White Ghost by Steven Gore, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Graham Gage, a private investigator with international experience and a global network of contacts, decides to take on the head of a heroin syndicate based on San Francisco, a man known as Ah Ming, in White Ghost, the fourth entry in this series by Steven Gore.

Gage is spurred into action when Ah Ming has one of his top lieutenants murdered for simply returning to San Francisco to attend his father's funeral. The dead man's mother turns out to be a woman, who saved Gage's life decades ago. But a complication has come up in Gage's life. He thought he had been suffering the effects of some illness he picked up overseas, only to learn that he has an aggressive form of lymphoma. If untreated, he'll likely die in a few short months. His doctor urges him to begin treatment immediately, but Gage simply cannot let this case go. He arranges to have regular blood tests done while he is in Southeast Asia laying a trap for Ah Ming, which satisfies his doctor and wife, though they both know that's the best they can hope for.

The basic plot of White Ghost is simplicity itself, but its execution is wildly complicated on both sides of the deal. There are so many middlemen involved, bribes here, payoffs there, a fluid concept of loyalties and allegiances, corrupt officials and backroom deals, that it's really amazing that it all comes together as seamlessly as it does. To be sure, there are bumps along the road and one misstep could spell the end to it all, but what makes the book so readable despite the intricate strategy that Gage has devised to counter the even more convoluted scheme Ah Ming has set up is how transparent Gage is with his trusted colleagues (and by extension, the reader) as he adapts to a constantly changing environment. Overall, this exciting, often tense, and well-structured novel that has an added layer of uncertainty with respect to Gage's physical condition is recommended.

White Ghost

A Graham Gage Thriller by Steven Gore