Yigal Zur

Many thanks to Edelweiss, Oceanview and Yigal Zur for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story is so confusing, I’m not even sure I can tell you what it is about. The main story is about Dotan, an ex-Israeli spy, who goes to India to find out what happened to his friend Willy, an arms dealer. Willy went off in search of his son and ends up beheaded. Dotan travels with Maya, a beautiful Mossad agent, who also wants to investigate what happened. At the same time, terrorists have show more killed and taken hostage Israeli students who have been travelling in India. The terrorists are using Israeli weapons which presumably Willy has sold them. I think. I’m not sure because I never really understood what this storyline had to do with the main story. It also brought in a bunch more characters that never really seemed to matter in the long run. This really was like a kitchen sink of ideas without real development, connection or clever twists to keep you interested.

I never understood (or maybe believed) the reason for Dotan wanting to solve this murder. Willy wasn’t really a good friend and even though there was this bet they made about how Willy’s son would be returning to Israel, married and with a kid, that apparently made Dotan want to figure out what happened, I didn’t buy it. It never made any sense. The author also tried to bring in a lot of the natural beauty of India and some of the culture, especially their spirituality, but it did not work for me at all. I love the idea of India as a character itself and that could have worked had it been written better, but I felt it was trivialized and not treated with much respect. I didn’t feel transported nor did I learn anything. Maya and Dotan’s relationship wasn’t developed properly and I wasn’t invested in them as a couple at all. For being a main character, that presumably other books are based on, Dotan did not come across as a strong character. We don’t know that much about him but are supposed to believe these incongruous facts that are just dropped in from nowhere. He doesn’t grow or change or develop at all. Too much time is spent introducing these other plot line and characters instead of developing the main character and his storyline.

I don’t think the author had a clear picture of what he wanted for this novel. He had a lot of ideas but never settled on one thing, instead tried to include everything. Was it a spy novel? Are you trying to make some political statement about governments, guns, terrorists and Israel/India relations? Are you trying to talk about spirituality, Buddhism and the next Dalai Lama? And I could go on with another three things this book was trying to be. I’m not sure if part of the issues I had with the writing, the stilted language, the incongruities in plot and the general confusion of storyline had anything to do with it being a translation. This might have worked better in the author’s native language. Let’s hope so. show less

This thriller, recently translated into English, features former Israeli security operative Dotan Naor, whose firm has something of a specialty of rescuing Israelis who find themselves in tricky situations abroad. In his new case, a pretty young woman named Sigal Bardon, age 26, has gone missing in Bangkok, and her family wants her back.
Naor is a cynical narrator, intimately familiar with that southeast Asian city, having spent time there off and on for two decades. If he had to guess, he show more would chalk Sigal’s disappearance up to a drug overdose—heroin, Bangkok gold. There are a lot of bad ways that story can end, and he knows most of them.
Once in Bangkok, Naor takes a room in the heart of Patpong, a nexus of unsavory activity, and a district where information about Sigal, or the woman herself, is likely to be found, traded, or bought. On a sweltering day he takes a ride in an air-conditioned cab. The driver offers the usual drugs and girls, and he also has passports belonging to Sigal Bardon and someone named Micha Waxman. Naor buys both, plus the information that the driver drove them to the train station. This encounter is too much of a coincidence, and Naor wonders who’s trailing him, who recruited this driver, who’s anticipating his mission.
The complicated plot involving a diverse cast of Israeli expats, drug kingpins, and Thai Tourist Police moves along briskly. Sigal herself remains something of a cipher, but the colorful supporting characters—monks, fortune tellers, whore mistresses, and Naor’s old Shin Bet acquaintances, troublesome though they may be—are vivid.
Throughout the story, Naor hears echoes of his past and the scandal that ended his special forces career. Old companions lurk in Bangkok’s dark corners, but are they allies or adversaries? He takes the pessimistic view: “The past surged up and flooded over me like a sewer that had overflowed.”
Every clue that Naor tracks down solidifies his initial impression that drug dealing is at the center of Sigal’s disappearance. But is she still alive? Her sister thinks so, but says little. The drug lords she doublecrossed think so and want her themselves. Waxman thought so, but he’s dead.
Zur’s rich descriptions of Bangkok permeate every scene and engage all the senses. This isn’t a story that could take place anywhere else, and by the time you turn the last page, you may feel like you’ve been there. And you’ll be glad to have made the trip from the comfort of your reading chair, out of danger and chaos. show less

A Dotan Naor Thriller book #3

This thriller takes places in Thailand and in Cambodia and exposes the dark underbelly of paradise. Investigator Dotan Naor takes on the case of Eden, the daughter of a wealthy couple who vanished without a trace from the beaches of Thailand. Join by Iris, the young woman’s mother, they delve into the mystery and soon find out the link to a sinister real estate deal gone wrong and must navigate a treacherous maze of Russian and Israeli mafia, human trafficking show more and dark business dealings.....

My thoughts:

First of all be warned those sensitive with crude words may be offended, I was not one of them reading about the underworld bring foul language or should I say very colourful language. The story is peppered with them again you have to set your mind that this story navigates in an immoral and corrupt world.

Dealing with tugs, Bratva and Israeli mafia and a multitude of corrupt officials is a rough task to face. Mr. Zur gives Dotan, ex-Mossad, all the tolls needed for the job and he excels doing it. Following Dotan and Iris is very suspenseful they definitely not on a pleasure trip. The tension is high and I couldn’t read fast enough to see how things would turn out. Really I stayed on edge all through: action packed and very tense following these two. This hunt for the missing girl is a pulse-pounding race against time very hard not to be engaged in.

It all started with Eden’s father who had his own agenda being in deep financial trouble owing organized crime a lot of money which he couldn’t pay back. No wonder the mob took Eden and kept her well-hidden till he cough up the cash, if he doesn’t pay up she will be sold. Time is pressing Dotan needs to recues her. Did he succeed?....haha I urge you to get this book.

“Child of Dust” is very well-written to give us a message about official corruption, dark dealings, tourism prostitution and human trafficking especially of selling little girls to rich degenerates. You will meet a lot of characters but no worries they are easy to follow.

I love passing time reading this story, thank you Mr. Zur for the hours of enjoyment. show less

Book #1, in Dotan Naor Thriller series

This hard boiled story is set in one of the most dangerous place in Southeast Asia and in the region around Nepal. Mr. Zur brings us into the breathtaking landscape of Kashmir and the Himalayas with his protagonist Dotan Naor, a former Israeli security agent now private investigator.

This is a fast-paced story that takes us on a journey to every Israeli’s worst nightmare: falling victim to terrorists. “Death in Shangri-La” brings Dotan in India to show more settle a bet and locate the missing son of Willy Mizrachi, an Israeli arms dealer, who was headed to an ashram in the Himalayas….But in the disputed region innocent Israelis kids are targeted by terrorists....nothing is what it seems….

In great parts this is a great story, the descriptions of the cities in India, their overcrowding, the poverty and corruption is very well done. The who-dunnit and the why-dunnit cover all the bases. Page after pages the drama evokes the smells and sights of a dangerous world. The plot is active, really never a dull moment, it is filled with twists and turns. Told from the point of view of an Israeli gives this recreation a refreshing change although quite macabre as it should be. The author seems to be well versed in the country and has provided us with an excellent travelogue…but a terrible image in vivid details of a beautiful place…

What was the main objective in this story?, I really couldn’t figure it out, the story touches a lot of subjects: India’s politic, terrorism, armament, illegal trades, prostitution, spirituality…etc… This smorgasbord of ideas was nevertheless captivating and well put together. The idea of a soldier turning private investigator is definitely not a new concept but “Death in Shangri-La” brings a refreshing spin by featuring Israeli characters and a plot based in India and its surroundings.

Not a bad addition to the thriller market. Well-done show less