THE THIRD BOOK IN THE AVA LEE SERIES In Ian Hamilton's The Red Pole of Macau , family ties are stressed to the limit when intrepid forensic accountant Ava Lee must rescue her half brother, Michael, and his business partner, Simon, from a disastrous multimillion-dollar real-estate deal in Macau. When the developers turn out to be gangsters, Michael and Simon are threatened with bankruptcy and much worse. Ava struggles to salvage the deal and her family's money, but then Simon is kidnapped, and the rules of the game abruptly change. Determined to keep her mentor, Uncle, out of the affair, Ava is forced to turn to a former client, the cunning and seductive May Ling Wong, for help. With time running out, Ava must use all her skills to outwit the gangsters, rescue Simon, and save her family's future. When her half-brother asks for help, family takes priority for Toronto forensic accountant Ava Lee, whose business is finding money that has strayed. A bad investment of millions of dollars by Hong Kong businessman Michael Lee, Ava’s half-brother and his partner, Simon To, in a Macau shopping center reputedly being developed by Kao Lok—an enforcer, or red pole, in the triad—threatens the financial security of the entire family of Marcus Lee, with his three wives and eight children. With the development substantially delayed, Lok refuses to repay the investment, instead demanding more money. When Lok and his henchman kidnap Simon, problem-solver Ava has to act, calling on her elderly Hong Kong partner, Uncle Chow, a former triad leader who lacks his former power, and reluctantly enlisting the help of former client May Ling Wong. But even personal contacts and ready cash can’t eliminate all the snags in Ava’s bold and dangerous plan. Asian locales and action increasing to a deadly climax add to the appeal of this fourth (after The Wild Beasts of Wuhan, 2013) in Hamilton’s surefire series. --Michele Leber “Cutting edge crime novels.” ― BBC.com “Hamilton makes each page crackle with the kind of energy that could easily jump to the movie screen.” ― Rachel Kramer Bussel, Penthouse “Formidable...Ava Lee is unbeatable at just about everything....She's perfect.” ― The Toronto Star “Ian Hamilton really knows his stuff, offering intriguing insights into a secret world and a heroine as fascinating as she is fierce. A fantastic read, I can't wait for the next one.” ― Simon Lewis, author of Bad Traffic “Slick, fast-moving escapism reminiscent of Ian Fleming.” ― Booklist “Hamilton ( The Disciple of Las Vegas , 2013, etc.) delivers colorful snapshots of Hong Kong and Macau, a well-paced plot, and a smart and capable heroine who'll make you see accounting in a whole new light.” ― Kirkus Reviews “Asian locales and action increasing to a deadly climax add to the appeal of this fourth (after The Wild Beasts of Wuhan , 2013) in Hamilton's surefire series.” ― Booklist Ian Hamilton  has had a range of careers over the span of his life, from journalist to diplomat, but it wasn’t until a health scare that he sat down to write his first novel. Ava Lee was the heroine that came to him and so the series was born. Hamilton’s journalism has been featured in Maclean’s and  Saturday Night Magazine. He is the author of The Disciple of Las Vegas , The Wild Beasts of Wuhan , The Red Pole of Macau , and The Water Rat of Wanchai . He lives in Burlington, Ontario, with his wife, Lorraine. He has four children and seven grandchildren.