French Kiss

by Eric Van Lustbader

The murderous search for the Prey Dauw is on--the trio of weapons so imbued with mythic power that it is said whoever possesses them can dominate Indochina and control its opium. Two men have aleady been murdered for the Pray Duaw, and now their brothers, New York lawyer, Chris Haye, and NYPD detective Steve Guarda, are ready to face the savage madman who will stop at nothing to destroy them.
"Suspense that is sustained to the final page."
LOS ANGELES TIMES


From the Paperback edition.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Novels, Espionage, Suspense

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Eric Van Lustbader was born and raised in Greenwich Village. He is the author of more than twenty-five best-selling novels, including The Ninja, in which he introduced Nicholas Linnear, one of modern fiction's most beloved and enduring heroes. The Ninja was sold to 20th CenturyFox, to be made into a major motion picture. His novels have been translated into over twenty languages.

Mr. Lustbader is a graduate of Columbia College, with a degree in Sociology. Before turning to writing full time, he enjoyed highly successful careers in the New York City public school system, where he holds licenses in both elementary and early childhood education, and in the music business, where he worked for Elektra Records and CBS Records, among other companies.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/ericva...

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last millennium or previous century I encountered a writer whose books contained a vast amount of Asian philosophy and thriller aspects that really made me a fan. My dad also enjoyed the books I gave him to read by mr Lustbader.
This book I somehow overlooked as there was nothing recognizable in reading it. Unlike other books like "the ninja" and "Shan" I read and was seriously impressed with.
In French Kiss, the Kiss of death that the French gave former Indochina in their colonisation, we have various people but mostly Christopher Haye in a struggle for power into owning or ruling opium from the Shan.
Christopher Haye becomes involved when his brother is killed and he has to return to France where hé lost the Tour de France and the love of his life named Soutane.
Soutane became the love of Terry Haye who is killed and she is a follower of Buddism who is trained in deadly arts by Mun a friend of Terry. She has secrets which involve the Khmer Rouge.
Mun the best friend of Terry and his partner travels to the Shan wanting to find out why his partner died and comes face to face with his past.
Then there is Seve Guarda whose brother is killed in a similar way as Terry Haye. When hé leaves for Paris to find answers he has to become "Dancer" his nom du guerre in Vietnam.
The whole story focuses on Vietnam, its illegal forrays into Cambodia and the mythical Prey Dauw or la Porte a la Nuit whose power would be absolute in the opium world of the Shan.

A brilliant thriller about the violent past of America, France and Indochina and its nature then and now. This book written in 1989 still holds some scary foresights for todays political climate or was it always so but never as unveiled as it is today.

This Lustbader is the one I like most, in his Asian novels. Well worth visiting these older thrillers.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some years ago I had a spell of reading Van Lustbader's book (Ninja,Sirens,Miko to name a few) and had always enjoyed them but this book somehow sat neglected in the bottom of a box unread so when eventually I rediscovered it I decided to give it a whirl.

The story revolves around a mystical three bladed sword revered in Buddhist teachings and taken from Cambodia during or shortly after the Vietnam War. This artifact is believed to have the power to merge all the opium growing domains in Cambodia under one person giving that person immense power and wealth so is therefore coveted by various battling parties culminating in numerous gruesome murders,double-crosses and general mayhem along the way. The story is told at an unrelenting pace but is not without a certain depth,the flashbacks to the horrors of the Vietnam War were particularly poignant IMHO. Each of the main characters are well drawn and shown to be multi-faceted rather than purely one dimensional and whilst the ending was a little predictable it was still satisfying in its own way. All the hallmarks I remember from Lustbader's previous books.

Now whilst I doubt if this book will last too long in the old memory bank I did actually enjoy reading finding it an interesting diversion and as such I rather enjoyed my trip down memory lane.

[Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the titles my family member received for her birthday quite long ago, so I didn't know anything about the book or the author himself. Now, almost a month since the start of my reading through it, I can say that it's quite an interesting tale with strong critics towards power and dealing with the aftermath of horrors of war, written under the consultation of experts, while adapting certain parts of the story. I was thinking of giving it a 5 star rating, but the main issue was the lack of chapters, which made it difficult to track down so many characters and the plot. It's worth noting that there are times when the story jumps years back into the past, which gives the opportunity to develop even those characters that are dead in the present, but that often seems like it came out of nowhere, while trying to be invested in some relationships between those, who aren't part of that group. Still, a solid 4 is still good and I'm quite curious to see some of the other works of this author, although that might take some time, giving how much interests I have in exploring much of other writers from different parts of the world, as well. I would recommend borrowing or finding this book at a cheap price, if you don't want the plot get spoiled for you.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A muddled novel about the search for three mystical weapons. Definitely not EVL's best.

