Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Beasts of the Night” as Want to Read:
Beasts of the Night
by
When Mei was eight years old, her aunt tried to sell her to a strange man with a foreign accent. Betrayed amongst the backwater villages of Cambodia, she ran for her life. When she was found, grass-stained and teary-eyed in a ramshackle orphanage, security consultant Quinton Mills fell in love with her fiery spirit and dogged will to survive.
Now, years later, Mei has gone ...more
Now, years later, Mei has gone ...more
Paperback, 426 pages
Published
November 2020
by FriesenPress
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Beasts of the Night,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Beasts of the Night
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
Showing 1-36

Start your review of Beasts of the Night

Some books entertain, some books educate, and some books even manage to enthral. There are also books that inspire, and some even succeed in leaving a lifetime impression, that will linger with the reader long after the last page is turned. "Beasts of the Night", the debut novel from Matejs Kalns, is that rare book that accomplishes ALL those feats, in the confines of a single novel.
The premise of "Beasts of the Night" involves a poignant, highly complex, and grimy topic, that of the horrors of ...more
The premise of "Beasts of the Night" involves a poignant, highly complex, and grimy topic, that of the horrors of ...more

In a time where we wonder if we'll ever be able to travel again Matejs Kalns has created a story where, as a reader, I can smell breakfast in South East Asia, taste dinner in the Middle East, hear the fuss in a major airport transit terminal in Canada, and see a riot unfold in front of my eyes. The story is full of twists and turns and makes it very hard to put down. Bringing forth such a difficult topic is absolutely necessary for there to be understanding of the scope and depth of the crimes b
...more

In a world where so many terrible things happen, how do we balance cynicism and hope? Can one person really make a difference? What about when working in the international humanitarian field that's embroiled in bureaucracy?
This book, a story of child trafficking, raises these questions...and doesn't offer easy answers. It follows Quinn, an American, whose work in diplomatic circles has left him beaten down and drowning his sorrows in booze. The one light in his life is a Cambodian girl named Me ...more
This book, a story of child trafficking, raises these questions...and doesn't offer easy answers. It follows Quinn, an American, whose work in diplomatic circles has left him beaten down and drowning his sorrows in booze. The one light in his life is a Cambodian girl named Me ...more

3.5 stars, rounded up. I received this book from Netgalley and the author in exchange for an honest review.
Beasts of the Night is the story of Quinton Mills, a security consultant, and his race against time to find Mei, a young Cambodian girl whom he had met years earlier at a children's orphanage after she had escaped from her aunt's attempt to sell her. Mei has disappeared from the orphanage, and Quinton fears the worst: that she has been taken to be sold into the modern slave trade. Using ...more
Beasts of the Night is the story of Quinton Mills, a security consultant, and his race against time to find Mei, a young Cambodian girl whom he had met years earlier at a children's orphanage after she had escaped from her aunt's attempt to sell her. Mei has disappeared from the orphanage, and Quinton fears the worst: that she has been taken to be sold into the modern slave trade. Using ...more

Kalns’s gritty debut explores child trafficking culture and the power of conviction.
When eight-year-old Mei ended up in a dissipated hut after her harrowing escape from the clutches of a child trafficker, it was her grit and resilience that bonded her to the security consultant Quinton Mills for life. Years later, when Mei gets kidnapped in the middle of night along with several other girls, Quinton takes it upon himself to rescue his little friend. Unraveling the mystery of Mei’s disappearance ...more
When eight-year-old Mei ended up in a dissipated hut after her harrowing escape from the clutches of a child trafficker, it was her grit and resilience that bonded her to the security consultant Quinton Mills for life. Years later, when Mei gets kidnapped in the middle of night along with several other girls, Quinton takes it upon himself to rescue his little friend. Unraveling the mystery of Mei’s disappearance ...more

A thousand thanks to @matejs.kalns @netgalley and @friesenpress for this insanely outstanding book 🥂👌🏼
This debut novel, Beasts of the Night, is out of the world, insanely good, full of heart, tense and wonderfully addictive! Follows Quinton Mills, a security consultant, from America. Who is on the hunt to save a beloved eight year old girl named, Mei, who goes missing in the middle of the night. We tag along side Mills from the deep jungles of Cambodia to the dark alleys of Thailand and all the ...more
This debut novel, Beasts of the Night, is out of the world, insanely good, full of heart, tense and wonderfully addictive! Follows Quinton Mills, a security consultant, from America. Who is on the hunt to save a beloved eight year old girl named, Mei, who goes missing in the middle of the night. We tag along side Mills from the deep jungles of Cambodia to the dark alleys of Thailand and all the ...more

