F.E. Beyer's Blog, page 4
July 11, 2023
Off the Rails Reconsidered
Earlier in 2023, I wrote a review based on what I remembered from having read ���Off the Rails in Phnom Penh: Into the Dark Heart of Guns, Girls, and Ganja��� in 2003. This book had popped into my mind many times over the years, and with a first-ever trip to Cambodia coming up, I thought ... Off the Rails Reconsidered
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June 26, 2023
Buenos Aires Triad Chapter 5
The Boss A buzzing sound indicated the security door had opened. Gustavo entered and walked across the lobby. Several seconds after pushing the button, the elevator car clanked down the open shaft. He pulled back the old-style iron door and got in. On the fifth floor, a floppy-fringed Chinese youth ushered him through an entrance ... Buenos Aires Triad Chapter 5
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China Sketches: Company
i) Years ago, coming out of a Shanghai subway station, David passed a guy dressed in what looked like dirty blue medical scrubs. Squatting on the pavement, under a street light, he had a basket of live crabs in front of him. For whatever reason, David looked back and saw the man pick up his ... China Sketches: Company
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May 24, 2023
Buenos Aires Triad Chapter 4
HOLIDAY GONE WRONG ���I don���t think I set the alarm, did you?��� Robert asked. ���No dear…you always do it.. ��� ���I���m not sure I did. Can we go back?��� Why is his mission in life to make us late? Jane took a couple of deep breaths. ���I���m sure you���ve set it. Shina will be there ... Buenos Aires Triad Chapter 4
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May 16, 2023
Buenos Aires Triad Chapter 3
STOLEN WATCHES Six months after his father died, Lucas started buying stolen watches. The old man had chased scum selling stolen stuff or fakes out of the shop with a wooden table leg. Worse still, with a few exceptions, Lucas was buying from foreigners: a Paraguayan, a Senegalese, and assorted others. ���Foreigners?��� his father would ... Buenos Aires Triad Chapter 3
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May 10, 2023
Buenos Aires Triad Chapter 2
THE TARGET Exiting the plane and walking down the steps to the tarmac, Diana felt a thrill at being outside, but then she saw the line stretching out of the terminal. She didn���t understand what was going on at first ��� was this the line for immigration? With his hat in the checked luggage, her ... Buenos Aires Triad Chapter 2
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May 1, 2023
Off the Rails in Phnom Penh
Off the Rails in Phnom Penh: Into the Dark Heart of Guns, Girls, and Ganja by Amit Gilboa My rating: 3 of 5 stars Off the Rails in Phnom Penh chronicles the adventures of the expat community in the 90s, in the post-civil war era of anything-goes hedonism. It made quite an impression on me ... Off the Rails in Phnom Penh
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January 9, 2023
Eight indie/small press books I reviewed in 2022
Links go to my reviews on Goodreads Sexual Fascism — In these essays the USA compares poorly with China in terms of sexual freedom White Faced Lies — This graphic novel details the rent-a-white-guy in China phenomenon Unwelcome — An anti-coming-of-age novel set in China and the US, gripping in the tear-legs-off-a-spider kind of way Default …
Eight indie/small press books I reviewed in 2022 Read More »
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December 21, 2022
The Dragonhead
The Dragonhead: The Godfather of Chinese Crime–His Rise and Fall by John Sack My rating: 5 of 5 stars As others have mentioned, The Dragonhead is a great read taken as a novel but doesn’t hold up as a true story. The Dragonhead himself, Johnny Kon, crosses over into Hong Kong in the 60s as …
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September 2, 2022
The Snakehead
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream by Patrick Radden Keefe My rating: 4 of 5 stars Modus Operandi PRK: pick an interesting subject, research the f out of it, and write a looong book. He saves his opinions and judgements until the end. A wise choice, you don’t …
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