I am so thrilled that Ava Lee has returned to her forensic accounting and collection talents; her involvement in the triad gangs was a little over the top for me. She is back home in Toronto with Pang Fai when Ava's friend Mimi fails to attend a welcoming party. Mimi's father has committed suicide in shame after losing the family's money in an investment fund affiliated with a Canadian megachurch. Ava promises to investigate, getting in touch with their local lawyer, who represented others. So begins Ava's trips to Antwerp, where she finds out a diamond connection back to Chengdu as well as a banking connection to Vanuatu. In each city, Ava calls on friends who owe her or her "big brother" Xu favors. Lots of action, and I liked Uncle returning to Ava in her dreams with sound advice. Meanwhile, the movie scriptwriter who Ava saved from alcohol has produced an amazing script about the events in Tiananmen Square, which will enrage the Chinese film industry so Ava is trying to figure out how to make the movie, without blowback on her, her investment partners or her lover. 4.5 stars. ( )

This is an excellent Ava Lee suspense thriller and a book that a reader can easily want to read in one sitting until the end is reached. It's a swiftly paced story about Ava's hunt for and recovery of money stolen from the parents of her best friend Mimi. That was something that she did with her former (now deceased partner) Uncle for many years up to when Uncle died. It was their "debt recovery" business, which she closed to become a business entrepreneur. Mimi's situation brings her back to her former business. The story starts in Toronto and moves on to Singapore and China before returning to Toronto. It goes over the top at times, for example when Ava receives visits from Uncle dispensing advice to her. On the other hand, the last several chapters could serve as a masterclass in negotiation. It's an entertaining and diverting read.
Recommended. ( )

Ava Lee Collects Again!
Review of the House of Anansi Spiderline ebook edition (May 2020) rush released in advance of the expected paperback edition (August 2020)

I tried to space this out but just could not stop reading. Not only does Ian Hamilton return his forensic accountant Ava Lee to her collection days, but he brings her back to Toronto (my town, yeah!) for the dramatic beginning and ending of this new investigation thriller.

I read The Diamond Queen of Singapore in its eBook edition which was rush released in May 2020 when publication of the print edition was bumped from July to August 2020 due to the pandemic. I do not enjoy eBooks generally as I dislike reading onscreen at length, but with an Ava Lee book, resistance is futile.

The book manages to touch all the bases of Ava Lee's past with even Uncle making appearances in her dreams to give advice. Her Bak mai martial arts skills are brought back into play several times. The collection effort is personal as it is her childhood friend Mimi's family who have been swindled. Ava's international connections, including her Triad allies, are brought into play, with one very fearsome addition to the ranks. Ava's lover Fai is mostly away as she begins working on a last minute new role with plans for a significant revitalization of director/writer Lau Lau's career in a Tiananmen Square related film yet to come (sure to be a central theme in a future book). All this, and the villains are a Toronto/Aurora based group of bible-thumping scam artists peddling #FentanylChina products on top of their other sins. It is all cat-nip to an Ava fan.

Trivia and Link
You can read author Ian Hamilton's article One for the Books: Publishing in a Pandemic at the Literary Review of Canada June 2020 online edition here. ( )