Spirit House [Paperback]

Christopher G. Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2004

First novel in the celebrated Vincent Calvino Series with a new introduction by Christopher G. Moore. Calvino's investigation into Hoadly's death takes him from the red-light district of Patpong to the slums of Klong Toey. He works himself through the power structure of gangsters, godfathers and crooked police officials. The search for Ben Hoadly's murderer plunges Calvino into the dark side of the City of Angels, where professional hitmen have orders to stop him. From the world of thinner addicts, dope dealers, fortune tellers, and high-class call girls, Calvino peels away the mystery surrounding Hoadly's death. In the end, the motive is greed for a woman, for power, and money.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A thinking man's Philip Marlowe, Calvino is a cynic on the surface but a romantic at heart..." -- The Daily Yomiuri

"Moore is teases out marginal characters, and bringing them to life with his consummate, compulsive story-telling." -- Project Eyeball (Singapore)

"Moore peels away the romance that surrounds the Land of Smiles and the so-called romantic East is unveiled." -- The Nation

About the Author

Christopher G. Moore, an awarding winning novelist and playwright, is a Canadian, first came to Asia in 1983 and has lived in Bangkok since 1988. He graduated with a First Class Honours degree from Oxford University and taught law at universities in Canada and England until 1985 when he resigned to write full-time. From 1985 to 1988 he lived in New York City. He is the author of 17 novels.

Product Details

• Paperback: 299 pages
• Publisher: Heaven Lake Press (September 2004)
• ISBN-10: 9749238931
• ISBN-13: 978-9749238936
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,421,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mystery detective with cynicism and heart!, July 7, 2005

By 

Valerie Matteson "Bookaholic" (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spirit House (Paperback)

The locale is Bangkok, Thailand and the story begins with the dream or nightmare of Vincent Calvino. Calvino is an ex-lawyer, ex-cop who does private investigation work - when he can get it. He is a drunk and also uses whores, smokes, etc. His dream is about a friend who was recently killed and in the dream someone is coming after him as well. He wakes from this dream/nightmare at his apartment next to a Thai whore whose name he has forgotten - again. That is because he was so inebriated he couldn't remember. His housekeeper, Mrs. Jamthong - who is a hoot all by herself!, wakes him yelling at him that he is late for work and to come eat breakfast. The prostitute leaves and Calvino (known to the Thais as "Khun Winee" since they can't pronounce the "v" for "Vinee") gets to the table to read the paper. He sees a photo of a man slumped over a desk - dead. His assistant, Ratana, calls and tells him to call her as soon as he is through with his meal. He recognizes he knows the dead "farang" - white man or foreigner to the Thais. He is a Brit named Ben Hoadley. He gets to his office and finds that Ben Hoadley's father in England wants Calvino to investigate his son's murder. The Thai newspaper reported that a "thinner addict" had done the deed. Into his office comes Kiko, friend and romantic interest, who knows the thinner addict, Lek, and swears that he could not have done it.

Thus begins an amazing string of events as Calvino works with Kiko, Pratt (a friend in the Bangkok police) and uncovers the motives and events of why first Jeff Logan and then Ben Hoadley and during the course of the story several others were murdered. How Calvino gets to the resolution amid the extreme dangers he and others around him face is a fantastic tale of suspense, mystery, intrigue and the underworld.

As a woman, I would say that Vincent Calvino is a true man's man and the kind of detective that men more than women would enjoy reading about. The Spirit House is the first of the many novels that Mr. Moore has written about Calvino. The details and descriptions are very image and thought provoking. I highly recommend it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-Read International Criminal Thriller, August 7, 2008

By 

Stephen Matzie "smatzie" (smatzie) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spirit House: A Vincent Calvino Crime Novel (Vincent Calvino Novels) (Kindle Edition)

Through the underbelly Bangkok, Vincent Calvino confronts crime bosses, corrupt cops, prostitutes, slum dwellers, and addicts to unravel this murder mystery. Where the truth often takes the back seat to other other cultural values, Thailand is a perfect setting for the novel. The reader is positioned right on the edge between the expat life and local community- getting real insight into both worlds. It feels like you could get sucked into the Bangkok mess at any moment.

To this end, Christopher Moore is a very clever author, with a style closer to Film Noir rather than the everyday P.I./mystery writers. His protagonist, Vincent Calvino, is an unassuming hero who regularly drinks, visits the red lights of Patpong, and barely scrapes by. Yet, he preserves relentlessly where few others do (or are willing to go). He is certainly not against rolling up his sleeves and getting dirty, or bloody, whatever the case may be.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this!, August 5, 2008

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spirit House: A Vincent Calvino Crime Novel (Vincent Calvino Novels) (Kindle Edition)

Brilliant! Plot, pacing, characters, and - above all - a totally immersive sense of place; this one has it all. I was disappointed not to find anything else by Mr. Moore avaliable for the Kindle. Hopefully that will be rectified soon.