It’s Singapore, 1940. When a local fisherman discovers the body of a missing American archaeologist, supposedly drowned, Detective Inspector Betancourt of the Singapore Marine Police decides things don’t quite add up.
The archaeologist was close to deciphering the hitherto-untranslatable script carved on a pre-colonial relic known as the Singapore Stone, and was in prime position to capture a prestigious — not to mention lucrative — prize for his work.
Betancourt decides this was no accidental drowning, but is there more to the death than archaeological rivalries?
His investigations lead him to a government-run opium factory where he finds his own life in danger.
He also finds that he has put himself on the wrong side of British Military Intelligence, and he is unsure which set of opponents he fears the most…
Chasing the Dragon by Mark Wightman is published on 12 September, 2023.
It’s the second in his Betancourt Mystery series, following the multi-award-nominated Waking the Tiger.
