Mike Rawlin, an ambitious Customs Intelligence officer, is posted to the British Embassy in Bangkok, where he is tasked with infiltrating a dangerous band of drug smugglers in the infamous and remote Golden Triangle. His work consumes him and he becomes increasingly isolated from his family as he takes more risks, throwing himself recklessly into his new life.
With the help of the Thai police and an Australian counterpart, Mike tracks down a notorious Dutch drug lord, Bart Vanderpool, who he has been hunting for years. Bart is masterminding an elaborate plot to smuggle heroin from the Golden Triangle to Britain. After tapping Bart’s phone as part of his surveillance operation, Mike is introduced to Lek, a beautiful Thai Airways hostess, from the Mekong River city of Nong Khai, who has inside information about the drug ring. With Lek’s help Mike steals ever closer to trapping Bart, but in the process Lek becomes the object of his desire and the two embark on an emotional affair. Mike’s personal and professional values begin to disintegrate as his infatuation for her grows. Mike’s investigation leads to a climatic ending in which he must choose between the woman he loves and the capture of a man he has been hunting for over ten years.
Passion, deception and intrigue provide a heady mix in this fast-paced crime thriller set in London and Thailand. A highly entertaining read, The Postmistress of Nong Khai is full of fascinating and elusive characters and will appeal to readers who enjoy being kept guessing until the very end.
