Background
Hamilton was born in Chirk, Wales, in 1946.
(Ava Lee is a young Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant w...)
Ava Lee is a young Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant who specializes in recovering massive debts. Ava works for an elderly Hong Kong-based "Uncle," who may or may not have ties to the Triads. At 5'3" and 115 lbs., she hardly seems a threat. But her razor-sharp intelligence and unorthodox rules of engagement allow her to succeed where traditional methods have failed. In The Water Rat of Wanchai Ava is persuaded by an old friend of Uncle's to help his nephew who is owed $5 million from a seafood company. The nephew's Hong Kong business financed purchase orders for a company that was producing cooked shrimp for a major U.S. retailer. The deal went sideways. The money disappeared. On a journey that takes her from Toronto to Seattle to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Guyana, and the British Virgin Islands, Ava encounters everything from the Thai katoey culture to corrupt but helpful law enforcers. But it's in Guyana where she meets her match: Captain Robbins, a huge hulk of a man and godfather-like figure who controls the police, politicians, and criminals alike. In exchange for his help, he decides he wants of piece of Ava's $5 million action and will do whatever it takes to get his fair share. In the first of what promises to be a massively successful series, Ian Hamilton introduces the reader to one of crime fiction's most unique and compelling heroines, and uncovers the dark machinations of the global shadow economy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005AK3IXQ/?tag=2022091-20
( Ava is in Shanghai for the launch of the PÖ clothing li...)
Ava is in Shanghai for the launch of the PÖ clothing line. She has invited Xu, and over the course of the glitzy event and a late-night dinner, she detects a certain hesitancy in him. He confides that the Tsai family, headed by Tsai Lian, the governor of Jiangsu Province and a princeling” he is the son of a general who was on the Long March with Mao and a member of China’s power elite is trying to force him and his Triad organization back into the drug business. Xu is already paying millions of dollars a year to various Tsai businesses, but the family wants more and thinks the new venture can deliver it. Xu believes this move would lead to his eventual destruction and feels he has nowhere to turn. If he opposes them, they will crush him. If he goes along with them, he thinks that inevitably the police and military will hunt him down. Ava sets out to help Xu deter the Tsai family. As she digs into the breadth and depth of the family’s wealth and corruption, she gets caught up in a huge tangled web, extending all the way to the U.S. and the U.K., where it reaches the top echelons of political power.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1487001606/?tag=2022091-20
(Uncompromising. Tenacious. Fiercely intelligent. Ava Lee ...)
Uncompromising. Tenacious. Fiercely intelligent. Ava Lee will follow the money . . . wherever it takes her.Hired by Tommy Ordonez, the richest man in the Philippines, to recover $50 million in a land swindle, Ava has her work cut out. Tommy's brother has messed up and the Filipino billionaire's reputation is on the line.Tracking the money, Ava uncovers an illegal online gambling ring, and follows the trail to Las Vegas. Once there, she turns her gaze to David Douglas, one of the greatest poker players in the world - and someone who knows more about the missing money than he's letting on. Meanwhile, Jackie Leung, an old target of Ava's, has made it rich. He wants revenge, and he's going after Ava.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0751547026/?tag=2022091-20
( Ava Lee is a young Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant...)
Ava Lee is a young Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant, specializing in recovering debts and stolen money for wealthy clients. At 115lbs., she hardly seems a threat, but her razor sharp intellect and resourcefulness allow her to succeed where traditional methods have failed. In The King of Shanghai, Ava is mourning the death of her longtime business partner and mentor, Uncle” Chow Tung. Looking to start fresh, Ava steps into a new business venture with her friend May Ling Wong and her sister-in-law Amanda. On a trip to China, Ava meets with a young man named Xu, who Uncle had been mentoring and who is also the head of the Triad in Shanghai. Xu makes an audacious business proposal that she and May are compelled to consider. Meanwhile, separately and privately, he confides to Ava that he intends to run for the chairmanship of the Triad Societies and attempts to recruit her as his adviser and confidante. Against her will, Ava becomes enmeshed in Triad warfare and her future is threatened . . .
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1487001592/?tag=2022091-20
( "Formidable...Ava Lee is unbeatable at just about every...)
"Formidable...Ava Lee is unbeatable at just about everything....She's perfect."―Toronto Star Meet Ava Lee, alluring but deadly, with a mind like a steel trap, as she chases millions of dollars and dangerous criminals around the globe in this exotic and fast-paced new crime series by Ian Hamilton. In The Wild Beasts of Wuhan, Wong Changxing, a rich Chinese powerbroker, has just been bilked out of $100 million in an elaborate art forgery con. His one hope of recovering the money, and of saving face, is Ava Lee―a forensic accountant with a talent for tracking down untraceable funds. With the help of her mentor, the Triad-connected Uncle, Ava traces the provenance of the meticulously forged paintings to Denmark, the Faroe Islands, New York, and London. As she infiltrates one of the most prestigious auction houses in the world, she uncovers a massive web of corruption, where high art and high-stakes fraud threaten more than just her client's business―this is one scam that could get her killed. Ava Lee is one of the most scintillating, unique heroines to come along in years.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250032296/?tag=2022091-20
( "One of my favorite new mystery series, perfect escapis...)
