Bookstore and blog for fans of international mysteries and thrillers
Excerpts from Reviews
"Think Dashiell Hammett in Bangkok"
—San Francisco Chronicle
"Well-written, tough and bloody."—Tangled Web (UK)
"A lot of the evil that exists in Bangkok lays buried beneath the duel headstones of 'culture' and 'tradition'. Moore isn't afraid to dig the dirt. He knows the system, he knows the city, and he paints it beautifully.”
—Colin Cotterill, author of The Merry Misogynist
“Those who love Asia will devour Moore’s novels. He opens [Bangkok] in her darkest, most amusing facets, revealing the inhabitants’ mindsets, their secrets and their temptations.”
—Stadtmagazin Krefeld
"Like a Japanese gardener, Moore's genius is in portraying the S.E. Asian heartscape behind the tourist industry hotel gloss."
—The Daily Yomiuri
"Moore writes to entertain, and entertain he does." —Bangkok Post
"The plot is equally tricky, brilliantly devised, and clear. Cold Hit is of the best crime fiction [novels] in the first half of the year."—Ultimo Biedlefeld
"What distinguishes Moore from other foreign authors setting their stories in the Land of Smiles is how much more he understands its mystique, the psyche of its populace..."—Bangkok Post
"Moore offers a rich, passionate and original take on the private eye game, fans of the genre should definitely investigate, and fans of foreign intrigue will definitely appreciate." —January Magazine
"The colorful gallery of secondary characters...is a distinctive feature that increases the reader's interest. We enjoy the spicy taste of hard-boiled fiction reinvented in an exotic but realistic place..."—Thriller Magazine (Italy)
"Moore's flashy style successfully captures the dizzying contradictions in [Bangkok's] vertiginous landscape." —The New York Times Book Review
“Moore creates a cast of vibrant characters worthy of the best Elmore Leonard caper for this hard-edged, stylish mystery"—Matt Beynon Rees, author, The Samaritan's Secret
"In the process of tying a bunch of elaborate plot knots, Moore reveals the seething stew of wealth, corruption, cultural clashes, poverty and lust that is modern Bangkok. While some readers might wish for a glossary of the many Thai terms, all will appreciate the raw passion that drives the action."
—Publishers Weekly
“Crisp, atmostpheric. . . . Calvino's cynical humour oils the wheels nicely, while the cubist plotting keeps us guessing." —Guardian
“Hard-boiled mystery laced with humor.... A pulse-pounding tale of human trafficking, mercenaries, international conspiracies and revenge... made more real because they are set against the lovely and sordid streets of Bangkok." —"In the Know" at WCVPL (Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library, Mississippi)
A hoot!!
One broke Italian-Jewish PI from Brooklyn tries to find a murderer and a paying client among the jealous wives, ruthless drug dealers, depressed bar girls, fanatic foodies, down-and-out expats, corrupt cops, and depraved mega-rich of Bangkok. A couple of new characters share the spotlight with Vinnie in this book. I enjoyed the story which is multi-layered and scary.
Vinnie is framed for murder in a complicated revenge plot involving mercenaries.Paying Back Jack (2009, Vincent Calvino #10)
Vinnie is sadder (and richer) here than in earlier books. He has looked long into the abyss of corruption and it eventually looked back.
The bodies pile up as Vinnie navigates Thailand's business and political minefields.The Corruptionist (2009, Vincent Calvino #11)
Nice to see Vinnie back in his native New York. Suspense to spare and a somewhat wistful mediation on friendship and belonging.
Vinnie's childhood friend is implicated in a theft.9 Gold Bullets (2010, Vincent Calvino #12)
Books in this Series
This series of beautiful Bangkok noir thrillers is highly recommended to all fans of the hardboiled style, especially to those who like to see the powerful get a taste of their own medicine. Reveals much about the complex Thai culture and chronicles recent political events. Not surprisingly, this series, which is (relatively) newly available in North America, already has a cult following in Asia and Europe.
Aided by an old school friend who is now a colonel in the Royal Thai Police, an American-expat private investigator with a knack for finding missing persons takes on all the demons he encounters, whether they arise from his own psyche or from Bangkok's mean streets. 
This is a great series, but this book is the one I would skip. It's occasionally hard to follow the plot. Of course, you do learn the story of Joy the German Shepard.
Vinnie's friend and neighbor is up for a great job with a movie production company when he is murdered.Asia Hand (2010, Vincent Calvino #2)
WINNER! 2011 Shamus Award in the Best Paperback Original
Zero Hour in Phnom Penh (2005, Vincent Calvino #3)
WINNER! 2004 German Critics Award for Crime Fiction
WINNER! 2007 Premier Special Director Book Award
Vivid and scary. Calvino braves the desperate depths of Phnom Penh where people ruined by endless years of violence struggle to find a way forward.
An ex-special-forces vet hires Calvino to go to Cambodia and find a missing associate.Comfort Zone (2001, Vincent Calvino #4)
Bustin' a Move in Bangkok
The Vincent Calvino, PI, Mystery Series by Christopher G. Moore
If you love tough-guys, you'll love Vincent Calvino. Bangkok is brutal and beautifully rendered.
Vinnie frees an addict who is being framed for the murder of a British expat. Spirit House (1992, Vincent Calvino #1)
The Big Weird (2008, Vincent Calvino #5)
May be my favorite in the series. Delves deeply into the expat community. Couldn't put it down.
Hollywood-style hedonism comes to Bangkok and leaves a trail of good-looking corpses. A dying a-list movie mogul hires Vinnie to find out why a young American expat killed herself.
WHO IS VINCENT CALVINO?
Sam Spade Reincarnated as Bangkok-Based PI
Hard-living Vincent Calvino, with his big heart and his Brooklyn bravado, brings the big mysteries of Bangkok to life—how to drive, wai, and die like a Thai—while he hunts murderers among Thailand's endlessly corrupt and entitled power brokers.
When this series begins, forty-year old disbarred lawyer Vincent Calvino is down on his luck: jobs are few and far between. He is spending more time drinking than working and has the epic nightmares and hangovers to prove it. His cleaner has started telling him she expects him to expire from a heart attack any day now. Bangkok, she believes, kills all farangs (Westerners) before their time: some combination of Thai hot weather, Bangkok air pollution, Mekhong whiskey, and non-stop nightlife does them in. Fascinating for the glimpse into Vietnamese life and for the high-wire suspense. Plus, nifty use for the box from a bottle of Johnny Walker.
When a Vietnam vet's kid brother is murdered in Ho Chi Minh City at the same time as his client is murdered in Bangkok, Calvino and Col Pratt head to Ho Chi Minh City.Cold Hit (2004, Vincent Calvino #6)
When tourists start overdosing, Vinnie suspects a serial killer is on the loose.
Minor Wife (2004, Vincent Calvino #7)
In the complex hierarchy of Thai society, minor wives have a tenuous status--tolerated and loathed simultaneously. Some accept their predicament; others crack under the strain, as Vinnie finds out in this investigation.
