(Reviewed by Christopher J. Lynch)
I’ll admit that I didn’t fall in love with this book right off the bat. But by the second or third chapter, it had really begun to grow on me.
The protagonist is Anthony, a struggling writer (aren’t we all) who ends up getting pulled into the high-stakes world of Chinese money laundering, Macau gambling casinos, AI, and crypto currency. Before long, he becomes the target of an assassin, but who is it? Anthony must figure this all out while trying to simultaneously, smuggle riches out of China, maintain his burgeoning relationship with his new girlfriend, help his estranged twin brother and sister-in-law survive pandemic known as Covid, and keep a pesky detective off his tail.
Author Andrew W. Pearson does an excellent job of keeping the action going without over doing it. The characters are believable, fun, and multi-dimensional. He builds the tension perfectly to the denouement with a surprise ending that wraps up everything neatly.
The Dead Chip Syndicate would make a great movie!
