I like Lisa Brackmann's 'Ellie' series a lot, but not because of the plots or the writing. Both are just OK. It's the venue (China) and the heroine (Ellie) that draws me in.

I've never been to China and really don't intend to ever visit, but reading the descriptions of the cities, people, languages, legal processes, and political environment is extremely interesting to me. The fact that Ellie speaks a little of the language makes it a bit easier for us to understand the context as she moves through her adventures. Ellie herself is a trip.... she an ex-medic in the Army who was injured by an IED in Iraq, constantly pops pills to help manage her pain, drinks constantly, has a bad self-image, isn't the sharpest tool in the drawer, isn't much of a detective, yet is extremely loyal and never quits. She's kind of a flawed 'every-woman' living alone on the other side of the world, getting involved in stuff she should stay away from but just can't.

In 'Hour of the Rat', she's 'guilted' by an ex-Army teammate she once had a fling with (and who was also severely injured in Iraq) into finding his brother, who's hiding out somewhere in China. She doesn't have a lot of info to help her, but makes progress in her inimitable style, getting beaten up more than once and barely surviving contact with underworld types as well as the Chinese authorities. Shadowy multi-national corporations are involved, which adds another layer to her activity.

After her exhaustive search that takes her, seemingly, to every part of China, she's rewarded with a 'find' and survives to drink more beer, pop more pills, and return to her apartment and future adventures. Hour of the Rat is a nice addition to the Ellie series- it doesn't have a strong message or an important result, but Ellie's a sympathetic character that gets results and it ties up nicely at the end, so it's all good. ( )

Reading another story about Ellie was a joy for me. I enjoyed Year of the Tiger when I read it a few years ago, and Hour of the Rat does not disappoint. Expect twists. Expect violence and adventure. But, most of all, expect Brackmann's wonderful prose. ( )

While Hour of the Rat could be read as a stand-alone, after the first few chapters I really wanted more context and character back-story, so I downloaded and read the first book, Rock Paper Tiger, on my Kindle, after which much of my weekend was consumed by the two books. Both books are set in China and excel at giving the reader a vivid and fascinating sense of place, and both books also have something that was new for me and I thought very cool--scenes set in online computer games.

Since the earlier story, things have settled down for Ellie. Though her Iraq War injury is still painful, her relationship-challenged mother is on an extended visit, and she continues to drink too much, Ellie’s life has a precarious kind of balance. She’s making a decent living managing the artwork of an artist authorities would like to question, but no one is harassing her about him. Then an old army buddy asks her to try to locate his missing brother, who's somewhere in China but facing charges in the US for environmental activism, and it’s like she’s kicked open a hornets nest.

While its suspense is gripping and its environmental realities are sobering, this book is also packed with humor. My fingers are crossed hoping there will be a third book about Ellie. ( )

Reviewed for Reviewing the Evidence. Interesting picture of the contrasts found in the new China.