"The Dragon Head of Hong Kong", by Ian Hamilton

Book 0.5, the Ava Lee prequel

The same as every other book in the Ava Lee Series this novella also has a life of its own. The storyline answers the question every fans of this series may have been asking: How Ava and Uncle first connected and answers our curiosity concerning Ava’s early life. 

Although this is the shortest of all the books so far, the length does not diminish the strength of the story. The plot is what drives the story and its simplicity shines through its characters. In this story, Ava right out of school has opened her own private firm when one client who has been swindled needs her help. That brings her to Hong Kong, is plunges into a dangerous game and meets Uncle, the man that will for ever be her saviour.

This is a fast read, with simple language and one totally captivating. This series is fun and I highly recommend it for those who enjoy mysteries out of the ordinary featuring a 115 lbs Chinese-Canadian kick-ass forensic accountant with ties to an elderly Hong Kong man who may be close to the Triads.

"The Sound of Things Falling", by Juan Gabriel Vasquez

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This is a gripping novel, very absorbing from start to finish. This is a page turner that describes Bogota and the Colombian life in a well-constructed plot that neatly and carefully meshed the country’s violent past with present elements. This beautifully written story explores the aftermath of the toxic effects of the drugs trade.

“The Sound of Things Falling” is the story of Antonio, a young professor in Bogota, who loves to unwind playing billiard at the end of his day’s work. There he befriends Laverde, an older man recently released from prison. One day standing on the street the two gets shot, Laverde is killed and Antonio severely wounded. From there on, the story focusses in the bewilderment and fear of a society corrupted who has been taken over by force. This story takes us on a powerful visual journey through lush mountain landscapes and the bustle of city streets. There are lot of emotions but does not become heavy-handed. The style is fluid, the pacing is steady, and the descriptive passages are stunning and very intense. The characters are well-rounded and their memories resonate across this powerful and profound story. I love this book everything shines: the characters, the scenes, the dialogue, the details and the gritty reality that has its own persuasive magic.

This book is totally captivating and one I enjoyed immensely

"Wonder",by Dominique Fortier

This is a three part novel that brings to life a cast of characters both historical and fictional and opens with a much too formal and opulent narrative to have piqued my fancy but this doesn't remove the interesting points it may have tried to convey.

The first part “Monster and Marvels” is based on the true story of Baptiste Cyparis, an Afro-Caribbean man who was recruited by the Barnum & Bailey Circus after he survived the apocalyptic eruption of Martinique’s Mt. Pelée in 1902. At first this captivated me but it unfortunately petered out in no time and I “wondered” what went wrong and how come it left me so flat.

Then we suddenly move to the second part, “Harmony of the Spheres. In a style effortlessly precise and rather poetic we fall into a kind of puzzle hard to understand. Its characters Edward and Garance, are an eccentric couple both gifted and very strange. Edward, a mathematician, has a compulsion for numbers and it was quite a challenge to attempt understanding where this story was leading. In fact I never did and again I “wondered” why.

And finally everything seems or wants to come together in “Love and Waves”. Set in my hometown of Montreal this last part is the encounter between a young woman and a man whose quiet courtship is based on routine and solace. Unfortunately by then I had lost all interest and my patience was at its end. As I reached the last words, I no longer “wondered” why these stories couldn't take hold of me…… and finally I could move on.

This novel is a real concoction and a very unsatisfying one. The story is convoluted, wholly unaffecting, populated with lazy and boring characters. Whether I wasn't in the mood or simply couldn't grasp the essence, this novel simply never managed to hold my interest. It was hard to connect the dots and make sense of the whole thing. Was this book too original or maybe the style too flowery? If you like verbose description this novel may be right up your alley, it definitely was not mine. Did things get lost in translation, I doubt it…..