This is a great mystery series, which is not as well known in the U.S. as in Canada or the U.K. This book was a little below the usual high standard, probably because the interconnections between the primary characters form the main plot, rather than provide background for something more exciting. Mr. Mo, the head of China's film syndicate is pressing Ava's same-sex partner, actress Pang Fai, for sexual favors to ensure release of her latest film, "Mao's Daughter." After Ava and Lop pressure Mo to cooperate, Fai is threatened with the release of a very old tape of her with another woman. Author Hamilton does a nice job keeping readers guessing about the identity of the blackmailer. Meanwhile, there are some goings on in the Triads that leave things hanging for the next book. ( )

Ava Lee faces challenges and personal danger when she strikes back at a powerful Chinese government official who is threatening to end the film career of Ava's same sex lover, Fai Pang. Using skills and resources developed from her past debt collection business, she pressures the official to back off. However, shortly thereafter a sex tape featuring Fai emerges and a blackmail demand is made. Release of the tape would ruin Fai's career. Ava and Fai race against the extortionist's payment deadline to identify the culprit and retrieve the tape. The story moves briskly along as they follow the path of the tape since it was made, and soon trace it to the extortionist. This hunt is not without danger and Ava and Fai are threatened by armed thugs a couple of times.

The story is told against the background of present day Beijing with its bad air, constant rain, heavy traffic, crowded sidewalks and featureless buildings. On a positive note, Ava and Fai manage to find good places to eat a variety of Chinese delicacies. Fai's modest home in a local neighbourhood with a cast of supportive neighbours is a nice touch too. The pair manage to get a day off to explore the Great Wall, making the point that China can be a beautiful place to visit, once you get out of the city. A strength of this story comes from the author's demonstrated knowledge of present day China. It adds authenticity to what might otherwise be a cartoonish action thriller.

All in all, a good story which advances this series in a new direction. ( )

Review of the paperback edition

Ava Lee's latest adventures have taken her far from her forensic accountant roots and the money collection days with Uncle Chow Tung but Ian Hamilton hasn't lost his touch in writing a compelling suspense thriller even when centred in the world of the fashion industry (as in The Couturier of Milan) or the Chinese film industry as in the present volume.

Many of the regular extended cast of the Ava Lee series make cameo appearances as Ava marshals her allies to help her to rescue friend and lover Pang Fai from a exploitative situation. The conclusion hints at a further Triad entanglement in the upcoming The Mountain Master of Sha Tin (2019).

Ian Hamilton fans should watch for Fate: The Lost Decades of Uncle Chow Tung due January 22, 2019 in what will presumably be an Ave Lee-less prequel to The Dragon Head of Hong Kong. ( )