The Chinese Proverb

The Chinese Proverb by Tina Clough

Lightpool Publishing, RRP $34.99

The latest thrilling crime novel from New Zealand author Tina Clough is a world-class read with local settings. I read it in two long sessions, couldn't bear to put it down.

Army veteran Hunter Grant thought he had left war behind in Afghanistan – a conflict that left him with physical and psychological scars. But finding an unconscious girl in the Northland bush and gradually untangling her story involves him in a war of a different kind in his own country.

Hunter sets out to find and punish the man Dao calls Master, but he discovers there is more to this than enslavement. Before long he himself is being hunted by the boss of a drug empire whose sole objective is to kill Dao – she knows far too much.

Protecting Dao and waging war while trying to keep the police from stifling his enterprise takes all Hunter’s ingenuity and determination and exposes him to deadly jeopardy. He enlists his old army buddy Charlie and her helicopter to help, but things become complicated when Dao disappears.

 

‘The strength of this pacy novel is not just the tense plot line, where every moment there is palpable danger, but also the nuanced and growing relationship between Dao and Hunter. They are two individuals who are thrown together in the most extreme circumstances, and who develop a deep bond with each other, based on mutual respect and admiration. The Chinese Proverb is a top-notch thriller, with a powerful emotional element.’
Karen McMillan, author of The Paris of the East, and The Paris of the West.
 
About the author:
Tina Clough divides her time between writing crime novels, and translating and editing medical research papers. Tina was born in Sweden and lives outside Napier, where she grows organic vegetables, looks after her free-range hens and makes jam. Reading, photography and kayaking rate high on the list of interests.
Tina is the author of the previous novels The Girl Who Lived Twice and Running Towards Danger.