The End of May Road (The Handover Mysteries, Vol. II) - The Handover Mysteries, #2

It's Christmas week in Hong Kong and Business World bureau chief Claire Raymond should be covering the British colony's impending handover to Beijing's rule. Sidelined on maternity leave she can't help investigating why neighbor Vicky Sandford's son Petey died at the end of May Road. When a second toddler disappears, Claire's apprehension for her newborn turns to terror. Not even the inconvenient visit of the seductive photographer Fabienne-an old flame of Xavier's who thinks she's still new-can eclipse Claire's anxiety, echoed in the rising religious hysteria among the district's Filipina babysitters and housekeepers.--Kung delivers a touching story enriched by its strong atmosphere-- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review--There's much to admire in Küng's debut: vivid Hong Kong backgrounds, a sharp eye for conflicts of class and nationality, and the looming threat to the heroine's family--Kirkus Reviews--Kung finds a key plot element in the hidden lives of the thousands of Filipinas who come to Hong Kong as servants for affluent families and live almost like slaves--The Washington Post--It would be easy to assume that Hong Kong is populated solely by spies and incredibly rich people who made their fortunes off the backs of peasants.
What distinguishes this book is a compelling sense of place. This is a Hong Kong readers don't come across very often and the author brings the city alive. It's an unusual debut--Chris Petrakos, The Chicago TribuneNovelist D. L. Kung worked as a journalist for over twenty years in Asia for publications including Business Week, the Economist, the Washington Post, National Public Radio and the International Herald Tribune.
Kung won the Overseas Press Club Award for Humanitarian Coverage in 1991. The author of seven novels, Kung was nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2004.