Noble Lies [Paperback]

Charles Benoit (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2009

For Mark Rohr, a decorated Desert Storm vet, the last ten years have been filled with shady jobs like his current stint as a bouncer at a nameless whorehouse/bar in Thailand. When the beautiful and naive Robin Antonucci arrives in Phuket City from the States and hires him to help find her missing brother Shawn, Mark sees the chance to make some easy money.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Benoit (Out of Order) is at the top of his game in his witty third novel as he once again explores the travails of Americans abroad. Mark Rohr, a first Gulf War veteran now bouncing for a bar in the coastal resort of Phuket, Thailand, is a natural action hero. The damsel in distress is the pretty, blonde and very American Robin Antonucci, who offers Mark $5,000 to help her locate her brother, Shawn Keller, missing since the mighty tsunami inundated Phuket. Naturally, nothing and no one is exactly what it seems as Mark and Robin, linked by mutual distrust and different needs, visit dives and diving shops, deal with gangsters and pirates and manage to stir up trouble everywhere they look. Benoit's good guys have their faults and the bad guys have surprising virtues, leaving room for lots of unusual twists and turns. The lovingly rendered exotic locale is the perfect setting for this rough and rollicking story of adventure and romance. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Mark Rohr is a veteran of Desert Storm, but in the 10 years since the first Gulf War, his life has drifted into purposelessness. Now he's working as a bouncer in a bar-slash-brothel in Phuket City, Thailand. Recovering from a hangover, he is surprised to hear a knock on his door and downright shocked to find a beautiful American woman, Robin Antonucci, who wants to hire him to find her brother, Shawn (who is, she says, missing but still alive somewhere in Thailand). Mark figures it's a dead-end job: the guy is either dead or alive, but if he's alive, he doesn't want to be found. But soon after Mark and Robin meet a woman who claims to be Shawn's wife, they're on the run from a ruthless gangster, with the woman and her family in tow, forcing Mark to call on his long-buried military training to keep them all alive. This is a very good thriller, excitingly written with well-drawn characters, dialogue that rings true, and a story that's suspenseful and tragic. Pitt, David --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590586867
• ISBN-13: 978-1590586860
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,874,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superior Thriller, July 14, 2010

By 

laffingboy (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noble Lies (Kindle Edition)

Fast-paced and fun, with an engagingly flawed hero, well drawn supporting characters and villains, authentic background detail, and a plot that pulls you along a twisty path. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific Thai thriller, September 20, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Noble lies (Hardcover)

Former Gulf War I veteran Mark Rohr works as a bouncer in the resort community Phuket, Thailand. Fellow American Robin Antonucci offers Mark five thousand dollars to find her missing brother Shawn Keller, who vanished after the horrific tsunami devastated Phuket a couple of years ago.

Mark agrees although he does not trust Robin as something is OUT OF ORDER with her request leading him to believe she is not telling him the full truth. She explains her sibling is a diver so they visit diving shops and business that employ divers. They also investigate whorehouses and sleazy bars. Every person they question offers nothing except trouble as someone, perhaps the target of their search, wants Shawn to remain MIA.

The key to this Thai thriller besides the fabulous location is that the prime players especially the hero and the villains have good and bad qualities that make them seem real. The story line is fast-paced and filled with red herrings and incredible but plausible twists that will keep the audience reading in anticipation of the next spin. Fans will appreciate Charles Benoit as he continues to earn the reputation of an overseas travel guide to action and adventure (see OUT OF ORDER and RELATIVE DANGER).

Harriet Klausner

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Setting, September 20, 2011

By 

Ohioan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noble lies (Hardcover)

I enjoyed the setting of this novel very much, and I enjoyed the characters. The plot, however, was somewhat disappointing: no turn of events seemed unexpected or unpredictable. I felt as if I had read this book before, or, more likely, seen a plot something like it on television. The setting and characters were sufficiently interesting, though, that I would try another novel by this author.