Eclectic crime fiction & informed, irreverent non-fiction from Asia & beyond
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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Writer Isobel Blackthorn dropped a wonderful review of The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu. The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu is as much an atmospheric and absorbing read as it is fast-paced entertainment. It’s 1975, and four young men in an old Bedford van pull up in the Hindu Kush on the Peshawar-Kabul road to follow through […]
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The Audio Book edition of The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu is out!! 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 drug deal goes wrong, the boys barely escape with their […]
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David W. Berner published a wonderful and erudite review of The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu at Medium. Hippies, drugs, a road trip, and crime. What could go wrong? Not much, in terms of literary missteps. The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu by author Tom Vater is a throttle to the floor story. It’s a crime novel, […]
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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 […]
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An intriguing new review of The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu. “The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu tells the story of four men during a fateful trip in Asia that culminates 25 years later as each faces the repercussions of their initial trip and choices. Broken up into 6 parts that time jump between the initial trip […]
Continue ReadingMy long read, a lively history of Koh Phangan in Thailand, home of the infamous Full Moon Party and so much more, is out with Travelfish on October 1st. I interviewed numerous residents, both Thai and foreigners, providing eye witness accounts dating back to the 1940s, with great anecdotes and intriguing insights on island life.
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 […]
Continue ReadingCan you imagine it? A crystal-clear tropical lake, surrounded by volcanic mountain, dotted with immense waterfalls? A green, lush island the size of Singapore in its center, populated by an independent, happy-go-lucky indigenous community? An extensive yet underused tourist infrastructure for almost all tastes and budgets? No crowds? No curfews? No high-rise condos? In South […]
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