Dear Readers,

Both as a writer and a reader, I like crime novels that grow out of real events. LAUNDRY MAN, the first of my Jack Shepherd novels, grew out of several events that were very real indeed.

Those of you who have read LAUNDRY MAN will remember that at the beginning of the book Shepherd gets a telephone call from a guy who claims to be a former law partner of his named Barry Gale, a man Shepherd heard committed suicide years before. The call is so intriguing to Shepherd that he even agrees to meet the caller at midnight at a Bangkok short-order cafe called Took La Dee just to hear the story he has to tell.

Dear Readers,

At the beginning of LAUNDRY MAN, Jack Shepherd had only recently arrived in Bangkok, having taken a job — more on a whim than as a result of any studied contemplation — teaching in the business school at Chulalongkorn University. Where Shepherd lives and works in Bangkok are both real places, and here’s a look at both of them.

Chula, as it’s mostly known, is generally said to be Thailand’s most prestigious university. It is located right in the heart of Bangkok, but there are still parts of Chula’s campus that have a kind of serenity about them. At least they do if you focus your eyes in just one direction and don’t turn your head too far.

Dear Readers,

My series of novels featuring Jack Shepherd had its beginnings with the publication of THE BIG MANGO, although THE BIG MANGO has nothing at all to do with Jack Shepherd.

Let me explain…

THE BIG MANGO was first published about twelve years ago. I had never written a novel before and I really didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I tossed off the manuscript in a few months as a bit of a lark, mostly because I was sick of writing screenplays and just wanted to write something else for a change.

Dear Readers,

Chinese New Year this year was on January 23, so I thought this week I would take a break from writing about the background of my novels and simply wish everyone a Happy New Year.

You may have heard that it is now the Year of the Dragon, but that’s not entirely correct. Technically — or at least so I am told by people far more knowledgable about such things than I am — we do not actually leave the Year of the White Rabbit and enter on the Year of the Water Dragon until February 4. Apparently Chinese astrologers have more calendars than Newt Gingrich has girlfriends.

Dear Readers,

Last week I took you to three very public places in Singapore that were featured in THE AMBASSADOR’S WIFE. This week, our tour of Singapore gets a little more…well, personal.

Our first stop is an office building called Orchard Towers, which is a logical if unimaginative name for the building since it is located on Orchard Road just across the street from the Singapore Hilton.

During daylight hours, nobody I’ve ever met gives a damn about Orchard Towers. It’s just another dreary office building, the first four floors of which are commercial space arranged around an open atrium. After dark, it’s another story altogether. That’s when Orchard Towers becomes ground zero for the raunchiest nightlife in that part of Singapore, perhaps in all of Singapore.

Dear Readers,

I’ve always enjoyed novels that have a strong sense of place. Whenever I plan to visit a city about which I know every little, I look for a few contemporary novels in which it is featured and read them before I go.

Novels are simply far better than guidebooks as a way to get a real feel for a city. Going to Moscow? Forget Fordor’s. Just read a couple of Martin Cruz Smith novels and you’ll be all set.

Dear Readers,

Up until now, I’ve been writing to you mostly about the people and places that appear in my novels, but today I have something far more important to tell you about.

You may have heard about the warnings of a imminent terrorist attack on Americans in Bangkok. It’s pretty much all anybody is talking about here today.

Dear Readers,

Last week I introduced you to the Singapore I know, the one that made me want to write THE AMBASSADOR’S WIFE. This week I’m going to tell you a little about Inspector Samuel Tay’s Singapore.

This is the neighborhood where Sam lives in a house that is a lot nicer than most Singaporean policeman can afford….

Dear Readers,

Singapore takes a lot of crap from old Asia hands. Too organized, they snicker. Too clean. Too contemporary.

On the whole, these displays of contempt seems to be rooted in some conviction that Singapore isn’t the ‘real’ Asia, whatever that means. Some of these folks call Singapore ‘Asia Light.’ Others call it all ‘Singabore.’

That’s not what I see when I look at Singapore. For me, the most interesting fiction grows out of a strong sense of place, and few places I know are as endlessly rich in the melding of east and west, past and future, as modern-day Singapore.

Dear Readers,

Since it’s the holiday season, I’m sure you’re busy with all the usual kind of holiday stuff so I’m going to keep this letter pretty short.

You may know already that people in Thailand traditionally give each other New Years’ presents rather than Christmas presents. So in the spirt of the season I’ve got a small present for you, too.

THE AMBASSADOR’S WIFE is a favorite book of mine and, possibly more important, my wife’s personal favorite out of all my novels. Inspector Samuel Tay of Singapore CID catches a case that takes him from Singapore to Pattaya and eventually to Bangkok in search of a killer who appears to be targeting American women connected with the US State Department.