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Leah Kolbe #2
Deep Night
Praise for The Fat Man’s Daughter :
“When they work—when the balance between art and research is close to perfection—crime novels that illuminate an historical period are things of beauty. Caroline Petit’s first novel falls into that illustrious company. She catches the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of Hong Kong, China and Manchuria in 1937 as they filter through the senses of a fascinating young woman. . . . Under the amazingly sure hand of Petit, an Australian writer of rare abilities, every aspect of this terrific story comes to life.”— Chicago Tribune
“Remarkable. . . . Irresistible.”— Advocate (Tennessee)
“An excellent suspense story, a bona fide tour of China as it was then, with menacing characters and swift, sure punishment.”— Orange County Register
“Vivid . . . the journey into womanhood as exotic action-adventure.”— Publishers Weekly
“The extraordinary journey of Leah Kolbe, a compelling character.”—Jacqueline Winspear
Leah Kolbe, the daughter of a recently deceased British antiquities dealer, escapes to Macao as the Japanese occupy Hong Kong, where her fiancé is interned and where she has long lived. As a spy for the British, she takes a Japanese lover. When she returns with provisions on the first boat to reach liberated Hong Kong, she finds the English survivors totally altered. Although her fiancé cannot bear to remain in Hong Kong, Leah chooses to stay on and rebuild.
Caroline Petit was born and raised in the United States but now lives in Victoria, Australia. Her debut, featuring Leah Kolbe, was The Fat Man’s Daughter .
“When they work—when the balance between art and research is close to perfection—crime novels that illuminate an historical period are things of beauty. Caroline Petit’s first novel falls into that illustrious company. She catches the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of Hong Kong, China and Manchuria in 1937 as they filter through the senses of a fascinating young woman. . . . Under the amazingly sure hand of Petit, an Australian writer of rare abilities, every aspect of this terrific story comes to life.”— Chicago Tribune
“Remarkable. . . . Irresistible.”— Advocate (Tennessee)
“An excellent suspense story, a bona fide tour of China as it was then, with menacing characters and swift, sure punishment.”— Orange County Register
“Vivid . . . the journey into womanhood as exotic action-adventure.”— Publishers Weekly
“The extraordinary journey of Leah Kolbe, a compelling character.”—Jacqueline Winspear
Leah Kolbe, the daughter of a recently deceased British antiquities dealer, escapes to Macao as the Japanese occupy Hong Kong, where her fiancé is interned and where she has long lived. As a spy for the British, she takes a Japanese lover. When she returns with provisions on the first boat to reach liberated Hong Kong, she finds the English survivors totally altered. Although her fiancé cannot bear to remain in Hong Kong, Leah chooses to stay on and rebuild.
Caroline Petit was born and raised in the United States but now lives in Victoria, Australia. Her debut, featuring Leah Kolbe, was The Fat Man’s Daughter .
- GenresHistorical Fiction
277 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2008
3 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 17, 2018
*chuckle* I think that ‘Deep Trouble’ might have been a better title for this book than Deep Night!
A sequel to The Fat Man’s Daughter (2005), Deep Night is the story of attractive, sexy Leah Kolbe, who runs her Hong Kong antiques business according to the somewhat dubious principles of her father, who died in mysterious circumstances. In this sequel, the Sino-Japanese War, under the radar of great powers preoccupied by the war in Europe, suddenly escalates in significance with the bombing of Pearl Harbour and the start of the Pacific War. Hong Kong is a British colony, not then thought to be at risk from the Japanese who have occupied Manchuria, while China, beset by internal struggles, is trying to ward off territorial ambitions that threaten its independence even further. It’s not a good time to be in a business that depends on exports to wealthy westerners.
