The Postmistress of Nong Khai

by Frank Hurst

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.

Author news

When intelligence officer Mike Rawlin falls for his beautiful Thai informant, he seems set on a path that could wreck his investigation and destroy his life.

Although a work of fiction, The Postmistress of Nong Khai provides authentic insights into the domain of international narcotics smuggling and its methodology, and the clandestine work of collaborating law enforcement agencies to expose it. While the humour and romance will have a broad appeal it is also the account of a man in crisis, obsessed by his classified work, who enters a dangerous relationship that will take him perilously close to catastrophe.

"An excellent first novel, with a gripping, well paced plot all within the bounds of plausibility. The romantic sub-plot certainly ratchets up the tension. Hugely entertaining."

"This is an outstanding first novel. I was first attracted by the title since I work and live in Laos, across the Friendship Bridge from Nong Khai. Frank Hurst captures the heart and soul of the girls who sacrifice their very human side for their security and that of their families. He sees Thailand and the drug problem as it is and the people, both Thai and foreign, whose lives are dedicated to stopping the flow of the drug trade, knowing that they are swimming upstream. The action in the story is riveting, taking the reader on a wild ride while the ending will blow you away and looking forward to a sequel."

Frankhurst.com

Book Reviews

Be the first to review this book

About the Author

Frank Hurst

A recently retired career intelligence officer and investigator with over thirty-five yearsâ€™ with Her Majestyâ€™s Customs, Scotland Yard and the British Foreign Office, which took him to over fifty countries in pursuit of UK objectives, building cases against the most serious global drugs traffickers and organised crime groups.