Eclectic crime fiction & informed, irreverent non-fiction from Asia & beyond
“For the armchair traveler, Mr. Kemp’s “Burmese Light” may be the most entertaining introduction to the country. Originally from the Netherlands, Mr. Kemp has lived in the region since the 1980s and is known for books from Vietnam and Cambodia. “‘Burmese Light’ is really about this moment in transition,” he explained before the book’s launch […]
Continue ReadingRoving Asia expert Ron Gluckman recently reviewed my book Sacred Skin for the Wall Street Journal. His review was shortened for the Journal publication but has now turned up in its full length glory on Ron Gluckman’s website. The review also covers another soon to be published book on the same subject, by Bangkok journalists […]
Continue ReadingVeteran roving Asia reporter Ron Gluckman wrote a great review of my new book Sacred Skin, the first English language book on Thailand’s spirit tattoos, in the Wall Street Journal, in tandem with a look at another soon to be published title on the same subject by Joe Cummings and Dan White.
Continue ReadingMy review of Chris Taylor´s excellent novel Harvest Season is running in The Wall Street Journal this week. A thoughtful meditation on backpacker mayhem in Southern China, quite unlike Alex Garland´s The Beach. Read the full review here.
Continue ReadingTom Vater’s feature on India’s disappearing Havelis and Their Fabled Frescoes has been published in The Wall Street Journal. SHEKHAWATI, India — It was the McMansion of its day. Built in 1900 for a wealthy trading family in a dusty outpost here in India’s Rajasthan state, the house was designed to be a bold statement […]
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