It’s also not a good time to rush into an engagement but Leah decides to stop fending off Jonathan (who is also sexy and attractive but is undesirably more interested in settling down with a family than in her business), only to have him captured by the invading Japanese and sent off to an uncertain fate. Using her contacts, Leah decamps to Macau, now part of China, but then a Portuguese colony and at this stage of the war, the sole remaining European possession in Asia. Its status, however, is tentative, as a translator explains to Leah:
Leah arrives, like so many other refugees, with nothing, because (conveniently within swimming distance of Macau) she was unceremoniously dumped out of the junk she’d hired and loses everything from her passport to her shoes. She is taken in by the British Consul Stephen Albemarle (who is middle-aged but fancies her) and he invents a job for her at the consulate, which is (as you’d expect) involved in transmitting intelligence.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/12/18/d...
A sequel to The Fat Man’s Daughter (2005), Deep Night is the story of attractive, sexy Leah Kolbe, who runs her Hong Kong antiques business according to the somewhat dubious principles of her father, who died in mysterious circumstances. In this sequel, the Sino-Japanese War, under the radar of great powers preoccupied by the war in Europe, suddenly escalates in significance with the bombing of Pearl Harbour and the start of the Pacific War. Hong Kong is a British colony, not then thought to be at risk from the Japanese who have occupied Manchuria, while China, beset by internal struggles, is trying to ward off territorial ambitions that threaten its independence even further. It’s not a good time to be in a business that depends on exports to wealthy westerners.
It’s also not a good time to rush into an engagement but Leah decides to stop fending off Jonathan (who is also sexy and attractive but is undesirably more interested in settling down with a family than in her business), only to have him captured by the invading Japanese and sent off to an uncertain fate. Using her contacts, Leah decamps to Macau, now part of China, but then a Portuguese colony and at this stage of the war, the sole remaining European possession in Asia. Its status, however, is tentative, as a translator explains to Leah:
“Macau is only free because there is a large Japanese community in Brazil (a Portuguese colony in the 19th century). Portugal threatened to freeze the bank accounts of these wealthy Japanese. Japanese officers are crawling all over Macau. They swagger about like they own the place. We are still afraid that they might blockade Macau or take us over.” (p.75)
Leah arrives, like so many other refugees, with nothing, because (conveniently within swimming distance of Macau) she was unceremoniously dumped out of the junk she’d hired and loses everything from her passport to her shoes. She is taken in by the British Consul Stephen Albemarle (who is middle-aged but fancies her) and he invents a job for her at the consulate, which is (as you’d expect) involved in transmitting intelligence.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/12/18/d...
August 11, 2009
Book Synopsis:
Leah Kolbe's father, a dealer in antiquities, left the business to her when he died. Now the Japanese have occupied most of mainland China and threaten the British colony of Hong Kong where Leah lives. When they unexpectedly invade, her fiancé becomes a prisoner of war, interned under the harshest conditions with the rest of the colonialists. She escapes to Macau, arriving there penniless after everything - including her shoes - has been stolen.
Leah finds a job at the British consulate and is accepted into local Portuguese society. But when she is asked, she agrees to become a spy and to take a Japanese armaments manufacturer as a lover, putting her life in constant peril.
Book Review:
DEEP NIGHT is the second Leah Kolbe book from USA-born, Australian resident author Caroline Petit. Set in 1940's Hong Kong, Leah finally agrees to marry her lover English ex-pat Jonathon. Unfortunately the date of their wedding - Christmas 1941 - finds her exiled to Macau and Jonathon in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The Japanese push from occupied China into Hong Kong is rapid and brutal. Those that can escape to Macau live a hand to mouth existence as refugees. The rest of the story you can get from the synopsis of the book really.
