The story starts with a poor subsistence fisherman partaking of an activity we all do daily (though rarely mentioned in fiction) through a hole cut in the floor of his kelong (fishing platform) when he discovers a body wrapped up in a fishing net. He does the right thing, at the risk of creating trouble for himself, by calling the police and taking the body ashore. The timing of this coincides with the unloading of the prized but foul-smelling durian crop. When the body is uncovered, they realise it is a white man so something must be done. These simple tasks capture the time, the sights, sounds and smells of the Singapore dockside perfectly. We see the native poor, the coolies, rickshaw men, labourers and former sepoy, expendable labour, expendable lives. If it had been a Malay in the net the bare minimum would be done. At the other end of the scale the white colonial powers, for whom nothing is too much and some never enough. The structural and institutional racism of the time must have been shocking compared to modern enlightened thought. Our police inspector, Max Betancourt, is conveniently or sometimes inconveniently somewhere between the two. Betancourt is Kristang in origin, a mixed-race Portuguese-Malay people, which places him with a foot in each camp, allowing him insider and outsider perspectives, though for some people he will never be enough of one or the other. Through his dealings with and treatment of the non-Europeans we see the kindness and humanity of the man. He is also able to rub shoulders with the elite of the colony as well the fly, dodgy characters on the racecourse. There is one black cloud over Betancourt’s life, his missing wife. His wife disappeared without a trace after a car crash which killed her driver. Initially he thought a criminal gang was involved but having heard nothing he is no longer sure. He has searched for her and is conflicted, not wanting to the abandon the search prevents him from moving on with his life, something even his daughter believes her should. She can see the chemistry between him and police surgeon Evelyn, the potential love interest, and believes in carpe diem but Evelyn might have given up waiting. This relationship is one that bubbles through the storyline and promises to bring more joy in future instalments. The timing is perfect in demonstrating the over confidence and sheer arrogance of the powers of the time. The Second World War is in the ‘phoney’ war period, with Germany and Japan making territorial gains but the British are convinced that Singapore will be safe. They underestimate the ‘inferior’ Japanese military and believe the garrison too strong, but when the attack came, they held out for merely a week. In just a few paragraphs this palpable contempt is laid bare, with hard lessons to be learned in the future. From the title and cover of the novel it is obvious that opium is going to play its part and I suspect for many readers what is revealed will come as something of a shock. Some will be aware of the opium wars but regard those as the distant past, but to think that as recently as 1940, opium consumption was controlled and taxed by authorities, much as alcohol or tobacco is now, is truly mind blowing. A shameful period of our past laid bare, warts and all, well researched and convincingly covered. The story gradually builds up, with regular injections of action and intrigue before a danger packed conclusion which will have readers enthralled. Throughout the story there are incidents revealing glimpses of ordinary life there, across the class and race spectrum, which add to the fascination of the place so perfectly captured in the prose. Betancourt may ride a motorcycle, but he is not a stereotypical action man, far from it, he does place himself in risky situations, but when there is a fight, he invariably comes off second best. He is lucky to have the lovely Evelyn to minister to his needs. An enlightening, engaging and entertaining historical crime .

"Chasing the Dragon" by Mark Wightman delivers a thrilling plunge into the vibrant streets of 1940s Singapore, where Detective Inspector Betancourt navigates a web of mystery and intrigue. As a fan of historical crime fiction, I was eager to immerse myself in this world, and I wasn't disappointed. Wightman's vivid prose effortlessly transports readers to colonial Singapore, teeming with life and danger at every turn. Betancourt, with his dogged determination and complex personal history, makes for a compelling protagonist, anchoring the narrative with his unwavering pursuit of the truth. While the plot unfolds with plenty of twists and turns, I couldn't shake the feeling of predictability that lingered throughout. Despite solid characterisation and an engaging storyline, "Chasing the Dragon" ultimately left me wanting more. It's a decent addition to the genre, but one that may fade into the background among the many other books of its kind.