Hour of the Rat
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Iraq War vet Ellie McEnroe has a pretty good life in Beijing, representing the work of controversial dissident Chinese artist Zhang Jianli. Even though Zhang’s mysterious disappearance of over a year ago has her in the sights of the Chinese authorities. Even though her Born-Again mother has come for a visit and shows no signs of leaving. But when her mom takes up with “that nice Mr. Zhou next door,” Ellie decides that it’s time to get out of town—given her mother’s past bad choices of men, no good can come of this.
An old Army buddy, Dog Turner, gives her the perfect excuse. His unstable brother Jason has disappeared in picturesque Yangshuo, a famous tourist destination, and though Ellie knows it’s a long shot, she agrees to try to find him. At worst, she figures she’ll have a few days of fun in some gorgeous scenery.
But her plans for a relaxing vacation are immediately complicated when her mother and the new boyfriend tag along. And as soon as she starts asking questions about the missing Jason, Ellie realizes that she’s stumbled into a dangerous conspiracy that may or may not involve a sinister biotech company, eco-terrorists, an art-obsessed Chinese billionaire and lots of cats—one that will take her on a wild chase through some of China’s most beautiful—and most surreal—places.
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Brackmann's finely honed second thriller featuring Ellie McEnroe (after 2010's Rock Paper Tiger) finds the Iraq war vet working in China as an art dealer for political fugitive Lao Zhang. The good news: Ellie loves living in Beijing, and her business is thriving. The bad news: her ne'er-do-well mother is staying with her, and fellow vet Doug "Dog" Turner's brother, Jason, has gone missing somewhere in China. Ellie decides to ask around about Jason, but must tread carefully, as she's still under surveillance by the Chinese secret police, who at one point haul her in "for tea." After her release, Ellie travels into the countryside with her mother looking for Jason, an activist on the run from shadowy Chinese and American businessmen. Brackmann is as adept at bringing China's densely populated cities and breathtaking landscapes to life as she is at depicting her flawed but appealing characters and twists and turns galore.