A Death in China by Carl Hiaasen and Bill Montalbano review

This is the first book I've read by these authors, but it won't be the last. It is riveting, and hard to put down once started. It was first published in 1984, and describes China during that time frame.

The protagonist is Thomas Sutton, who has gone to China with a tour group.  He is a professor of Art at a small college in the U.S.  But in his earlier years he had been an American who had gone into China on a covertmission, and barely escaped with his life.

While sneaking off on his own to explore Peking, he meets an old friend and mentor, David Wang.  While David had been born in China, he had attended school in the U.S. and while he was in the U.S. China underwent several major upheavals and he never returned until that week.  His brother, one year younger than he, and a high ranking official in the Communist Party, had invited him for a visit.

When David returns to Peking from his visit, he is taken ill and dies.  Thomas is asked by the brother to accompany David's body back to America, but Thomas becomes suspicious and tries to get out of it.  before long, he is involved in a situation that will take a lot of luck and skill to get out of.

I enjoyed the suspense and the twists and turns of the plot.  I also thought the characters were well written and believable.  There is a little romance, some flashbacks to the Viet-Nam era, some covert CIA operations, and some sibling rivalry.  Added to that, the intrigue and political maneuvering within China was extremely interesting.




This is part of my 2014 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge--it's been in my TBR list since 11/28/2011, and I'm really glad I finally read it!
It also is part of my 2014 Vintage BINGO Mystery--Silver--V--outside my comfort zone.
It is also part of my Around the World in 12 Books Challenge--China (Asia).