Eclectic crime fiction & informed, irreverent non-fiction from Asia & beyond
My first novel, The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu, was published 20 years ago by Dragon’s Mouth Press in Hong Kong. In 2012, it was republished by Crime Wave Press and in 2021, it was picked up by Next Chapter where it’s currently out as ebook, paperback, audio book and hardback. Xplora Editorial have published a […]
Continue ReadingGetting there is half the fun, they say. That’s what I thought, when the Iranian policeman squeezed my pants hard at the border crossing with Pakistan.“You smuggle anything?” he barked, leanng in as I smelled his stale breath..Two shady Baluchi men were lingering outside the roadside shack, revving the engine of their sports car. They […]
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The film rights for my first novel, The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu, originally published in 2004, have been bought by 108 Media. In 1976, four friends – Dan, Fred, Tim and Thierry – are on a bus along the hippie trail from London to Kathmandu. But everything is not going according to plan. After a […]
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The Hard Hat Book Site has a wonderful review of The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu/ Thanks! Young hippies growing old! As if it is not bad enough that we lose our youth and can’t go back, we also have to cope with the fact that our youth still reserves the right to hang around and […]
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Thanks for a great review: …The highlights of the novel for me were the unique and crazy characters as well as Vater’s keen eye for details. Vater definitely utilizes impressive descriptions coupled with believable and realistic dialogue to create an atmosphere that completely sucks you in from the very beginning. At times you really feel […]
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Coming soon – A Blackthorn Book Tour of: The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu ‘Acid trips, border crossings, road weariness, the adventurous optimism of youth and the limitations of middle aged wisdom…’ Buy The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu here.
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This was a wild read! There is a lot of excitement that kept me wondering what would happen next. Although there are quite a few humorous parts, I had two favorites: where the four stopped the bus and found water to take a swim in, Fred excitedly jumps in and announces that he forgot that […]
Continue ReadingAs the USA is threatening war with Iran again, I am republishing the only football story I´ve ever written. Watching the World Cup Match between the USA and Iran in Esfahan in 1998, was one of the highlights of my time in Iran. The streets of this beautiful city were crammed with revelers, celebrating the […]
Continue ReadingA brand new and very kind review of my first novel, The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu, at The Dorset Book Detective. Thanks! A snappy thriller with strong characterisation and witty dialogue, The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu is an entertaining read with as many plot twists as it has droll one liners. Tom Vater’s novel […]
Continue Reading“There are plenty of unique, crazy and offbeat characters that fill this novel, and the author has a keen eye for detail. The part of this story that took place in the Blue Parrot is one of my favorites, and is an excellent example of how the author sets a scene that sucks the reader […]
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