Bangkok
Laws
A
Bryson Coventry Mystery
Jim
Michael Hansen
Dark
Sky (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-9769243-1-5 (0976924315)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9769243-1-9 (9780976924319)
Publication Date: March 2008
List Price: $13.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): As Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry finds himself entangled in the collateral damage of a killer who uses the entire world as his playground, newly licensed attorney Paige Alexander lands her very first case--a case that cold possibly destroy the most powerful law firm in the world; a case involving a deadly, high-stakes international conspiracy of terrible proportions; a case that started in Bangkok but will not end there.
Review:
Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry investigates a number of
seemingly unconnected crimes in Bangkok
Laws,
the fifth mystery in this series by Jim Michael Hansen.
The first crime, a murder, seems fairly routine, a man repeatedly
stabbed in the back. Obviously a crime of passion, yet there are no
suspects. Then a woman is killed, her neck broken, and left outside a
home she was preparing to clean. Inexplicably, her roommate has
disappeared. Then another woman, the daughter of a prominent television
personality, vanishes. Though nothing connects any of these crimes
together, Bryson begins to suspect that his new lady friend, Ja'Von
Deveraux, is somehow involved. She has hired a recently licensed and
inexperienced lawyer to sue the largest and most prestigious law firm
in Denver, a legal mismatch if ever there was one. And then a common
thread emerges: Bangkok.
Bangkok
Laws alternates between three
points of view: Bryson Coventry and his investigative team, Ja'Von and
her lawyer Paige Alexander, and a contract killer named Dylan Joop.
Since there are no obvious connections between them, it could be
confusing to the reader exactly what's going on and why. Furthermore,
the pace of the plot is relentless with never much time spent on one
point of view before moving on to the next. Yet the author handles it
all brilliantly with an amazingly deft touch. Improbable coincidences
in another context seem perfectly reasonable here ... or at least
credible. A suspense novel to be sure and there is some misdirection,
but most readers will no doubt figure out well before the end how the
various plot threads come together. This in no way, however, lessens
this thrilling adventure.
In a nod to, and with respect for, Alfred Hitchcock, the author inserts
himself in a scene or two, and titles of his books seem to appear on
most of the character's bookshelves or nightstands at one point or
another. This, like much of the rest of Bangkok Laws,
is more clever than contrived and ultimately works as pure
entertainment.
Special thanks to Jim Michael Hansen for providing a copy of Bangkok Laws for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Bangkok Laws? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
Night
Laws
Dark Sky (Hardcover), March 2006
ISBN-10: 0-97692430-7 (0976924307)
ISBN-13: 978-0-97692430-2 (9780976924302)
Shadow
Laws
Dark Sky (Hardcover), October 2006
ISBN-10: 0-97692434-X (097692434X)
ISBN-13: 978-0-97692434-0 (9780976924340)
Fatal
Laws
Dark Sky (Hardcover), June 2007
ISBN-10: 0-97692436-6 (0976924366)
ISBN-13: 978-0-97692436-4 (9780976924364)
Deadly
Laws
Dark Sky (Hardcover), October 2007
ISBN-10: 0-97692433-1 (0976924331)
ISBN-13: 978-0-97692433-3 (9780976924333)
Bangkok Laws
Dark Sky (Trade Paperback), March 2008
ISBN-10: 0-9769243-1-5 (0976924315)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9769243-1-9 (9780976924319)
Immortal Laws
Dark Sky (Trade Paperback), September 2008
ISBN-10: 0-9769243-5-8 (0976924358)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9769243-5-7 (9780976924357)
Voodoo Laws
Dark Sky (Trade Paperback), March 2009
ISBN-10: 0-9769243-7-4 (0976924374)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9769243-7-1 (9780976924371)
Ancient Laws
Dark Sky (Trade Paperback), September 2009
ISBN-10: 0-9769243-2-3 (0976924323)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9769243-2-6 (9780976924326)
Omnimystery
keywords for Bangkok Laws
...
Location(s) referenced: Denver,
Colorado,
Bangkok, Thailand.
