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liberrydude's review
4.0
If the Ava Lee series wasn’t enough now Hamilton has started a trilogy on her beloved mentor, Uncle. All of the books are alliterative with F: fate, foresight, and fortune.
This story quickly moves from his escape on a raft from Communist China in 1959 and the loss of the love of his life in the attempt to 1969 and his life as a young and promising officer in a Hong Kong gang. Uncle is mature and poised beyond his years. Circumspect as the gang’s white paper fan or administrator he has increased revenue by innovation and is respected by seniors and subordinates.
His family is the gang and he always puts it ahead of his personal interests.
Life throws him an opportunity with the death of the gang’s leader or mountain master who is the victim of a hit and run. Accident or murder? And so starts a power play within the gang for succession. Uncle is too junior but he doesn’t like the deputy who is change resistant. Rather than an automatic assumption of command he lobbies for an election with each of the gang’s 162 members casting a private ballot.
Hamilton immerses the reader in Uncle’s head as he talks to his long dead soulmate debating courses of action. We go to Uncle’s favorite restaurants and the racetrack. Gambling on horses is Uncle’s passion and he brings the same meticulousness and good judgment that characterize his admin duties. The power play is intense with lots of action and Byzantine twists. Who knew gang politics could be page turning? Uncle is the right man at the right time. He’s a gangster with an ethical bent and not a man to back down.
Another great read from Hamilton. What a TV series Uncle and Ava would make!
This story quickly moves from his escape on a raft from Communist China in 1959 and the loss of the love of his life in the attempt to 1969 and his life as a young and promising officer in a Hong Kong gang. Uncle is mature and poised beyond his years. Circumspect as the gang’s white paper fan or administrator he has increased revenue by innovation and is respected by seniors and subordinates.
His family is the gang and he always puts it ahead of his personal interests.
Life throws him an opportunity with the death of the gang’s leader or mountain master who is the victim of a hit and run. Accident or murder? And so starts a power play within the gang for succession. Uncle is too junior but he doesn’t like the deputy who is change resistant. Rather than an automatic assumption of command he lobbies for an election with each of the gang’s 162 members casting a private ballot.
Hamilton immerses the reader in Uncle’s head as he talks to his long dead soulmate debating courses of action. We go to Uncle’s favorite restaurants and the racetrack. Gambling on horses is Uncle’s passion and he brings the same meticulousness and good judgment that characterize his admin duties. The power play is intense with lots of action and Byzantine twists. Who knew gang politics could be page turning? Uncle is the right man at the right time. He’s a gangster with an ethical bent and not a man to back down.
Another great read from Hamilton. What a TV series Uncle and Ava would make!
dogtown's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
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