Veteran Bangkok-based author Dean Barrett is always full of surprises. In addition to his Thailand beat, he’s been a New York-based dramatist, lived in Hong Kong for 17 years, and he’s served as a Chinese language specialist for a branch of the Department of Defense. Somehow, just about all of that has made in into his latest thriller, Pop Darrells’ Last Case (2014, ISBN 978-0-9788888-4-8).

Set in New York, the story involves a retired cop whose suicide is interrupted by a crying woman at the door. Soon, he’s going after some very nasty Chinese and New York gangsters. Or more truthfully, they’re going after him.

While the overall theme is entrenched with the ancient tale of young vs. old, it soon turns into classic Sword & Sorcery, influenced by a touch of Dr. Jekyll and a whole lotta Chinese mythology. It also touches on human trafficking, but, as any Barrett devotee can guess, that particular crime isn’t always written in black and white.

As is the case with Barrett’s previous book, A Love Story: The China Memoirs of Thomas Rowley, the author seems more and more bent on exploring Chinese mythology, rather than the Thai scene explored in many of his earlier books. Expect to come away with knowledge of a couple of important characters from Chinese lore that you might not have known about before.

The book kept us here at WoWasis riveted, waiting for Barrett’s usual turns of events. And love or hate Pop Darrell, you won’t be seeing him again, as the title suggests, any time soon.

Buy this book now at the WoWasis eStore.