander, her intelligence, kick ass martial arts skills and sheer tenacity are reminiscent.
Finally, a shout-out to the publisher, House of Anansi Press (and their imprint Spiderline). It couldn’t have been an easy choice to publish a series of books where the main character is female, non-white and gay…let alone the first novel which had “rat” in the title. Who picks up a book about a water rat...besides me of course...
January 2, 2021
This has been my least favorite of the Ava Lee books so far. At their best, I enjoy the travelogue aspect of them. The author, Ian Hamilton, has clearly traveled a lot, and I think he has a real knack for giving the reader a sense of place. The places themselves are different enough that they don't get boring.
When things go well, the books also set up interesting problems for Ava Lee to solve with some ingenuity. I think the art forgery storyline is a good example of that. But too often, these puzzles are resolved with a deus ex machina intervention from an all-powerful external figure, whether it be Uncle in the first books or Xu later on. I think that this relative weakness in the books became really glaring in this one. There's no deep insight, no spark of imagination, no creative problem solving. Ava Lee just asks people will a hell of a lot of pull, and even when she is apparently caught between conflicting loyalties, she's not forced to make any difficult decisions, e.g., between the Brotherhood and involving the Americans. Finally, the actual deal she makes with Ramirez at the end is never described, it all happens "off-stage," so the book doesn't even show one of the nice elements from the earlier books: finding a way to get what she wants while also getting the people she's dealing with enough so that they don't back out of the deal.
On top of that, the starting conceit that Ava Lee is now investigating international terrorism as if it was on the same scale as the debt collections she's had in the past is just incredible -- literally impossible to believe.
When things go well, the books also set up interesting problems for Ava Lee to solve with some ingenuity. I think the art forgery storyline is a good example of that. But too often, these puzzles are resolved with a deus ex machina intervention from an all-powerful external figure, whether it be Uncle in the first books or Xu later on. I think that this relative weakness in the books became really glaring in this one. There's no deep insight, no spark of imagination, no creative problem solving. Ava Lee just asks people will a hell of a lot of pull, and even when she is apparently caught between conflicting loyalties, she's not forced to make any difficult decisions, e.g., between the Brotherhood and involving the Americans. Finally, the actual deal she makes with Ramirez at the end is never described, it all happens "off-stage," so the book doesn't even show one of the nice elements from the earlier books: finding a way to get what she wants while also getting the people she's dealing with enough so that they don't back out of the deal.
On top of that, the starting conceit that Ava Lee is now investigating international terrorism as if it was on the same scale as the debt collections she's had in the past is just incredible -- literally impossible to believe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2018
The author describes this as the best Ava Lee adventure to date. I hate to disagree. It doesn’t feel like an Ava Lee adventure, and I’ve just re-read the series from the beginning to the latest book.
What do I mean? Well, one of the things I like best about the Ava Lee books is that she relies on friends and allies. You feel that they are part of a team. Much like the universe Rob Kantner created in his Ben Perkins books. Part here Ava is away from the all, with minor mentions at best. The circumstances that places Ava where she was were contrived, and (minor spoiler) when she is in Australia there isn’t a mention of her family that lives there... it just didn’t feel like an Ava Lee book, and it is a jarring entry in the series.
Now, that being said, it is an excellent story. At the end, as stories should do, it makes you think...
A good book, but one that doesn’t flow in the Ava Lee universe... I’d recommend it to readers, but qualify for those looking for an Ava Lee adventure.
What do I mean? Well, one of the things I like best about the Ava Lee books is that she relies on friends and allies. You feel that they are part of a team. Much like the universe Rob Kantner created in his Ben Perkins books. Part here Ava is away from the all, with minor mentions at best. The circumstances that places Ava where she was were contrived, and (minor spoiler) when she is in Australia there isn’t a mention of her family that lives there... it just didn’t feel like an Ava Lee book, and it is a jarring entry in the series.
Now, that being said, it is an excellent story. At the end, as stories should do, it makes you think...
A good book, but one that doesn’t flow in the Ava Lee universe... I’d recommend it to readers, but qualify for those looking for an Ava Lee adventure.
June 5, 2018
I love the Ava Lee novels and anticipate them every year. The only bad thing I have to say about the author Ian Hamilton is that I wish the he published more than one book a year because I love his writing so much. This book in the series I went to Ian's book signing in Burlington in order to meet him and get it signed. Ian is a great individual and I was so happy to meet him and learn that he is a great down to earth individual who truly cares about his readers.
