Ava and Uncle go deep inside the shady world of online gambling in the second installment of the pulse-pounding Ava Lee novels.

Ava and Uncle are hired by Tommy Ordonez, the richest man in the Philippines, to recover $50 million lost in a land swindle. The Filipino billionaire’s reputation is on the line, and his family is on the brink of disaster.

Ava tracks the missing funds from Canada to San Francisco to accounts in Costa Rica, and uncovers an illegal online gambling ring in Las Vegas. There, she confronts David “the Disciple” Douglas, one of the greatest poker players in the world, and his partner, Jeremy Ashton, a former banker with ties to a high-ranking U.K. cabinet minister. What starts out as a typical track-and-retrieve job turns into a political cat-and-mouse game. Meanwhile, Jackie Leung, an old target of Uncle’s and Ava’s, has made it rich. He wants revenge, and he’s going after Ava to get it…

Ian Hamilton is the author of seven novels in the Ava Lee series: The Dragon Head of Hong Kong: The Ava Lee Prequel, The Water Rat of Wanchai, The Disciple of Las Vegas, The Wild Beasts of Wuhan, The Red Pole of Macau, The Scottish Banker of Surabaya, and The Two Sisters of Borneo. The Water Rat of Wanchai was the winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel, an Amazon.ca Top 100 Book of the Year, an Amazon.ca Top 100 Editors’ Pick, an Amazon.ca Canadian Pick, an Amazon.ca Mysteries and Thrillers Pick, a Toronto Star Top 5 Fiction Book of the Year, and a Quill & Quire Top 5 Fiction Book of the Year.

Ian Hamilton's profile page

This is slick, fast-moving escapism reminiscent of Ian Fleming, with more to come in what shapes us a a high-energy, high concept series.

Booklist

Like The Water Rat of Wanchai, [Ian] Hamilton's second novel is a fast, reasonably captivating and thoroughly researched jaunt through one or two of the world's international financial underbellies and dubious characters.

London Free Press

Ava Lee is one tough, smart woman ... she's a hit!

Saskatoon Star Phoenix

Lee is a hugely original creation, and Hamilton packs his adventure with interesting facts and plenty of action.

Irish Independent

. . . simply irresistible . . .

Globe and Mail

Ava Lee is chic, bright and an ace at deciphering complex financial crimes...swift and dangerous...a whole lot of action.

Toronto Star

Hamilton makes each page crackle with the kind of energy that could easily jump to the movie screen... this riveting read will keep you up late at night.

Penthouse

Hamilton gives his reader plenty to think about ... entertaining ...

Kitchener-Waterloo Record