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White Crocodile
Set in the shadowy Killing Fields of Cambodia, this gripping military thriller follows Tess Hardy as she works to unravel the mystery of how her husband, and many others, keep disappearing and turning up dead in the mine-laden backwaters of Southeast Asia.
Tess Hardy thought she had put Luke, her violent ex-husband, firmly in her past. Then he calls from Cambodia, where he is working as a mine-clearer, and there's something in his voice she hasn't heard before: Fear. Two weeks later, he's dead.
Against her better judgment, Tess is drawn to Cambodia and to the killing fields. Keeping her relationship to Luke a closely guarded secret, Tess joins his team of mine clearers, who are shaken to the core by Luke's sudden death. Even in their grief, the group remains a tightly knit and tightly wound community in which almost everyone has something to hide.
At the same time, the circle of death begins to expand. Teenage mothers are disappearing from villages around the minefields, while others are being found mutilated and murdered, their babies abandoned. Everywhere there are whispers about the White Crocodile, a mythical beast that brings death to all who meet it. Caught in a web of secrets and lies, Tess must unravel the truth, and quickly. The crocodile is watching, and Tess may be its next victim.
Combining the technical expertise of military suspense with a richly drawn sense of place, White Crocodile forges new ground in the thriller genre. Medina's internationally acclaimed debut announces the arrival of a prodigiously talented novelist whom readers will be discussing for years to come.
Tess Hardy thought she had put Luke, her violent ex-husband, firmly in her past. Then he calls from Cambodia, where he is working as a mine-clearer, and there's something in his voice she hasn't heard before: Fear. Two weeks later, he's dead.
Against her better judgment, Tess is drawn to Cambodia and to the killing fields. Keeping her relationship to Luke a closely guarded secret, Tess joins his team of mine clearers, who are shaken to the core by Luke's sudden death. Even in their grief, the group remains a tightly knit and tightly wound community in which almost everyone has something to hide.
At the same time, the circle of death begins to expand. Teenage mothers are disappearing from villages around the minefields, while others are being found mutilated and murdered, their babies abandoned. Everywhere there are whispers about the White Crocodile, a mythical beast that brings death to all who meet it. Caught in a web of secrets and lies, Tess must unravel the truth, and quickly. The crocodile is watching, and Tess may be its next victim.
Combining the technical expertise of military suspense with a richly drawn sense of place, White Crocodile forges new ground in the thriller genre. Medina's internationally acclaimed debut announces the arrival of a prodigiously talented novelist whom readers will be discussing for years to come.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published August 5, 2014
21 people are currently reading
815 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
June 23, 2018
Really good, solid and intriguing thriller, I could not put it down! The story features mine-clearer Tess going to Cambodja to investigate the truth about her ex-husband's death there and to do her job clearing mines. She discovers that young local girls are going missing. Some are found later, mutilated and murdered, their babies abandoned. The locals are superstitious about the 'White Crocodile', a mythical creature that brings death to all who meet it....I read in the review of Independent (link below) that the myth of the white crocodile is still believed in Cambodia today. The story is dark, it's scary, atmospheric, the Cambodian scenery is unusual, and I did not see the ending coming until the very last pages. Great read, this writer is interesting! Say 4.2 rating. Recommended, worthwhile.
Note, love the cover, great black & white artwork. Simple, beautiful and effective.
Review of The Independent
Note, love the cover, great black & white artwork. Simple, beautiful and effective.
Review of The Independent
April 8, 2023
floating somewhere between 2.5 and 3 stars
I've never been to Battambang, Cambodia but I don't think I need to go in person now after reading the phenomenally vivid setting descriptions in "White Crocodile". I've been and that's a rare treat.
The other thing I've never done is clear anti-personal land mines from fields and rice patties, like many of the characters in the novel do.
Hearing about their work, how they find and dispose of mines as well as the treatment of landmine victims by the Cambodian populace (it's not good) is insightfully and skillfully done. Landmine clearance is apparently a difficult and dangerous, but intellectually challenging, job on the level of playing chess against an unknown opponent.
With the added bonus that losing the match could prove fatal.
