“It could lead you to dangerous places and people you would never ordinarily meet”- a perfectly written sentence late in the book which sums up the entire plot for me perfectly.
An interesting, quirky story, full of old school, cinematic noir detective references and settings. Lester Thyme is a detective and, wearing a trench coat and black bowler hat, he certainly fits the description. He has skills as a detective and will need these plus his wits as he and Rita piece together the clues of a spate of burglaries and jewel thefts.
The story of Rita’s involvement begins when she is given a ring by the owner of a coffee shop in Morecambe. She can suddenly see a dragon and impulsively decides to follow him, entering another realm called Neon City.
The pair become pseudo friends and business partners when a burglary takes place quickly after their meeting. What follows is a slightly off beat and unpredictable path to find the thief, and later the murderer.
Several story lines are interwoven throughout this mystery and readers will need to pay close attention to where each character fits into the story- at times confusing, this is very important. There are historical friendships and alliances spanning this book and these play their part in allowing Lester and Rita to solve the mystery. Old favours are called in and unsettling characters will need to be encountered.
The colour red is mentioned and referred to quite often. Red is a symbol of luck in Asia and large Asian cities are alluded to while reading. Rita herself is from Hong Kong and longs to go back to this city. There is something from her past which causes her family to move to Morecambe- perhaps more of this will come in another book and…
The end leaves you certain of another adventure for the Wong and Thyme Detective Agency.
My Shelves Are Full 