𝑻𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆: Beasts of the Night
𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓: Matejs Kalns
𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘:
Beasts of the Night by the author Matejs Kalns is a story involving business of selling children. An eight year old girl Mei was living with her aunt. One day, a man with a foreign accent came to their home and Mei's aunt asked her to go with him. The strange man paid some money to her aunt. When they were about to sit in the taxi, Mei bit the man and escaped.
Mei feels safer with her neighbor Rom Chang. When Rom Chang brought Mei to Noi a ...more
𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓: Matejs Kalns
𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘:
Beasts of the Night by the author Matejs Kalns is a story involving business of selling children. An eight year old girl Mei was living with her aunt. One day, a man with a foreign accent came to their home and Mei's aunt asked her to go with him. The strange man paid some money to her aunt. When they were about to sit in the taxi, Mei bit the man and escaped.
Mei feels safer with her neighbor Rom Chang. When Rom Chang brought Mei to Noi a ...more

Beasts of the Night is the debut novel of the author Matejs Kalns. The story of this novel revolves around a very important topic Child Trafficking. The story is about the eight years old girl Mei and her protector Quinton Mills who is a security consultant. Mei lives with her aunt. When her aunt told her about working in the north, Yunnan or Guangxi, Mei understood that she is being sold to the man who is there at their home. Mei looked for the opportunity and eventually escaped from her buyer
...more

Debut author Kalns beautifully examines the labyrinthine underside of child trafficking in this timely and harrowing tale.
When eight-year-old Mei escaped a child trafficker, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between the young girl and the security consultant, Quinton Mills. But years later, Mei has gone missing again, and this time Quinton fears the worst. As Quinton starts to look into Mei’s whereabouts, he finds himself dragged into the seedy underbellies of a modern slave world ...more
When eight-year-old Mei escaped a child trafficker, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between the young girl and the security consultant, Quinton Mills. But years later, Mei has gone missing again, and this time Quinton fears the worst. As Quinton starts to look into Mei’s whereabouts, he finds himself dragged into the seedy underbellies of a modern slave world ...more

Beasts of the Night is the first book of the author Matejs Kalns. I have read many novels based on child trafficking but the storyline of this one is different. As I started the novel, it took me some time to understand the storyline thereby making it a slow paced. But once I got the grip of the story, then it went smooth. With Quinn, the readers will go from jungles of Cambodia to Bangkok. He then went to a corrupted city of Cairo. But will his search for an eight years old Mei be successful? M
...more

Recently I read the novel "Beasts of the Night" on my friend's recommendation. Cover photo of the book is as per the story and I want to give +1 for the title of the story. It is very creative. Story is written in two parts. First part covers the story from Cambodia to Bangkok. Quinn searches for an eight years old girl Mei who was abducted in the middle of the night from one of his orphanage. Second part starts from his search in Cairo, Egypt. The Middle East country adventures of Quinn to sear
...more

I received a free copy of this book BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.
Matejs Kalns is an excellent writer and his debut book is not to be missed.
He takes on the difficult topic of child trafficking, taking us to the underbelly of Cambodia, Thailand and Egypt where poverty is rife and the rich can buy anything and anyone, life having little value.
Quinton Mills is disillusioned with his ability to make a difference. Turning to alcohol he is saved by a young girl Mei, who escaping from an ...more
Matejs Kalns is an excellent writer and his debut book is not to be missed.
He takes on the difficult topic of child trafficking, taking us to the underbelly of Cambodia, Thailand and Egypt where poverty is rife and the rich can buy anything and anyone, life having little value.
Quinton Mills is disillusioned with his ability to make a difference. Turning to alcohol he is saved by a young girl Mei, who escaping from an ...more

🔷 BOOK: Beasts of the Night
🔷 AUTHOR: Matejs Kalns
Child Trafficking is a very serious issue. Matejs Kalns has handled it very well in his debut novel 'Beasts of the night'. Story highlights a little girl who used to live with her aunt but when her aunt was selling her to some foreigner, she ran away. Later, she met a security consultant Quinn who provide shelter to abused girls or girls who doesn't have a place to live. Story becomes intense when Mei was abducted. Quinn's quest to find Mei will s ...more
🔷 AUTHOR: Matejs Kalns
Child Trafficking is a very serious issue. Matejs Kalns has handled it very well in his debut novel 'Beasts of the night'. Story highlights a little girl who used to live with her aunt but when her aunt was selling her to some foreigner, she ran away. Later, she met a security consultant Quinn who provide shelter to abused girls or girls who doesn't have a place to live. Story becomes intense when Mei was abducted. Quinn's quest to find Mei will s ...more

