Eclectic crime fiction & informed, irreverent non-fiction from Asia & beyond
In the 8th edition of Noir Nation, writer James Newman reviews my latest novel The Monsoon Ghost Image while dissecting the curious Thailand ex-pat literary scene, featuring interviews with Paul French, Angela Savage and Christopher Moore. The third Detective Maier mystery is a taut and crazy spy thriller for our disturbing times. When award-winning German […]
Continue ReadingA short essay on politics and crime fiction, published at b for bookreview. A while ago, I had a conversation with an American book reviewer about politics in crime fiction. He felt that overt political messages do not belong in the genre. I felt that covert or subconscious political leanings are part and parcel of […]
Continue Reading“I tried to capture not just the devotees’ tattoos but who they were. My models were rather shy at first. Most of them were male and taking their clothes off for a female photographer was definitely a challenge for them. But after I had taken a few shots, their confidence increased and they conveyed a […]
Continue ReadingJust in time for our appearance at the UBUD Writers and Readers Festival in Bali, Noir Nation posts a short film interview with photographer Aroon Thaewchatturat on Sacred Skin, the first English language book on Thailand’s spirit tattoos, Sak Yant. Watch the clip here! Watch it here!
Continue ReadingThe excellent Noir Nation Vol. 2, an eFormat magazine featuring of course Noir fiction and non fiction essays on tattoos, is out now, including an essay pillaged from my recent book Sacred Skin. It’s yours for 10 bucks! Here’s the amazon link!
Continue ReadingMany Asian governments don’t like their citizen to discuss their country’s history, culture, politics or current affairs. Severe restrictions, both in the form of laws as well as unwritten rules, suppress civil society entering into a dialogue with itself. Powerful elites introduce taboos of expression that one may cross only at one’s peril. In China, […]
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