Debut Novel by American Author S.H. Stratman

BUY

A noir crime thriller set in the glowing neon nostalgia of 90’s Hong Kong. “Murakami meets Mulder & Scully.” A dark, otherworldly tale; the witty introspection of a self possessed, first-person narrative.

Hong Kong, 1992. Jonah, a rookie reporter from a small, unassuming town in the Midwestern United States, accepts a job at the Harbour Daily, eager to sink his teeth into the kind of newsworthy events only a big metropolis can offer. But, as murderous forces of unimaginable evil begin to take hold of the city, our young hero finds himself tangled in a web of darkness and death beyond comprehension. Has he bitten off more than he can chew?

”Up on the rooftop I can see all of Kowloon, splayed out like the pages of a great picture book. Thousands of buildings, millions of people, each with their own little square of space to move about, to talk and to fight, to eat and to make love. Behind each window there is life; a thousand choices and consequences. Thinking minds, beating hearts and blood. Thick, red blood, coursing down miles of pathways, escaping through lacerations, the shedding of uterine walls, the pains of childbirth, inflamed lungs, and crimes of passion. And sometimes, just sometimes… bites.“

Reviews:

“The author describes the story scene with extremely careful writing. The scene travels around different corners of Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories, as if to bring Hong Kong readers a new understanding of Hong Kong's landscape... The author chose the most wonderful era of Hong Kong as the background for his work." -@funkylily.writes, Hong Kong Based Literary Blogger

Elements of Story

Nostalgic 90’s Hong Kong

The dripping, grainy filmstock familiarity of a neon-soaked Hong Kong of old, immortalized in memories of the past

Vintage Noir

Tough guy investigators, cold hard killers, innocent bystanders, and nefarious ladies of the night

Horror

A tale steeped in Chinese occult & vampiric legend passed down from the pages of ancient times and teachings

Crime Thriller

Criminal cases and chilling murders that will keep you in cold sweat

Hard-Boiled Detective

First person narrative driven story akin to the giants of the genre, such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett & Haruki Murakami

Meet S.H. Stratman

American author S.H. Stratman is originally from Columbus, Ohio. He studied Philosophy at Ohio University. Today, he lives and writes from a small apartment overlooking Victoria Harbour on Hong Kong Island.

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