[Liz]

The story was interesting, but I just could not finish...I was very slow and hard to pay attention. I think Ifeel asleep reading this several times and finally just gave up.

[John Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

"French Kiss" eBook was published in 2017 (the original paper edition was published in 1989) and was written by Eric Van Lustbader (https://www.ericvanlustbader.com/). Mr Lustbader has published more than 45 novels.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence, Mature Language and Mature Situations.

Sometime during or shortly after the Vietnam war a powerful artifact was taken from Cambodia. This three bladed sword is said to hold great power. Now it is sought to take control of the Asian drug trade.

New York lawyer Chris Haye and NYPD lieutenant Seve Guarda are drawn into the story after their respective brothers are killed. Bloody action moves from New York to France and then Southeast Asia as they seek justice.

I enjoyed this 498 page thriller. I have read many of Van Lustbader's novels and enjoyed most of them. The cover art is OK. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

[Donna Sundre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting read with a lot of new perspective on Viet Nam and the roles that France and the U.S. played in their loss of culture and well being. I finally realized why the book was titled French Kiss--the gift of vast opium production encouraged by the French during their colonization of Cambodia and the entire area. Rather depressing...

The book was overly long, but I still enjoyed it.

[John L. Cardos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indochina Mess Continues

Great Story with many tortured characters formed in the mess of Indochina from the French colonization through the Vietnam war and the Cambodian incursions by the CIA and others. What a mess! Really bad guys die, and flawed hero's live to try and do better.

[Gene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very complex, with at least 4 plots weaving together, most of which revolve around Vietnam. I thought I had a pretty good idea just how screwed up both the war and our part in it was, but it was quite worse.

[Michiel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confusing story at the beginning. Transitions from one setting to the next with just a blank line in between. That being said, it portrays the Vietnam conflict and it’s history very well. The confusing transitions and the exceptional amount of violence have reduced my rating to three stars.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1991

[Marc de Brujo de Pronosticador Deportivo · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting novel a true seperation from his nicholas linnear novels im so fond of. well researched, intelligent , thought provoking full of plot twists and betrayals. great read.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two different cultures,one mysterious flower. When a poppy blooms over in the East, what happened when it Sparks up a drug trade scandal? Read it and find out!

[Donald Trump · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bigly!
*** 3 Stars.

[Ruth Garlick · Rating 4 out of 5]

French Kiss by Eric van Lustbader is an extremely gory, bloodthirsty book. Be wary if you want to read it, as it's filled with sex, swearing, and violence.
There is a war over an opium pipeline, in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
Set in Vietnam, France, and America, it is a story of a couple of men coming to grips with their past, and their brutally murdered brothers.
A must read, but read with caution, as it is quite graphic.

[Randy Daugherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The murderous search for the Prey Dauw is on--the trio of weapons so imbued with mythic power that it is said whoever possesses them can dominate Indochina and control its opium. Two men have aleady been murdered for the Pray Duaw, and now their brothers, New York lawyer, Chris Haye, and NYPD detective Steve Guarda, are ready to face the savage madman who will stop at nothing to destroy them.
It has been awhile since I read this, but it was still a very good read, taking us from the present to the past Its message about money, power and greed just as potent today as when it was written.

[Tessa Small · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant tale of intrigue, murder, suspense, that again carries you around the world and between todays age and the Vietnam war period.
I found the journey of one particular character in this book especially meaningful and how his experiences both in the past and in his current situation where he finds himself a target takes him to place of real enlightenment and helps him find himself.

Lovely book, fast paced and page turning.

[Benjo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

[Phillis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not get to far into this book. I cannot suggest this book.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the opium trade in French Indo-China

[Janine van der Westhuizen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Riveting to the end. I read in one night.

[Catherine]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13094574

[Peter Riegler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Twisting and difficult to follow

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure escapism.

[Swapna Kothari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long background narratives and yet you are left on a cliffhanger. Gives a good hang behind each character's disposition.

[Nathaniel Lebans]

A real page turner, good read

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This to me is one of the best of Mr. Van Lustbaders early work. I really enjoyed this book