DEEP NIGHT was just one of those highly entertaining books that turned out to be perfect for a Sunday afternoon. Leah's a great character (I was reminded somewhat of Phyrne Fisher, but there's more of a serious side to Leah as well). She's quite the survivor and she's very much the pragmatist and in war - needs must, regardless of how unpleasant the circumstances. Leah isn't a prude though, and her sexual exploits are frequently enjoyable no matter the circumstances. One of the great strengths of DEEP NIGHT is that although there's a bit of a fun side to Leah, you never lose the sense of the war and the danger around her. Whilst there's definitely spy thriller brave doings and a bit of dashing around, under it all there's the ever present threat of the Japanese, as well as the distress of not knowing the fate of friends and her loved ones in Hong Kong. The personal aspects of war are wonderfully portrayed simply by placing the British and Japanese consulates side by side in Macau and then drawing on the difficulties between two friends (the respective consuls) now on different sides of a conflict.
Seemingly fitting perfectly within the timeframe that it's written in, DEEP NIGHT was really a very enjoyable spy type book, albeit with a hefty dose of sex, romance, intrigue and love's lost. This is definitely a book that would appeal to somebody looking for a good historical spy thriller with that feminine touch. It was so enjoyable I've now ordered a copy of Petit's first Leah Kolbe book THE FAT MAN'S DAUGHTER as I'm kicking myself I missed it when it was originally released.
DEEP NIGHT is on the list of nominees for Best Crime Novel at the Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards later this month.
Leah Kolbe's father, a dealer in antiquities, left the business to her when he died. Now the Japanese have occupied most of mainland China and threaten the British colony of Hong Kong where Leah lives. When they unexpectedly invade, her fiancé becomes a prisoner of war, interned under the harshest conditions with the rest of the colonialists. She escapes to Macau, arriving there penniless after everything - including her shoes - has been stolen.
Leah finds a job at the British consulate and is accepted into local Portuguese society. But when she is asked, she agrees to become a spy and to take a Japanese armaments manufacturer as a lover, putting her life in constant peril.
Book Review:
DEEP NIGHT is the second Leah Kolbe book from USA-born, Australian resident author Caroline Petit. Set in 1940's Hong Kong, Leah finally agrees to marry her lover English ex-pat Jonathon. Unfortunately the date of their wedding - Christmas 1941 - finds her exiled to Macau and Jonathon in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The Japanese push from occupied China into Hong Kong is rapid and brutal. Those that can escape to Macau live a hand to mouth existence as refugees. The rest of the story you can get from the synopsis of the book really.
DEEP NIGHT was just one of those highly entertaining books that turned out to be perfect for a Sunday afternoon. Leah's a great character (I was reminded somewhat of Phyrne Fisher, but there's more of a serious side to Leah as well). She's quite the survivor and she's very much the pragmatist and in war - needs must, regardless of how unpleasant the circumstances. Leah isn't a prude though, and her sexual exploits are frequently enjoyable no matter the circumstances. One of the great strengths of DEEP NIGHT is that although there's a bit of a fun side to Leah, you never lose the sense of the war and the danger around her. Whilst there's definitely spy thriller brave doings and a bit of dashing around, under it all there's the ever present threat of the Japanese, as well as the distress of not knowing the fate of friends and her loved ones in Hong Kong. The personal aspects of war are wonderfully portrayed simply by placing the British and Japanese consulates side by side in Macau and then drawing on the difficulties between two friends (the respective consuls) now on different sides of a conflict.
Seemingly fitting perfectly within the timeframe that it's written in, DEEP NIGHT was really a very enjoyable spy type book, albeit with a hefty dose of sex, romance, intrigue and love's lost. This is definitely a book that would appeal to somebody looking for a good historical spy thriller with that feminine touch. It was so enjoyable I've now ordered a copy of Petit's first Leah Kolbe book THE FAT MAN'S DAUGHTER as I'm kicking myself I missed it when it was originally released.
DEEP NIGHT is on the list of nominees for Best Crime Novel at the Sisters in Crime Davitt Awards later this month.
February 8, 2016
When “Deep Night” by Caroline Petit opens, Leah Kolbe is successfully running her recently deceased father’s antique business in Hong Kong, and living the good life. She’s happily engaged, content with her life and work, and finds herself dashing off to parties with the likes of writer Ernest Hemingway, who is holding court at the Peninsula Hotel.
