The Risk of Infidelity Index: A Vincent Calvino Crime Novel: 1 - Tapa dura

"Shows that Christopher Moore is at the top of his form." "A worthy example of a serial character, Vlnny Calvino is human and convincing." "Moore has the sharpest eyes and most discerning mind on these shores, his being an expat notwithstanding. Indeed, a good many locals are unaware of the levels and degrees of subterfuge enmeshing them. To paraphrase Graham Greene, in another context, Moore is our man in Bangkok." "One of the most notable detectives of modern crime literature." "Festooned with memorable characters and a solid plot. Moore probes the country's dark side to new depths. . . . a tightly written narrative . . . a satisfying read." "Moore's work recalls the international 'entertainments' of Graham Greene or John le Carre, but the hard-bitten worldview and the cynical, bruised idealism of his battered hero are right out of Chandler. Intelligent and articulate, Moore offers a rich, passionate and original take on the private-eye game"

In the nearly twenty years he has lived in Bangkok, Christopher G. Moore has written nine novels starring Vincent Calvino, a disbarred American lawyer working as a P.I. in the dark and steamy Thai capital. Internationally acclaimed, the prize-winning novels have been translated into ten languages. With The Risk of Infidelity Index, the wonderful series will finally be launched in North America. When his surveillance of a major drug piracy ring ends in definitive video evidence, it looks like Calvino's fortunes are about to turn. The money from the job will be enough to buy out the massage parlor downstairs and restore some dignity to his place of marginal employment. But when the client dies of a heart attack and Calvino finds the body of a murdered massage girl downstairs, the authorities get suspicious of the farang who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. To make matters worse, with the dead man unable to pay, Calvino is desperate and forced to take on a job he doesn't want. Calvino's new clients are three expat housewives who want him to trail their spouses. Having read "The Risk of Infidelity Index," a guide that ranks Bangkok as the city where husbands are most likely to stray, they are rattled, haunted by the idea of their men in the bars on Patpong and Soi Cowboy. Unfortunately for Calvino, jealous wives tend to be unhappy, regardless of the results, and drug pirates aren't the type to play nice. Featuring a brilliant cast of characters including a wealthy Thai celebrity protected by important political connections, a lawyer with a perfect memory, a Shakespeare-quoting police colonel, and Calvino's loyal assistant, Ratana, and set in a superbly textured, masterfully realized Bangkok, The Risk of Infidelity Index is a thrilling read and the North American debut of an important name in literary crime fiction.