Fortune
The Lost Decades of Uncle Chow Tung
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4.8 • 6 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
International bestselling author Ian Hamilton returns with a riveting new novel featuring fan-favourite Uncle Chow Tung, who is called upon to end a violent turf war between rival gangs and stop Chinese authorities from eliminating the triad societies once and for all.
Hong Kong, 1995. Two years before Hong Kong is to be returned to the People’s Republic of China, the Communist government has its eye on the New Territories, and tensions are running high among the triads. At the root of the tensions is a fear of what will become of Hong Kong after the Communists take over. Seeking to strengthen their positions, several triad gangs begin a violent turf war in Macau that quickly spreads to Hong Kong. Uncle realizes that prolonged violence will result in a crackdown by the organized crime bureau of the Hong Kong police, and steps in to mediate a ceasefire. His efforts are met with resistance, and soon his own territory of Fanling is attacked by a neighbouring gang.
Meanwhile, Uncle expresses his concerns about the future to his partners in China. Their response comes as a surprise and leads to an unexpected outcome that will have a lasting effect on the triad societies for decades to come.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We first fell for supersmart Hong Kong mobster Uncle Chow in Ian Hamilton’s long-running Ava Lee mystery series. Uncle’s own historical thriller series maps his rise as an underworld kingpin—and it’s just as exciting. The third book is set in 1995, with Hong Kong being reabsorbed into mainland China, which throws the city’s underworld into chaos. Now Uncle, Hong Kong’s most honourable crime boss, must protect his small gang from being preyed on by bigger organizations while keeping the Hong Kong police off his back. A former journalist based in Asia, Hamilton fills this illicit adventure to the brim with fascinating insights into the ever-shifting loyalties of Chinese organized crime during a traumatic political and social era. This level of historical detail helps make Fortune a fantastic introduction to the inimitable Uncle Chow, whom we’d follow down just about any dark alley.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It's 1995 in Hamilton's tense third crime novel featuring Uncle Chow Tung (after 2020's Foresight), and in two years Britain will be handing over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China. Rival triad gangs, nervous about China's intentions, get into a turf war that spreads to Macao, and 61-year-old Uncle, a member of the Fanling triad in the New Territories, is enlisted to help put an end to the violence. A meeting of the various gangs to settle matters includes the participation of Tao Siju, the PRC's minister of public security. The stakes rise as Uncle asks for concessions to do business in China in exchange for rounding up men Tao wants extradited to China. Hamilton balances the action with an affecting portrait of Uncle, who likes to gamble, drink San Miguel beer, and eat snow pea shoots fried in garlic. As in previous books, Uncle, who swam to Hong Kong to escape China in 1959, speaks to and visits the grave of his fiancée, Gui-San, who died during their swim. Readers will root for Uncle as he walks the tightrope to maintain the Hong Kong triads.