War appears on the horizon, however, and an old colleague of her father’s approaches Leah and proposes a tempting offer. He wants her to assist the British by spying on one of her customers, a Japanese businessman whose family’s business is steel, an important war materiel.
Leah agrees despite mixed feelings, and thus begins her descent into a hellish state of war and espionage. As the Japanese attack the island of Hong Kong, life soon becomes impossible. Her fiancé is sent off to fight, and when a loyal servant makes it possible for her to escape the threat of war via passage to Macau, she leaves with nothing but the clothes on her back. Once she manages to land on the island (another harrowing experience in which she defies death), she seeks refuge at the British Consulate, where she is soon employed.
The spying continues, indeed accelerates, and soon she finds herself in too deep, with enemies around every corner. If she can just hang on until the war ends, she believes that she can reconnect with her fiancé, who has become a prisoner of war in the mean time.
Unfortunately, just when everything builds to a climax in “Deep Night,” the main character Leah becomes almost listless, and one dimensional. It’s fair that the war has taken its toll, but as readers, we end up caring less about what happens to Leah and when she finally reunites with her fiancé, everything becomes even drearier as he begins to figure some things out (what Leah has been doing, which is compromising herself in the role of spy). In the end, Leah is abandoned by the man she expected to marry, and that seems a fitting end, considering all that has come before.
Perhaps because of what Leah has experienced, readers are likely to believe that she will not crumble, but instead is likely to go on, building a new life for herself (where author Petit can explore new ideas about another book, post-war), but readers will need to see new life and vigor in this character, who becomes increasingly unlikable as the end of “Deep Night” approaches. Overall, the historical setting and hardships of war are portrayed brilliantly in this novel, but losing interest in the main character’s success or failure makes for some disappointment.
War appears on the horizon, however, and an old colleague of her father’s approaches Leah and proposes a tempting offer. He wants her to assist the British by spying on one of her customers, a Japanese businessman whose family’s business is steel, an important war materiel.
Leah agrees despite mixed feelings, and thus begins her descent into a hellish state of war and espionage. As the Japanese attack the island of Hong Kong, life soon becomes impossible. Her fiancé is sent off to fight, and when a loyal servant makes it possible for her to escape the threat of war via passage to Macau, she leaves with nothing but the clothes on her back. Once she manages to land on the island (another harrowing experience in which she defies death), she seeks refuge at the British Consulate, where she is soon employed.
The spying continues, indeed accelerates, and soon she finds herself in too deep, with enemies around every corner. If she can just hang on until the war ends, she believes that she can reconnect with her fiancé, who has become a prisoner of war in the mean time.
Unfortunately, just when everything builds to a climax in “Deep Night,” the main character Leah becomes almost listless, and one dimensional. It’s fair that the war has taken its toll, but as readers, we end up caring less about what happens to Leah and when she finally reunites with her fiancé, everything becomes even drearier as he begins to figure some things out (what Leah has been doing, which is compromising herself in the role of spy). In the end, Leah is abandoned by the man she expected to marry, and that seems a fitting end, considering all that has come before.
Perhaps because of what Leah has experienced, readers are likely to believe that she will not crumble, but instead is likely to go on, building a new life for herself (where author Petit can explore new ideas about another book, post-war), but readers will need to see new life and vigor in this character, who becomes increasingly unlikable as the end of “Deep Night” approaches. Overall, the historical setting and hardships of war are portrayed brilliantly in this novel, but losing interest in the main character’s success or failure makes for some disappointment.
January 24, 2012
was dissapointed by rather shallow main character
February 25, 2013
After an interesting start in the first book, this one just gets grittier and grimier and so I am done with whatever may or may not come next.
June 11, 2013
Fascinating look at Macau during World War II. The political intrigue, the secret machinations, the locale all conspiring to put together an interesting story.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews