Passage Up The Mekong

Rick and Rose Sinclair Adventure #4

by Russell James

In 1938, Rick and Rose Sinclair run an antique shop. One of Rick’s shady friends offers him the deal of a lifetime on a large, beautiful hand that had been sculpted out of polished jade. The purchase drains their savings and incenses Rose, who is convinced this jade hand was stolen and that owning it will bring them nothing but trouble.

Rose is soon proved right. Thieves break into the shop, steal the hand, and send it off to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The Sinclairs will be broke if they don’t retrieve the jade hand. With their friend Humphrey, a former Great War flying ace, they head for Cambodia. They are soon enmeshed in a gangster’s plot to resurrect an evil Vedic goddess at an abandoned city along the Mekong River. Dangers abound as they fight off thugs, encounter a haunted rubber plantation, and realize the immense, supernatural power of the goddess known as Rudra the Destroyer.

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 3, 2025

About the author

Russell R. James was raised on Long Island, New York and spent too much time watching Chiller, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and Dark Shadows, despite his parents’ warnings. Bookshelves full of Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe didn’t make things better. He graduated from Cornell University and the University of Central Florida.

After a tour flying helicopters with the U.S. Army, he now spins twisted tales best read in daylight.

His wife reads what he writes, rolls her eyes, and says “There is something seriously wrong with you.”

He has published the novels DARK INSPIRATION, SACRIFICE, BLACK MAGIC and DARK VENGEANCE, the compilations OUT OF TIME and TALES FROM BEYOND, as well as numerous short stories. He founded the Minnows Literary Group.

He and his wife share their home in sunny Florida with two cats.

Drop by the website to kill some time with some short stories.

Reviews

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

These two are always a riot. Never will I tire of their dynamic. As always, a fast-paced, entertaining ride both up and down the Mekong. A little bit of magic never hurts either. Can't wait for Rick and Rose's next romantic getaway 😀

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick and Rose Sinclair find themselves heading to Cambodia, to try and get back an item stolen from them. Unfortunately they are soon deep in trouble, as they are in the center of a plot to bring a goddess back to life.

[Catherine Cavendish · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's 1938 and antique shop owners, Rick and Rose Sinclair are off on an adventure, courtesy of a dodgy dealer who persuades Rick to part with all their money on an exquisite jade hand and a group of thieves who then steal it. Their trip to Cambodia to try and trace it soon leads them into dangerous waters - and jungles. Rose is captured and encounters an ancient Vedic deity known as Rudra. Rick, meanwhile, must find and rescue her - but as always with these two, nothing is plain, simple or straightforward.

The author's Rick and Rose Sinclair adventures are a relatively recent addition to his stable of great stories featuring the hapless archaeologist Grant Coleman and the Kathy West wildlife ranger series, along with a new supernatural series set in the Second World War. In every case, the pace is fast, the characters relatable, and the plots are pure escapist suspenseful fun, with plenty of twists, turns and thrills Keep them coming, Russell!

[Terry and dog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing new here, just a fun, old school action adventure with a touch of supernatural. Great characters, exotic location and a fast, amusing read.

[Amoi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