Ross Thomas: The Singapore Wink

Salvatore Callese and sidekick Palmisano want retired stuntman Ed Cauthorne to find Angelo Sacchetti. This is problematic as Cauthorne killed Sacchetti two years earlier in a film stunt that went wrong. It's also a problem as Sacchetti, of course, didn't die -- but had good reasons for faking it. His godfather, Mafia fixer Charles Cole, sent the two aged killers to Cauthorne because of their powers of persuasion ...

Sacchetti left behind a load of debt and a very upset Mafia don's daughter; Carla Lozupone wants to accompany Cauthorne to Singapore on the hunt. Alas, our missing baddie has acquired a Chinese wife along the way. Whisky-loving FBI man Sam Dangerfield also invites himself along.

Simple so far? Cole's real reason for wanting his godson found is the microfilm that Angelo stole before he did a runner. Microfilm that the FBI would love to get its hands on.

And so, the unlikely trio fly to Singapore. Cauthorne is introduced to Lim Pang Sen, more than just a businessman. Lim has been following Sacchetti's rise in Singapore (through numbers, protection rackets, torture and murder). He's also noted that the aforementioned Chinese wife is the daughter of a major Singaporean politician.

CIA map of the region

Throw in Philippine guerillas and sundry grizzled and crooked locals and we have another Ross Thomas novel that entertains and enthralls in his usual inimitable way. Though first published in 1969 this will still delight fans of the genre.

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