Just for those two things, I'm glad I read this thriller. But that's where it stops.
Unfortunately, the author really plumbs the depths of misery fiction to churn up every last scrap of anything that would evoke a kneejerk emotional response.
Do three-year-old orphans tear at your heart strings? Got 'em. Women with psychotic, violent husbands? Got 'em. Poor peasants with limbs blasted off? Got 'em. How about teenage girls kidnapped and forced into prostitution? Got 'em. Druggie mums and their child-beating boyfriends? Got 'em. White males doing anything to the local 3rd world populace (esp the women) they feel like and getting away with it? Got 'em in spades.
It's one thing to set a thriller in a highly corrupt, developing world atmosphere. That works to up the tensions and sense of danger. It's another thing to use standard "bad stuff" to transparently and sometimes clumsily manipulate the readers' emotions. (And just to be clear: the violent perps here are British, not the Cambodians. The novel paints rural Cambodians mostly as victims of the West and their own corrupt government.)
The plot itself is average, but the middle dragged terribly and the few facts there were were repeated and over explained. Oh yeah, and there's a pointless love story with a taciturn, damaged Croatian Heathcliff seemingly only to extend word count.
More action, more mystery and less heaping up of emotional fodder would have done this novel a lot of good. As it is, it's a good showing for a first novel in some regards, but one with a number of deficits KT Medina will hopefully be able to iron out with more experience.
Something like a 2.8 stars. Just slightly above average.
I've never been to Battambang, Cambodia but I don't think I need to go in person now after reading the phenomenally vivid setting descriptions in "White Crocodile". I've been and that's a rare treat.
The other thing I've never done is clear anti-personal land mines from fields and rice patties, like many of the characters in the novel do.
Hearing about their work, how they find and dispose of mines as well as the treatment of landmine victims by the Cambodian populace (it's not good) is insightfully and skillfully done. Landmine clearance is apparently a difficult and dangerous, but intellectually challenging, job on the level of playing chess against an unknown opponent.
With the added bonus that losing the match could prove fatal.
Just for those two things, I'm glad I read this thriller. But that's where it stops.
Unfortunately, the author really plumbs the depths of misery fiction to churn up every last scrap of anything that would evoke a kneejerk emotional response.
Do three-year-old orphans tear at your heart strings? Got 'em. Women with psychotic, violent husbands? Got 'em. Poor peasants with limbs blasted off? Got 'em. How about teenage girls kidnapped and forced into prostitution? Got 'em. Druggie mums and their child-beating boyfriends? Got 'em. White males doing anything to the local 3rd world populace (esp the women) they feel like and getting away with it? Got 'em in spades.
It's one thing to set a thriller in a highly corrupt, developing world atmosphere. That works to up the tensions and sense of danger. It's another thing to use standard "bad stuff" to transparently and sometimes clumsily manipulate the readers' emotions. (And just to be clear: the violent perps here are British, not the Cambodians. The novel paints rural Cambodians mostly as victims of the West and their own corrupt government.)
The plot itself is average, but the middle dragged terribly and the few facts there were were repeated and over explained. Oh yeah, and there's a pointless love story with a taciturn, damaged Croatian Heathcliff seemingly only to extend word count.
More action, more mystery and less heaping up of emotional fodder would have done this novel a lot of good. As it is, it's a good showing for a first novel in some regards, but one with a number of deficits KT Medina will hopefully be able to iron out with more experience.
Something like a 2.8 stars. Just slightly above average.
August 27, 2014
An absolutely thrilling yet quietly emotional read can be found within the pages of “White Crocodile” a novel that, for me, gave new life to the thriller and mystery genre and at the same time gave me plenty to think about – although the thinking came later, while you are immersed into the pages you won’t look up for anything…
One of the best books I’ve read recently for putting you right on the spot, the sense of place is expressive, the living conditions, the people, the danger they face everyday – the beauty of the prose puts you right there with them every step of the way. Seen through the eyes of main protagonist Tess Hardy – a strong, intelligent yet haunted woman who travels to the country seeking answers about the death of her ex-husband, the subtle ways the author manages to get under your skin make the book memorable and intelligent – this one will stay with you for a long time.
Add to that the fact that the mystery element is well plotted and brilliantly flowing in a way that captures the imagination and keeps you gripped throughout, the supporting cast of characters are all as well drawn and integral to the story as Tess is herself and you really do have a most amazing read. There are some emotive and terrifying issues running through the narrative, all handled in an extremely realistic and sympathetic way and overall this is without doubt one of the best debuts of the year and deserves a lot of attention. I have no hesitation in highly recommending it to any reader, anywhere.
One of the best books I’ve read recently for putting you right on the spot, the sense of place is expressive, the living conditions, the people, the danger they face everyday – the beauty of the prose puts you right there with them every step of the way. Seen through the eyes of main protagonist Tess Hardy – a strong, intelligent yet haunted woman who travels to the country seeking answers about the death of her ex-husband, the subtle ways the author manages to get under your skin make the book memorable and intelligent – this one will stay with you for a long time.
Add to that the fact that the mystery element is well plotted and brilliantly flowing in a way that captures the imagination and keeps you gripped throughout, the supporting cast of characters are all as well drawn and integral to the story as Tess is herself and you really do have a most amazing read. There are some emotive and terrifying issues running through the narrative, all handled in an extremely realistic and sympathetic way and overall this is without doubt one of the best debuts of the year and deserves a lot of attention. I have no hesitation in highly recommending it to any reader, anywhere.
August 2, 2014
Tess Hardy is an ex army combat engineer – not the sort of woman you would imagine would be a victim of domestic violence. However, she was, and now her ex husband, Luke, is working for the Mine Clearance Trust (MCT) in Cambodia. When he contacts her, she is surprised to hear he sounds frightened and, when he is suddenly killed while clearing mines, she is both confused and shocked. Luke was the most controlled and careful man she ever knew – not the type to make a careless mistake. With conflicted feelings, Tess decides to travel to Cambodia and investigate how and why he died.
Within a short time of joining the charity, Tess witnesses another accident at the White Crocodile minefield where Luke was killed. This time, Johnny, another member of the team, is terribly injured. In Cambodia, people place a white cloth with a picture of a crocodile outside their homes when someone dies and the White Crocodile minefield has become both a place of death and of myth. However, looking beneath the local myths and superstitions is not always easy. The local Cambodian’s believe that when a person loses part of their body, they also lose part of their mind. Yet, with a countryside literally filled with mines - halting people from farming the land - and so many people injured, the tragedy and poverty seems overwhelming. Soon, Tess realises that things are not right at the MCT, but digging too deep can be dangerous – whether clearing minefields or asking too many questions...
As Tess investigates Luke’s death and Johnny’s accident, she becomes aware that many young women have disappeared. Then, a world away, a young girl is murdered in Manchester. This fast paced novel tackles some very difficult and thought provoking issues, but never loses its ability to be, above all, an interesting and entertaining novel. With an exotic location, damaged and flawed characters, a well plotted storyline and, above all, an excellent heroine in Tess, this is a great thriller.
Within a short time of joining the charity, Tess witnesses another accident at the White Crocodile minefield where Luke was killed. This time, Johnny, another member of the team, is terribly injured. In Cambodia, people place a white cloth with a picture of a crocodile outside their homes when someone dies and the White Crocodile minefield has become both a place of death and of myth. However, looking beneath the local myths and superstitions is not always easy. The local Cambodian’s believe that when a person loses part of their body, they also lose part of their mind. Yet, with a countryside literally filled with mines - halting people from farming the land - and so many people injured, the tragedy and poverty seems overwhelming. Soon, Tess realises that things are not right at the MCT, but digging too deep can be dangerous – whether clearing minefields or asking too many questions...
As Tess investigates Luke’s death and Johnny’s accident, she becomes aware that many young women have disappeared. Then, a world away, a young girl is murdered in Manchester. This fast paced novel tackles some very difficult and thought provoking issues, but never loses its ability to be, above all, an interesting and entertaining novel. With an exotic location, damaged and flawed characters, a well plotted storyline and, above all, an excellent heroine in Tess, this is a great thriller.
