I received this book from LibraryThing. I enjoyed this book more than any other book I have read so far this year. The Author's use of language is wonderful. Periodically I had to look up a word in the Dictionary - this gave me the opportunity to grow my vocabulary a little. The story was well done. You could see a movie being made of it. I am not discussing the plot line - you can look that up elsewhere. ( )

Review: House of Fat Man by M. Gerard-Alesco 4* 12/23/2023
This was an Early Reviewer's Book. The characters were well developed and they enhanced the story to flow along as it did. I thought the story was interesting and written well. The setting was in the mix of Thailand and the Asia area. One character was mentioned throughout the book that kept the mystery and secrets until the very end. His friends and other people didn't know that he was Lord Saint Clair until his mother got involved.
The story was about a Chinese drug lord who kept other drug dealers out of his area. They claimed that Lord Saint Clair was last known to be going to the dangerous hill tribe when he just disappeared. His friends hunted many times to find him and his family there in Thailand had no idea where he was. His close friends were researchers who came in contact with the opium operation that was going on. There was also a small clinic that was operated by a wonderful woman. Unbeknown to her they use her address to have some weapons delivered in crates and placed in her storage space. The book was based on heroin production and drug smuggling. There were some twists and turns throughout the story and new events happened as crooked gambling, beautiful women always owned by someone, and violence everywhere. ( )

Good story with an overall well written plot. It did start slower than I would have liked. I felt lost for the first 75 pages or so not really understanding all the asides that were inserted. It started making more sense later. The author obviously is familiar with the setting.

I liked the book overall, but there were a couple spots that were difficult to push through as a reader. ( )

House of Fat Man: Rules in the Golden Triangle is a thriller set in the remote jungles of northern Thailand during the Viet Nam war. Two of the characters who feature throughout the book are Greg, an academic sociologist working with the local natives, and Albie, a wealthy Brit aristocrat who built a research station to support efforts against deforestation. The local economy is based on the opium trade. The Fat Man of the title runs a drug shipping business and effectively rules the area. Albie disappears after going to investigate a bit of thuggery at the defunct research station, and the plot is driven by efforts by his friends to discover what happened to him.

Author M. Gerard-Alesco is obviously familiar with the area, and the exotic setting is both believable and supportive of the narrative. Characters are fleshed out and have realistic interactions. The novel seems lengthy, perhaps because of the structure. Part One and Part Two both feature forays into the jungle looking for clues to Albie’s fate, with some changes of supporting characters. It seemed repetitive.

I also note that while Albie is a main character, really the focus of the book, he appears in person on page 1 and is off-stage for the rest of the novel. We know him by what the others say about him. He seems interesting and I’d have liked to see him in action on his own.

Fast paced and mostly authentic novel set in Northern Thailand. Timeframe is inferred as 1972 when the [poppies to opium to morphine to] heroin trade was in full swing. Richly fleshed out characters from varied cast of ex-pats, including researchers, gamblers, a religious worker, drug runners, spies, and soldiers of fortune. Some interesting Thai and Chinese characters as well. Only thing missing is a more nuanced look at the hill peoples inhabiting the Golden Triangle. The first "ending" was abrupt and unsatisfying; just hang on for the next two conclusions. Recommended for anyone who has travelled through Southeast Asia and any spy thriller junkies wanting a completely different take on the genre. ( )