Fans of Hamilton's Ava Lee series should revel that he has started a trilogy about her mentor Uncle's rise to head of a triad. Fate, the first book tells the story of his daring swim from the mainland, where he suffers a horrific loss. The leader of his Fanling triad (the Mountain Master) is run over by a truck, in what appears to be an accident, requiring a new leader. Normally, the Deputy assumes the role, but Uncle is worried about his abilities and seeks an alternative, requesting an election. Competing gangs start to make threatening moves, especially Fanling's lucrative gambling business, and the senior members of the Fanling triad know they need a strong leader. When things get out of hand, and his preferred candidate declines to challenge the Deputy, Uncle (a/k/a Chow Tung), a young administrator must take bold and necessary action to protect the Fanling triad when the Deputy is absent. He is wise beyond his years and many triad members address him as “Uncle,” a sign of substantial respect. Looking forward to the sequel in 2020. ( )

叔叔 (shūshu) Uncle Begins
Review of the House of Anansi Spiderline 2019 paperback

Fate is the first volume of a projected Uncle Chow prequel trilogy which takes place in the decades before Uncle met forensic accountant Ava Lee in The Dragon Head of Hong Kong. Various parts of Uncle's past are filled in with back story here including his escape from Communist China in 1959 through to his initial rise in smaller Triad organization in the New Territories zone of Hong Kong in 1969. Author Ian Hamilton has evidently already sketched out the rough plan of the trilogy as House of Anansi/Spiderline includes the initial chapter of volume 2 Foresight (expected release January 2020) in this current volume and even teases the covers for it and volume 3 Fortune (expected release January 2021) as well.

The Ava Lee novels have made a steady progression from the early debt collection years to Ava's more recent conflicts with corporate entities in the worlds of fashion and film. That has also meant a gradual slide into a façade of respectability. The Uncle prequels promise a return to the conflict of the streets and Fate satisfies very well in showing how Uncle gradually built up the loyalty and respect of his peers in the Triads. I have no idea what research Ian Hamilton did for this book, but the atmosphere, the habits, the rituals etc. feel completely authentic (as they do in the Ava Lee books as well). The only downside here is that only 3 books seem to be currently planned. Hopefully that may yet change. ( )

Uncle Chow--the rise of a mega force!

How could I resist another series by the creator of Ava Lee, the forensic accountant, and one of my favorite, contemporary mystery characters?
What I didn't realize was that I'd be so fascinated by Uncle Chow Tung's story.
We first meet him in the Ava Lee novels and always there's been something different about him. And this series explains it. How the young man from communist China becomes a leading triad figure.
Set in the 1970's in Hong Kong, Chow Tung is the accountant (the White Fan) for the Fanling Triad. The tension builds when the Dragon Head of the Fanling Triad is killed in a hit and run accident. A new Mountain Master is to be appointed. Chow calls for an election as per the triad's rules. He sees the next in line as weak and ineffectual and is concerned. So we have an internal power struggle, with other triad's poised for action and the mystery of who is behind the death of the Dragon Head.
Hamilton's description of the triad rituals is fascinating. The rules and regulations and ways of doing things have a strict order and coherence.
Uncle (as even now Chow is called) is shown as a thoughtful and precise man who uses his intelligence to bring about calm, and focused on increasing the triad interests.
I found Chows talks with his dead loved one poignant and instructive into who Chow is.
A fascinating journey into the rise of the man known as Uncle that will continues with the looked for next in the series.
I'm hooked!

A House of Anansi Press ARC via NetGalley ( )

"Fate" is an introduction to the man who is known simply as Uncle in the Ava Lee crime novels by the same author. In June 1959, Uncle was known as Chow Tung when he and his fiance Lin Gui-San gathered together a small group of other young Chinese to escape from the People's Republic of China mainland to British Hong Kong. They needed to swim across a 4 km wide channel of polluted water beset with adverse weather and other dangers. Most of the group survived the ordeal and reached Hong Kong, but Gui-San did not. With the result that Chow arrives in Hong Kong without any family and his fellow surviving escapees are his sole support.

Ten years later, Uncle is well-established as a leader in the Fanling triad gang. As a substitute for his mainland family killed in Mao's disastrous Great Leap Forward and the loss of Gui-San, Uncle adopted the gang as his family and advanced through its ranks. By 1969 he is their de facto chief financial officer, with the title: "White Paper Fan". Uncle has a progressive agenda to modernize and legitimize the triad's business to lower its profile in the eyes of the police. The sudden death of Gao, the triad leader, or "Mountain Master ", under suspicious circumstances on the day of an important business meeting to decide on whether to accept Uncle's plan for a new business venture triggers a struggle to succeed Gao. In the recent past, the Deputy Mountain Master has been automatically appointed to the head job. This convention has been followed even though there is an election process in which each gang member casts a vote to elect the gang's Mountain Master. Uncle convinces the gang leaders to hold an election for Gao's replacement. What follows is a fierce behind-the-scenes competition for the top job. Things are further complicated when rumours circulate that a neighbouring triad wants to take over the Fanling triad. The story moves briskly as the election date nears and the other gang makes its move on the Fanling gang. Uncle and his allies take a leading role in the pushback.

One of the strengths of the book is the portrayal of the triad gang and its culture. While it is a criminal organization, the triad has a strict code of conduct which is rigidly applied. Those wanting to succeed Gao are desperately afraid of offending their colleagues; a losing candidate will be ostracized (or worse) by the successful winner and his supporters. A great sense of the triad way-of-life makes this a good story. Uncle's character is well-developed too, and he is an attractive protagonist, despite being a criminal gang leader. It is an impressive debut for these reasons and is an enjoyable read with no significant drawbacks. It's easy to highly recommend it.

I received my review copy from the House of Anansi Press via Netgalley. The comments are my own. ( )

Uncle Chow Tung book #1

This new series takes us back in time when Chow Tung left China for Hong Kong as a nobody and became the Dragon Head of the Fanling Triad after the death of their master.

If you haven’t read the Eva Lee series by this author you may wonder why is he giving us this story but if you are a fan you will appreciate knowing where Uncle had his roots and how he became such a revered leader who played an important role till his death in “The Eva Lee Mysteries” series. This new series is an excellent spin off.

Mr. Hamilton seems to know quite a lot about the Triad’s hierarchy and how its structure works. In a spin of his own the mystery brings to life the struggle to replace the Mountain Master after he was killed in a traffic accident. Normally the Deputy is the next in line but others have someone and other things in mind….

After a short introduction we are fast plunged into the action and it doesn’t take long before knowing that Chow known as Uncle is the lead that could fend off the threats and unite the membership…..By the end Uncle is elected Dragon Head…..The mystery is slow moving even with the threatening moves from the other gangs but Mr. Hamilton knows how to pull us in drop by drop into an exciting saga that will make you flip pages till the very end.

As always, the story is well presented, the smooth narration is intercepted by strong dialogues. The characterization is excellent and I love how each one played their roles in such an entertaining manner. No doubts I am a huge fan of this author.

I received this ARC from the publisher House of Anansi via NetGalleys for my thoughts. ( )