Elka Ray
Hanoi Jane
Marshall Cavendish Asian Chic
320 pages, paperback £8.99 This is a first novel from a British expat writer based in Vietnam and was snapped up by Marshall Cavendish for their Asian Chic imprint.
It zips along at a cracking pace with a compelling plot and fun characters, such as Sigrid, who rides a scooter and knows all the best places to have a party. Jane and Sigrid soon get embroiled in all manner of derringdoo as the book becomes a light-hearted crime-come-chick-lit-come-farce. It’s fun, it’s peppy and a good holiday read. Set in Vietnam, it tells the story of an American journalist who finds her fiancé in bed with a local troublemaker. With the wedding planned, Jane’s larger than life parents come and stay anyway, because they had booked their tickets, while Jane finds herself intent on discovering the truth behind the three-timing Lindy who has ruined her life – or did she actually do her a big favour?