Hour of the Rat

An American woman is caught up in Chinese intrigue in this New York Times–bestselling series: “One of the best thrillers of the year” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer).

A Los Angeles Times Summer Page Turner

Iraq War veteran Ellie McEnroe has a pretty good life in Beijing, representing the work of a controversial dissident Chinese artist—even though the authorities have been keeping an eye on her, and even though her born-again mother has come for a visit and shows no signs of leaving. But when her mom takes up with “that nice Mr. Zhou next door,” Ellie decides it’s time to get out of town—given her mother’s historically poor choices in men, no good can come of this.

An old army buddy gives her the perfect excuse. His unstable brother has disappeared in picturesque Yangshuo, a famous tourist destination, and though Ellie knows it’s a long shot, she agrees to try to find him. At worst, she figures she’ll have a few days of fun in some gorgeous scenery.

But her plans for a relaxing vacation are immediately complicated when her mother and the new boyfriend tag along. And as soon as she starts asking questions, Ellie realizes that she’s stumbled into a dangerous conspiracy that may or may not involve a sinister biotech company, eco-terrorists, an art-obsessed Chinese billionaire, and lots of cats—one that will take her on a wild chase through some of China’s most beautiful, and most surreal, places—in a novel with “twists and turns galore” (Publishers Weekly).