Hangman's Point; A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Very well done historical mystery
Review: In 1857 China, American Andrew Adams has held several legally questionable jobs and other tasks that clearly stepped beyond the south side of the law. In Hong Kong, the part-time smuggler manages a bar that has patrons that are some of the sleaziest individuals residing in the area. However, this time Andrew goes too far and to avoid prison, must search out the pirates who beheaded foreign sailors.

However, that is only the start of what is turning into a bad new year for Andrew. Soon, the beleaguered anti-hero is involuntarily battling slave traders, escaping from prison after being accused of murder, and ultimately is in a fight to the death with vicious pirates, who will stop at nothing to loot a city.

Anyone who reads this novel will have to have a passport because they will be immediately transferred to the mid-nineteenth century Orient. The story line is filled with Andrew's misadventures even as it provides a rich historical perspective of the era. The support cast feels so genuine as they move the plot forward. HANGMAN'S POINT is a great historical fiction that, if there is any justice, will enable Dean Barrett to become a household name.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Historical Entertainment
Review: This monster of a historical adventure takes 1857 Hong Kong as its venue, and places an American tavern-manager/adventurer at the center. Like George Fraser's rogue Flashman (from the series of the same name and set roughly the same era), Andrew Adams is prone to making unwise decisions, and usually has several women on the side. The story is a complicated one, involving a nefarious plot by an English pirate lord to try and take the port of Hong Kong while the bulk of the British force is away shelling Canton, and an unrelated, but simultaneous plot to poison the entire foreign population. There are load and loads of characters, from all classes and parts of society, and Barrett succeeds in making each indelible. The books flags at times, but Barrett is mostly successful in juggling all the plots and players while dishing out loads and loads of daily life detail on his setting. It's a quite impressive--if slightly old-fashioned--historical entertainment. One small annoyance is the fluctuating spelling of one of the main villain's names. A much greater annoyance is the lack of any kind of map!

Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: What makes Hangman's Point such a great read is its skillful blending of colorful and exotic historical details with high drama of love, betrayal and intrigue between the local Chinese and the expatriates of Hong Kong in 1857. Every page teems with action! The courtroom scene full of eccentric characters and outbursts of humor and cunning maneuvers is as engrossing as any found in the best legal thrillers. Highly recommended to anyone looking for an exiting historical novel with elements of mystery and adventure thrown in.