| Publisher | Silvertail Books |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 22 July 2021 |
| ISBN-10 | 1913727084 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1913727086 |
| Format | paperback |
| Pages | 376 |
| Price | £ 12.99 |
Rat Island
by
In 1995, the handover of Hong Kong to China is approaching and the Triads are exploring opportunities overseas. The NYPD is fighting back, and infiltrate a Hong Kong police officer into a Triad-linked Irish mob.
Review
This story charts the progress of Callum Burke, one of three Hong Kong police officers on a temporary posting to New York in 1995 to help the New York Police Department resist the growing influence of Hong Kong Triad gangsters. Difficulties in direct access to the Chinese community suggest that infiltration of a linked Irish mob would be more likely to bring success, and Burke is reborn as Christy Burns.
Burke befriends one of the gang, Paddy Doolan, which gets him work supervising a small removal crew, but further advancement comes at a high price. He is obliged to engage in a bare knuckle fight against a man who has offended the gang by dealing drugs on their patch, and later to take an active role in the disposal of a body.
These tokens of his bona fides take their toll, but evidence about the gang’s illegal activities, and particularly about their Chinese connections, is hard to come by. As time rolls on, the NYPD and US Drug Enforcement Agency officers press for progress and Burke comes under increasing stress, well aware that any slip will end in a quick and unpleasant death.
Burke’s selection for the team was partly down to events in Hong Kong, where his gambling addiction led to debts to a Triad boss. That man is now dead, and the debt effectively cancelled, but the new boss, Tony Lau, is dedicated to revenge against Burke. As it turns out, Lau is on his way to New York, which will put Burke in deadly danger.
Things begin to heat up as Lau takes action against rivals in Hong Kong, Japan and in New York. New York police monitor the arrival of large sums of cash and of heroin, the latter sourced from Shan State in northern Thailand and arriving in New York by novel means. As Lau’s plans come to fruition, Burke is at last gaining some of the crucial details which will enable him to complete his task. But he might have left things too late.
The danger Burke is in creates great tension, lasting for most of the book, with many close shaves that made me fear for him. The pressure is ramped up by the depiction of Hell’s Kitchen and other of the nastier parts of old New York, with plenty of grime, filth, rats and cockroaches, all sweltering in a pressure-cooker humid atmosphere.
The tale is told pretty well despite some of the expression being a little clunky at times. To be fair, it is not an easy job to reproduce the colloquial conversations of such a wide range of national groups in a smooth and convincing manner. Rat Island is certainly a dark portrayal, of the physical setting as well as the behaviour displayed by key characters.
Burke befriends one of the gang, Paddy Doolan, which gets him work supervising a small removal crew, but further advancement comes at a high price. He is obliged to engage in a bare knuckle fight against a man who has offended the gang by dealing drugs on their patch, and later to take an active role in the disposal of a body.
These tokens of his bona fides take their toll, but evidence about the gang’s illegal activities, and particularly about their Chinese connections, is hard to come by. As time rolls on, the NYPD and US Drug Enforcement Agency officers press for progress and Burke comes under increasing stress, well aware that any slip will end in a quick and unpleasant death.
Burke’s selection for the team was partly down to events in Hong Kong, where his gambling addiction led to debts to a Triad boss. That man is now dead, and the debt effectively cancelled, but the new boss, Tony Lau, is dedicated to revenge against Burke. As it turns out, Lau is on his way to New York, which will put Burke in deadly danger.
Things begin to heat up as Lau takes action against rivals in Hong Kong, Japan and in New York. New York police monitor the arrival of large sums of cash and of heroin, the latter sourced from Shan State in northern Thailand and arriving in New York by novel means. As Lau’s plans come to fruition, Burke is at last gaining some of the crucial details which will enable him to complete his task. But he might have left things too late.
The danger Burke is in creates great tension, lasting for most of the book, with many close shaves that made me fear for him. The pressure is ramped up by the depiction of Hell’s Kitchen and other of the nastier parts of old New York, with plenty of grime, filth, rats and cockroaches, all sweltering in a pressure-cooker humid atmosphere.
The tale is told pretty well despite some of the expression being a little clunky at times. To be fair, it is not an easy job to reproduce the colloquial conversations of such a wide range of national groups in a smooth and convincing manner. Rat Island is certainly a dark portrayal, of the physical setting as well as the behaviour displayed by key characters.
Reviewed 20 August 2022 by Chris Roberts
