The Water Rat of Wanchai
By Ian Hamilton
Anansi, 424 pages
The Water Rat of Wanchai is the first book in what Anansi intends as a new mystery imprint called Spiderline. If the other novels are half as good as this debut by Ian Hamilton, the readers are going to celebrate. Hamilton, a nationally known journalist and non-fiction author, has created a marvelous character in Ava Lee, a Toronto forensic accountant.
That's right, an accountant.
Those who believe the CPA is the acronym for beige and boring will be stunned as Lee engages in adventures (and sex) from Hogtown to Hong Kong, Bangkok to Guyana. It seems Lee works for an "Uncle" who just may be part of the Chinese Mafia. Lee's job is to track down the money and those who have it. In this case, it's a nephew of a friend of "Uncle" who is owed $5-million. What happens to the person who diverted the millions is not Ava;s concern. Just find the cash and get it back to the nephew.
This is a terrific story that's certain to be on the Arthur Ellis Best First Novel list this year. Even better news is that the next three novels in the series are already written and ready to print. Ava Lee is going to be chasing the accounts for a long, long time.
