Pg. 99: Charles Benoit's "Noble Lies"

The current feature at the Page 99 Test: Charles Benoit's Noble Lies.

About the book, from the author's website:

For Mark Rohr, a decorated Desert Storm vet, the last ten years have been filled with shady jobs and countless misadventures around the globe, the low point being his current stint as a bouncer at a nameless whorehouse bar in Thailand. When the beautiful and naïve Robin Antonucci arrives from the States and hires him to help find Shawn, her brother missing since the tsunami, Mark sees the chance to make some easy money. Guide her around until she gets bored or until the money runs out and she heads home. Simple.

But what should be an easy job in a tropical paradise quickly sours when they meet Pim, the stunning Thai prostitute who claims to be Shawn’s wife. Within hours two men are dead and Jarin, southern Thailand’s most notorious gangster, wants Mark to pay. Getting away alone would be difficult. Getting away with Robin and Pim, plus an old man and a small boy – the only members of Pim’s family to survive the tsunami – might prove impossible.

With nowhere to hide and no idea where they are heading, they set off around the Thai coast, racing through beach resorts and remote villages, staying one step ahead of Jarin’s men as they all move closer to finding the truth about Shawn.

Among the praise for Noble Lies:

"Benoit is at the top of his game…a rough and rollicking story of adventure and romance."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

“This is a very good thriller, excitingly written with well-drawn characters, dialogue that rings true, and astory that’s suspenseful and tragic.”
--Booklist

“A tense and efficient cat-and-mouse mystery from Benoit, with liberal doses of exotic local color.”
--Kirkus

"Open the first pages of Charles Benoit's Noble Lies and prepare for the ride of your life. Hang on until the end - taking a breath now and then - and enjoy the most thrilling adventure story of the year."
--BookLoons Reviews

Noble Lies is a nominee for ForeWord Magazine's Mystery of the Year award.

Watch the video trailer for Noble Lies, and learn more about the author and his work at Charles Benoit's website and the Type M for Murder blog.

The Page 99 Test: Noble Lies.

--Marshal Zeringue