This is the tens novel in the Ava Lee Series and I must say that it was a bit different from he rest of them. I felt like Ava was out of her element in this one and with uncle being gone for a while now I was starting to wonder how far the series can go without him (I do hope that it continues much longer). Once again like the other novels, Ava kicks butt and as much as she tries to distance herself from her old business it is very much embedded into her and who she is as an individual. It's hard to escape yourself.
I can not wait until his next book comes out!
This is the tens novel in the Ava Lee Series and I must say that it was a bit different from he rest of them. I felt like Ava was out of her element in this one and with uncle being gone for a while now I was starting to wonder how far the series can go without him (I do hope that it continues much longer). Once again like the other novels, Ava kicks butt and as much as she tries to distance herself from her old business it is very much embedded into her and who she is as an individual. It's hard to escape yourself.
I can not wait until his next book comes out!
Read
July 9, 2019I read one of Hamilton's books before, and the Asia content was interesting enough, even if the writing style is a parody of Chinese-English translation. Ava Lee was not very interesting.
Hamilton gives special thanks to his publicity guru in "The Imam...", and one can certainly see why. This opens with pages and pages of Ava having sex with a movie star, perfect way to start an airport book according to market analysis, and thankfully little of Ava's telegraphic conversation. Every time Ava got dressed, I had to read about the sartorial details of her boringly androgynous wardrobe, to the buttons on the collar of her white Oxford cloth Brooks Brothers shirt (worn with black pants). This is the way I slogged through over 70 pages, until the second time I had to read about what bag Ava was carrying. I mean, the color, the style, the manufacturer. That is when the book hit the wall with great force.
Do authors get paid for toadying to advertisers in this fashion (pun intended)? What a bunch of nonsense. No stars.
Hamilton gives special thanks to his publicity guru in "The Imam...", and one can certainly see why. This opens with pages and pages of Ava having sex with a movie star, perfect way to start an airport book according to market analysis, and thankfully little of Ava's telegraphic conversation. Every time Ava got dressed, I had to read about the sartorial details of her boringly androgynous wardrobe, to the buttons on the collar of her white Oxford cloth Brooks Brothers shirt (worn with black pants). This is the way I slogged through over 70 pages, until the second time I had to read about what bag Ava was carrying. I mean, the color, the style, the manufacturer. That is when the book hit the wall with great force.
Do authors get paid for toadying to advertisers in this fashion (pun intended)? What a bunch of nonsense. No stars.
April 3, 2019
This book - in fact, the whole Ava Lee series.- is so silly that a quasi intellectual like me hates to admit to having read it. But here I am, giving it a strong three stars and admitting that I liked it a lot. Ms. Lee, of course, is an ethnically Chinese Canadian forensic accountant, lesbian and and bac me practitioner. On a typical day, she finds herself on at least two continents, always arriving on business class flights and staying in five-star hotels. Her unvarying routine is to arrive, strip, shower, put on clean underwear and a Brooks Brothers outfit, then go find a bozo twice her size and kick the s**t out of him. Then it's down to business, in this case chasing down international terrorists in the Philippines, of all places. Everybody - CIA agents, billionaires, religious leaders of all stripes - finds Ava irritating, but we readers love her and understand that the bad people have no chance against this 5'4" Dynamo.
January 18, 2020
I gave a bad review to the previous Ava Lee book I read, but this shows a change for the better. Ava gets embroiled in a potential terrorist training site in the Muslim part of the Philippines. Hamilton explains the political/religious reality of this remote part of the world, which drives much of the story. Using her skills as an accountant and investigator, Ava traces the funding sources of the training site, drawing on local Philippine resources as well as the CIA. The story moves quickly as the pieces are put together. This reads more like a detective story, which I liked, and I was interested from start to end. Unlike previous books, there is very little time spent on Ava running, showering, dressing, and other minutiae that plagued other Ava Lee stories. The plot was not overly complicated, but did take some unexpected turns which helped. The dialogue is good. Recommended
May 25, 2021
My criteria for a 5 star book is its one you cant put down, and when you finally do finish it, wind up wishing there was one more chapter to the story.
This meets both requirements.
This is a bit of a fish-out-of-water scenario for Ava, being related to intelligence and terrorism, but Hamilton knows his character well enough by now for her to play it out using her particular strengths and skills.
I can't help feeling though that what Hamilton did here was hook on a particular central plot (too much of a spoiler to mention it here and some people will have worked it out two-third's way into the book), and just plunked our favorite forensic accountant in the middle of it. In a way, she was almost like a spectator to a certain scenario the author wanted to share with us.
Not that I'm complaining. It's a good scenario =)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews