The River

Huang Long Wei was dead. But before he dies, the dragon head of Pearl River Triad gives his chiefs a last wish. He wants Inspector Lawrence Kwong kidnapped and humiliated. The River blends this frightening premise with an old-fashioned drawing room murder that turns into another type of fright. And along the way, Matson Tai meets the love of his life.

Five Stars!

Reviewed By Michelle Stanley for Readers’ Favorite

“The dragon head of Pearl River Triad, Huang Long Wei, makes his dying request. He wants Inspector Kwong kidnapped and publicly embarrassed. The Inspector has arrested many of the Triad’s members in his fight against crime. Tam, the new dragon head, accomplishes this feat with the help of Woo, his second in command. They strip and abuse the Inspector, taking a photo of him to send to the press. This photo is seen on Facebook and Tam realizes his plan has backfired, as other Triad members have personal motives for the kidnapping. Kwong’s assistant, Matson, and his colleagues apply pressure on the Triad, and Matson puts his love life on hold.

The River by Vic Warren is the second book in the Inspector Kwong Mysteries and is an enjoyable read. The story is well written and filled with humour, a nice touch of romance, murder, and a tempting selection of Chinese dishes. Although the story is quite a short one, Vic Warren penned a clever plot with interesting characters that made The River more entertaining for me. It is an original, light-hearted mystery that can be easily read in one sitting. Vic Warren took time to create his characters and setting so I was given a tour and information on Hong Kong and China. I was also impressed with the way the author incorporated the Asian traditional customs into the story. The book cover is also nicely done and complements the story.”

The second of The Inspector Kwong Mysteries, The River builds a double tale of a brutal kidnapping and a drawing room mystery straight out of the game of Clue. It’s peppered with romance, humor, a viral manhunt and a couple of straight shots of Scotch. Huang Long Wei was dead. But before he dies, the dragon head of Pearl River Triad gives his chiefs a last wish. He wants Inspector Lawrence Kwong kidnapped and humiliated. The River blends this frightening premise with an old-fashioned murder that turns into another type of fright. And along the way, Matson Tai meets the love of his life.

ABOUT VIC WARREN AUTHOR OF THE RIVER, THE QUARTZ, HONG KONG BLUES, SAFFRON, AND STAIRWAY OF THE GODS With a phenomenal career that started out writing and designing over 100 children’s books published with Scholastic and McGraw-Hill, as well as a Clio award-winning advertising career, Vic Warren was ready for a new writing challenge. In his first novel, Stairway of the Gods, Warren took the legendary story of Japanese officer, General Tomoyuki Yamashita—who is rumored to have buried priceless spoils of war in the Philippines just before the end of World War II—and turned it into riveting fiction. Warren’s tale of skullduggery unfolds on the slopes of the Banaue rice terraces when an earthquake reveals Yamashita’s treasure, and Joan and Paul Webster are stuck on the mountain. When Joan is faced with trying to keep the discovery secret, they find themselves confronted with deceit, betrayal and murder. Saffron, his second book, is a sci-fi adventure that reads like mainstream fiction. It deals with the discovery of a race of underwater humans off today’s California coast. Saffron is the first in a new series of books Warren is calling The Neptune Chronicles. His third novel, Hong Kong Blues, is a Hitchcock-style thriller about a newly-married couple being chased through the streets of Hong Kong by two competing Triads desperate to hear a dying man’s last words. The early response to some of the characters encouraged him to create a spinoff series, The Inspector Kwong Mysteries. He has finished the first two novellas in the series, The Quartz and The River, and is working on number three, The Fog. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Warren worked as an advertising executive in the travel industry for 30-plus years. He is a recipient of a Clio award and is best known for creating the Alaska Airlines Eskimo logo. His experience with Alaska Airlines opened many doors for him in the travel and tourism industry and he started his own company called Turning Heads. He also became a book packager, editor, designer and writer in collaboration with several illustrators, producing more than 100 children’s books. He attended the San Francisco Academy of Art, majoring in graphic design and art direction. Warren is an avid traveler to Asia, Europe and the South Pacific. He is currently at work on Girl on a Dolphin, Book Two of The Neptune Chronicles. He lives in San Diego with his wife, Laurel, and their three-legged cat, Oscar. To learn more about his novels, please visit www.vicwarren.com.