Great book. I enjoyed the story. His subject of human trafficking, government corruption and individual frustration on the front people trying to help are very much important subjects. I bought this book as the writer's mother was my colleague but shortly after I started reading, the story hooked me. I felt transported to both locales. My knowledge of these areas was old. My brother lived in Egypt and my niece did a work program in Vietnam Nam and area countries. I remembered their descriptions
...more

Worth reading for the topic, and the writing is decent. I was interested in the descriptions of the various humanitarian problems, even though there was a lot of infodump rather than being incorporated into the story. The main character spent a lot of the book wandering around drunk and disoriented, or chatting with various people, which didn't make sense to me, since he was supposedly completely driven to find the girl. Restructuring would make it a lot more solid. That said, I did finish it, a
...more

What an amazing first book by this author. You can tell that he has done his research by how believable the characters, situations and locale, are.
The kidnapping (or selling) of young children still exists in Asia and the Middle East and will continue whilst there are rich paedophiles willing to pay the price and government operatives accepting bribes to ensure that they avert their eyes.
Beasts of the Night was a very thought provoking read and not for those whose eyes are blinkered against the ...more
The kidnapping (or selling) of young children still exists in Asia and the Middle East and will continue whilst there are rich paedophiles willing to pay the price and government operatives accepting bribes to ensure that they avert their eyes.
Beasts of the Night was a very thought provoking read and not for those whose eyes are blinkered against the ...more

This book deals with the terrible practice of human kidnapping and trafficking, specifically children, for the enjoyment and use of inescrupulosos uber rich adults who as true beasts inflict inimaginable pain and suffering to innocents.
In the book we read about the huge network of human trafficking that spans from Cambodia, Thailand to Egypt and learn about the involvement of government operatives, rich pedophiles and low life ruffians, showing us that the tentacles of human trafficking isn't sp ...more
In the book we read about the huge network of human trafficking that spans from Cambodia, Thailand to Egypt and learn about the involvement of government operatives, rich pedophiles and low life ruffians, showing us that the tentacles of human trafficking isn't sp ...more

A definite MUST READ! Human trafficking is a huge business that affects not only the victims but everyone linked to them. It is a horror that just keeps growing - and many think it doesn't exist, or it exists someplace else. This book delves into a huge network of human trafficking involving Thailand, Cambodia, and ultimately Egypt, but linked to other countries as well. Very detailed and tense, the main character flawed yet driven, very human. Ultimately, that's what the book is about - the ess
...more

This book narrates the story of a young girl, Mei who somehow escapes being sold to a stranger by her aunt. And then, goes missing years later.
Quinton Mills, a grouchy security consultant first met Mei when she was first rescued. He was captivated by her fighting spirit and became a part of life.
So, when she went missing, he knew he had to comb through several travel barriers, political issues and a network of corrupt connections to solve the mystery of her disappearance.
This took me a while t ...more
Quinton Mills, a grouchy security consultant first met Mei when she was first rescued. He was captivated by her fighting spirit and became a part of life.
So, when she went missing, he knew he had to comb through several travel barriers, political issues and a network of corrupt connections to solve the mystery of her disappearance.
This took me a while t ...more

Quinn is desparately searching for twelve year-old Mei who has been taken by human traffickers. She could be anywhere in the world enduring any number of horrors, and the longer she's gone, the worse her odds. This book is told from Quinn's point of view, with snippets of letters Mei wrote to him giving insight to her personality and their bond. This book was well-written and sheds light on the sobering scope of trafficking and its horrors. The pace is a little slow which intensifies the feeling
...more

Beasts of the Night is a dense book, stuffed with emotions, fraught with futility. Sometimes you want to put it down and just cant. Sometimes you dont want to pick it up but you are driven by the main characters need to finish what he has started. It is absolutely fiction, sometimes unbelieveable, but you want to believe someone would care that much about you. Where will this author go next?
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. A real page turner. The story spans a number of countries across the globe and each locale is brought to life through vivid description. The author addresses a real world issue through the eyes of his flawed protagonist, in an intense and credible way. Highly recommended.

I really can't give a review because I've only read two hundred pages. It doesn't hold my interest and didn't want to read on to see if it would. I received the book free from Goodreads. Sorry!
...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Related Articles
It's time to get in that last stretch of winter reading and prepare our Want to Read shelves for spring. Luckily for us, February brings a...
45 likes · 10 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »