Behind the Night Bazaar

Jayne followed Didier into the Night Bazaar, a concrete building that could pass for an underground carpark. As they zigzagged along aisles laden with clothing and souvenirs she wondered who created the demand for stuffed cobras wrestling with mongooses, scorpions in glass boxes and metre-long wooden penises. She paused briefly to feel the fabric of a crimson and black sarong: one hundred per cent polyester.

Thirty-something Australian Jayne Keeney works as a PI in Bangkok. Shaken by a serious incident, she heads north to visit her close friend Didier in Chiang Mai, though there's no relief for her there. Murder is in the air and the police, led by Lieutenant Colonel Ratratarn, have no interest in justice. But Jayne does. With some help from Arthur Conan Doyle she digs deep—past the tacky glamour of the city's clubs and bars, arrogant expats, corrupt officials, and a steamy affair—to find out just what happened behind the Night Bazaar.

Angela Savage has brought the streets of Thailand vividly to life. In Jayne Keeney she has created a gutsy heroine.This is an unforgettable debut novel and the start of an exciting new series.

Praise for Behind the Night Bazaar:

‘Coolly elegant with a lovely sense of place, Savage directs her authorial tuk-tuk into the literary precinct without sacrificing the requisite violence, corrupt police, edgy social commentary and the need for her heroine to become a lonely social crusader in the best hard-boiled tradition.’

Graeme Blundell, Weekend Australian

‘Thought-provoking it is but she does so in the context of a thoroughly readable and, yes, entertaining story…Keeney emerges as an appealing character, emotional and yet capable of cold-eyed action. She smokes too much, speaks Thai fluently and likes a drink and a shag. She has a well-developed moral compass…Better still, Keeny is built to last and this debut has all the makings of a long-running serial. There are villains on the streets of Chiang Mai yet to get their just desserts and a couple of obvious loose ends remaining to be stitched up. I’m looking forward to the next instalment.’

Age

‘Taut, edgy and vividly realised, Night Bazaar delivers the ironies and moral complexities of the best crime thrillers.’

Garry Disher