"One of my favorite new mystery series, perfect escapism."―Sarah Weinman, National Post Fifty million dollars has disappeared into thin air from the accounts of one of the richest men in the Philippines, Tommy Ordonez. His one hope is Ava Lee―sleek, capable forensic accountant and sleuth. With the help of her Triad-connected partner, Uncle, Ava follows the money trail from San Francisco to Costa Rica to the casinos and illegal gambling dens of Las Vegas. Meanwhile, a vengeful adversary from Ava's past has put out a contract on her life, and the shadowy hit man is close at her heels every step of the way. Will Ava recover the stolen cash without stepping into the crosshairs of a growing list of enemies? The first book of an electrifying new series, Ian Hamilton's The Disciple of Las Vegas introduces Ava Lee: a deadly martial artist with a taste for luxury and a mind like a steel trap.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250031931/?tag=2022091-20
( THE THIRD BOOK IN THE AVA LEE SERIES In Ian Hamilton's...)
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.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250032318/?tag=2022091-20
( AVA LEE TAKES ON A MASTER CRIMINAL IN HER MOST DANGEROU...)
AVA LEE TAKES ON A MASTER CRIMINAL IN HER MOST DANGEROUS CASE YET In Ian Hamilton's The Water Rat of Wanchai, we meet forensic accountant and martial arts expert Ava Lee in her early days working for the mysterious businessman Uncle as they track down large sums of money that have disappeared. One of Uncle's longtime friends has requested help for his nephew, who needs to recover five million dollars from a business deal that went sideways. Ava steps in and immediately is off on a global hunt for the missing money that has her dodging shady characters. On a journey that takes her from Seattle to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Guyana, and the British Virgin Islands, Ava encounters everything from the Thai katoey culture to corrupt government officials. In Guyana she meets her match: Captain Robbins, a godfather-like figure who controls the police, politicians, and criminals alike. In exchange for his help, Robbins decides he wants a piece of Ava's five million dollars and will do whatever it takes to get his fair share.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/125003227X/?tag=2022091-20
(Uncompromising. Tenacious. Fiercely intelligent. Ava Lee ...)
Uncompromising. Tenacious. Fiercely intelligent. Ava Lee will follow the money ...wherever it takes her. Hired by Tommy Ordonez, the richest man in the Philippines, to recover $50 million in a land swindle, Ava has her work cut out. Tommy's brother has messed up and the Filipino billionaire's reputation is on the line. Tracking the money, Ava uncovers an illegal online gambling ring, and follows the trail to Las Vegas. Once there, she turns her gaze to David Douglas, one of the greatest poker players in the world - and someone who knows more about the missing money than he's letting on. Meanwhile, Jackie Leung, an old target of Ava's, has made it rich. He wants revenge, and he's going after Ava.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847445047/?tag=2022091-20
(The second novel in the Ava Lee series launched under Ana...)
The second novel in the Ava Lee series launched under Anansi's new crime fiction imprint, Spiderline In The Disciple of Las Vegas, Uncle and Ava are hired by Tommy Ordonez, the richest man in the Philippines, to recover $50 million in a land swindle that took place in Canada and involves his brother. 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 owned by the Moneida, a First Nations band that owns and operates The River, an online poker web site. Ava uncovers an illegal online gambling ring, and follows the trail to Las Vegas. There, she confronts one of the greatest poker players in the world, David "The Disciple" Douglas, and his partner, Jeremy Ashton. 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. Will Ava save Ordonez's family and reputation? Or will Jackie Leung get to her first? About the Author Ian Hamilton has been a journalist, a senior executive with the federal government, a diplomat, and a businessman with international links. He has written for several magazines and newspapers in Canada and the U.S., including Maclean's, Boston Magazine, Saturday Night, Regina Leader Post, Calgary Albertan, and the Calgary Herald. His nonfiction book, The Children's Crusade, was a Canadian Book of the Month Club selection.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005AK2Y5E/?tag=2022091-20
Hamilton was born in Chirk, Wales, in 1946.
A former journalist and civil servant, his work has appeared in Maclean"s, Boston, the Leader-Post, the Calgary Albertan, and the Calgary Herald. Hamilton is the author of the Ava Lee crime/mystery series. Ava Lee is a Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant who chases massive bad debts for a living.
There are seven books in the series as of late 2014, with another three contracted.
His early education was in Scotland, and the balance and majority in Canada. He started his career as a journalist in Regina with the Leader-Post, and then worked at the Calgary Albertan and Calgary Herald before joining the Canadian government organization The Company of Young Canadians as Director of Communications.
From there he worked at Information Canada (Director of Regional Operations), Consumer and Corporate Affairs (Regional Director for Ontario, Director of Communications), Fisheries and Oceans (Director-General of Communications and Policy Development), and External Affairs (Canadian Consul and Trade Commissioner for New England). He left the government to go into business, and ran several companies including The Rhyn Company, Seafood Selections and The All Natural Seafood Company.
He worked in more than 30 countries.
All of the Ava Lee books have been optioned for film, and a television series is currently in development for a joint Canadian/American network partnership.
(The second novel in the Ava Lee series launched under Ana...)
( THE THIRD BOOK IN THE AVA LEE SERIES In Ian Hamilton's...)
( AVA LEE TAKES ON A MASTER CRIMINAL IN HER MOST DANGEROU...)
( Ava Lee is a young Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant...)
(Ava Lee is a young Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant w...)
( Ava is in Shanghai for the launch of the PÖ clothing li...)
( "One of my favorite new mystery series, perfect escapis...)
(Uncompromising. Tenacious. Fiercely intelligent. Ava Lee ...)
(Uncompromising. Tenacious. Fiercely intelligent. Ava Lee ...)
( "Formidable...Ava Lee is unbeatable at just about every...)