Talk about timing! Chris Bohjalian’s The Red Lotus (Doubleday, $27.95) came out last month, a book centered on a plague imported from the far east, possibly infecting New York City and killing thousands. Undoubtedly sales have been strong as we sit at home. Unfortunately, the book is not as good as it could have been, nor as good as some of his others. I reviewed The Flight Attendant a couple of years ago and found it riveting with wonderful twists and a great drunken, goodtime girl as the main character.
Red Lotus features Alexis, an emergency room physician in New York City, who can be a little naïve and fail to see the obvious, but nevertheless sympathetic. A woman who lost her father as a child, her passion to solve the mystery is relentless, perhaps beyond what most women would do—write the guy off as a mistake and move on.
Alexis meets Austin in the emergency department after he has been shot in the arm, in a bar. The wound is not serious, the attraction mutual, and as it turns out he works in the same hospital, as a fund-raiser. After dating a few months, he tells her that his uncle was killed in action in Vietnam and his dad served there heroically. He wants to visit the sites on a bicycle tour and Alexis agrees to go.
In Vietnam, Austin disappears after going on a ride by himself in the late afternoon into dangerous, mountainous country where his uncle supposedly died. This begins a frantic search and major trauma for Alexis. This section of the book is well written, riveting, and even though we know from the jacket cover that Austin will not be found, it’s by far the best part.
Through the viewpoint of the bad guys, we learn about a plague bacillus that is being smuggled or sold by nefarious characters responsible for Austin’s death. The extent of Austin’s involvement in the plot and the exact reason he had to be eliminated is slowly twisted out of the story.
In true noir style, Alexis hires a private detective, a grizzled old Army NYPD detective (right out of central casting) who is dealing with his own recent tragic loss of a daughter Alexis’ age. The twists are obvious, and the surprise villain was no surprise at all. All this leads to a predictable end. Overall, I would give the book a B- and hope for better things from Bohjalian.
Steve E Clark as seen in the New York Times is Author of Justice Is for the Lonely and Justice Is for the Deserving, Kristen Kerry Novels Of Suspense. Steve is a 2017 NY Big Book Award winner and a 2018 Independent Book Award recipient. You can purchase his books via https://steveclarkauthor.com/buy-the-book/ or request it at your local book store. Want to know more about Steve Clark, read more reviews or speak directly with Steve? Learn more about Steve at SteveClarkAuthor.com
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