Deep Night

Praise for The Fat Man’s Daughter:

“When they work—when the balance between art and research is close to perfection—crime novels that illuminate an historical period are things of beauty. Caroline Petit’s first novel falls into that illustrious company. She 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

“Remarkable. . . . Irresistible.”—Advocate (Tennessee)

“An excellent suspense story, a bona fide tour of China as it was then, with menacing characters and swift, sure punishment.”—Orange County Register

“Vivid . . . the journey into womanhood as exotic action-adventure.”—Publishers Weekly

“The extraordinary journey of Leah Kolbe, a compelling character.”—Jacqueline Winspear

Leah Kolbe, the daughter of a recently deceased British antiquities dealer, escapes to Macao as the Japanese occupy Hong Kong, where her fiancé is interned and where she has long lived. As a spy for the British, she takes a Japanese lover. When she returns with provisions on the first boat to reach liberated Hong Kong, she finds the English survivors totally altered. Although her fiancé cannot bear to remain in Hong Kong, Leah chooses to stay on and rebuild.

Caroline Petit was born and raised in the United States but now lives in Victoria, Australia. Her debut, featuring Leah Kolbe, was The Fat Man’s Daughter.

"Reconnecting with beautiful antiques dealer Leah Kolbe and her fianc, Jonathan Hawatyne, Petit's sequel to The Fat Man's Daughter opens with a scene of Hong Kong splendor, complete with Ernest Hemingway at the Peninsula Hotel, setting the stage for the loss to come when the start of the second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 sends Jonathan into battle — right in the middle of a movie date. Heart-broken, Leah prepares for starvation on watery congee, but after Hong Kong surrenders manages to escape by boat. Landing in Macau's with nothing, she finds work with the British Consulate and then is recruited by a man named Benjamin Eldersen to get close to a Japanese businessman, the son of an ammunition and steel manufacturer. Espionage hijinx ensue, and Jonathan's gone missing. Throughout, readers are meant to feel Leah's anguish for Jonathan, but her interior life remains stubbornly two-dimensional. Still, the melodrama pulls readers through the streets of Hong Kong and Macau during a tempestuous period, making this war-time romantic suspenser a pleasant enough escape." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)