The Fat Man's Daughter

"With a dramatic sense of time and place, Caroline Petit haswoven a story as intricate as embroidered Chinese silk. Sheblends a tragic period in Asian history with the extraordinaryjourney of Leah Kolbe, a compelling character who is perfectfor Petit's late-1930s Hong Kong."-Jacqueline Winspear,author of Maisie Dobbsand Birds of a Feather

Hong Kong, 1937. Orphaned at the age of 19 by the suddendeath of her father, a shady Hong Kong dealer in antiquities,Leah Kolbe finds that she has also been left penniless.Her only assets are the skills her father taught her: connoisseurship,secretiveness and duplicity.

She is approached by a Mr. Chang, who claims to haveknown her father and offers her a commission to go toManchukuo (the Japanese puppet kingdom recently establishedin Manchuria) to smuggle out Chinese imperialtreasures-and the chief eunuch. She consents, and, accompaniedby her faithful amah and a white Russian woman inChang's pay, she takes the train north. The trip is perilous, asis her return, through besieged Nanking and by sampan acrossthe South China Sea. But it is not until she reaches the emptyhouse on Victoria Peak back in Hong Kong that Leah realizesthat she has become a woman with a country of one.

Caroline Petitwas born in Washington, DC, raised inMaryland and now lives in Victoria, Australia with her husband.She is a graduate of Chatham College in Pittsburghand holds advanced degrees from Johns Hopkins University,the London School of Economics and the University ofMelbourne's Law School. She is a writer and producer forWrite Angle Productions, and her writing has appeared innumerous publications. The Fat Man's Daughteris her first novel.

"This debut novel views the Japanese invasion of China through a Westerner's eyes and gets its vivid details right. The time is 1937, and 19-year-old Leah Kolbe is left adrift in Hong Kong after the death of her father, Theo, a shady antiquities dealer. Does Leah belong in 'polite Colonial society' or among the Chinese whose languages she speaks? Should she pursue a relationship with the sweet 'male ingnue' Jonathan Hawatyne, who has been keeping her father's empty accounts, or with the mysterious Cezar da Silva, whom she meets in a Macao casino? She settles on improving her financial situation by smuggling valuables out of Japanese-occupied Manchuria for Chang, a member of the Chinese resistance. Leah makes the dangerous journey, encounters the puppet ruler Pu Yi (made famous by the film The Last Emperor) and secures the aid of his chief eunuch, Quan, who is secretly working for the resistance. The group enters Nanking en route to Hong Kong on the eve of the horrific Japanese invasion of 1938. Leah and the other thinly drawn figures are not intended as proper vehicles for telescoping the 'rape of Nanking.' Instead, Aussie Petit gives readers the journey into womanhood as exotic action-adventure, in the shadow of hundreds of thousands of murders. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Catches the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of Hong Kong, China and Manchuria in 1937 as they filter through the senses of a fascinating young woman. . . . Under the amazingly sure hand of Petit, an Australian writer of rare abilities, every aspect of this terrific story comes to life."—Chicago Tribune

“With a dramatic sense of time and place, Caroline Petit has woven a story as intricate as embroidered Chinese silk. She blends a tragic period in Asian history with the extraordinary journey of Leah Kolbe, a compelling character who is perfect for Petit’s late 1930s Hong Kong.”—Jacqueline Winspear, author of Maisie Dobbs, Birds of a Feather, and Pardonable Lies

Hong Kong, 1937: Orphaned by the sudden death of her father, a shady Hong Kong dealer in antiquities, 19-year-old Leah Kolbe finds she has been left penniless. Her only assets are the skills her father taught her: connoisseurship, secretiveness, and duplicity.

She is approached by a Mr. Chang, who claims to have known her father and offers her a commission to go to Manchukuo (the Japanese puppet kingdom recently established in Manchuria) to smuggle out Chinese Imperial treasures. She consents and, accompanied by her faithful amah and a White Russian woman in Chang’s pay, takes the train north. The trip is perilous, as is her return through besieged Nanking and by sampan across the South China Sea. But it is not until she reaches the empty house back in Hong Kong that Leah becomes her own “country of one.”

From the Trade Paperback edition.

In this suspenseful debut novel, a woman travels to Japanese-held Manchuko in1937, intent on stealing the Chinese imperial treasure.

Caroline Petit was born in Washington, D.C., raised in Maryland and now lives in Victoria, Australia with her husband. A graduate of Chatham College, she holds advanced degrees from Johns Hopkins University, the London School of Economics, and the University of Melbourne's School of Law. She is the author of THE FAT MAN'S DAUGHTER.