December 13, 2015
K.T. Medina has written a gutwrenching crime thriller for her debut. Her atomospheric pictures of Cambodia evoke a haunted country that is trying to recover from the horrors of its past. There is a second minor strand to the book which links what is happening in Cambodia with the discovery of a murdered woman found in Manchester. The Manchester investigation is headed by the conscientious DI Andy Wessex, who follows the trail to a brothel.
Tess Hardy is working to rid the land mines that are everywhere in the country leading to horrific level of deaths and injuries. She is working for a charity, MCT, because her abusive ex husband, Luke, has been killed in what are suspicious circumstances. She wants to know what is going on, and there are strange disappearances of women, the gruesome murders of single mothers and a exploding mine that maims Johnny, who is also with MCT. There are whispers of the white crocodile being responsible, this ties in with local folklore and legend. She is aided by the troubled Alex in her investigations. It is a dangerous trail she is following and the body count rises. Evidence is uncovered that some men in the organisation are engaged in sex with minors, abusing young women and children. It is a murky and morally comprised world. Answers come, but not without a heavy cost. There is a unexpected angle that comes out of the blue.
Medina has made a superb debut. She is remarkably knowledgeable about the world she writes about. A bone chilling menacing atmosphere pervades the story. The novel is both well structured and plotted. The fast paced narrative keeps the reader engaged to the explosive end. I loved the character of Tess Hardy and I hope we have not heard the last from her. A crime thriller to read and savour.
Tess Hardy is working to rid the land mines that are everywhere in the country leading to horrific level of deaths and injuries. She is working for a charity, MCT, because her abusive ex husband, Luke, has been killed in what are suspicious circumstances. She wants to know what is going on, and there are strange disappearances of women, the gruesome murders of single mothers and a exploding mine that maims Johnny, who is also with MCT. There are whispers of the white crocodile being responsible, this ties in with local folklore and legend. She is aided by the troubled Alex in her investigations. It is a dangerous trail she is following and the body count rises. Evidence is uncovered that some men in the organisation are engaged in sex with minors, abusing young women and children. It is a murky and morally comprised world. Answers come, but not without a heavy cost. There is a unexpected angle that comes out of the blue.
Medina has made a superb debut. She is remarkably knowledgeable about the world she writes about. A bone chilling menacing atmosphere pervades the story. The novel is both well structured and plotted. The fast paced narrative keeps the reader engaged to the explosive end. I loved the character of Tess Hardy and I hope we have not heard the last from her. A crime thriller to read and savour.
June 5, 2015
Novel set in Battambang, Cambodia (mine all mine…)
White Crocodile is a tense, page-turning, and extremely well written debut thriller from K T Medina. It is set primarily in Battambang (North Western Cambodia, near the Thai border…), with flashes to Manchester. Battambang, now ‘in real life’ an attractive and significantly tourist town with French colonial architecture, was one of the centres of fighting during the time of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The area around the town features well marked mine fields – and tourists nowadays are instructed not to wander off clearly defined paths… The problem, of course, is much more serious for Cambodians than it is for tourists – whole swathes of what was prime agricultural land are still off limits and deprivation and hunger are the norm for many across the country. Mine clearing charities are in operation, and the story centres around one of these.
Luke, from England, leaves his estranged wife Tess behind (she left him because of domestic violence – sensitively portrayed) and heads off to work for MCT – Mine Clearance Trust. Tess is told he has been killed, and travels to Cambodia to try and establish what actually happened. The White Crocodile is a character from ancient mythology foretelling death – still believed in by many Cambodians today. There is a series of abductions and murders in the minefield where MCT is working – and the White Crocodile is blamed by the Cambodians workers, and also by some of the Westerners. Fear is rampant.
At the same time, and in parallel chapters, Manchester detectives are investigating the murder of a Cambodian girl and the trafficking of others into the sex trade in the area. Not surprisingly the two stories come together…The denouement is thrilling and well worked.
White Crocodile works particularly well because of the experience of K T Medina, and her ability to describe so convincingly the horror of mines and the damage they can do to the human body. One especially poignant piece describes how a young girl is lured into picking up a ‘butterfly mine’ – so called because of its irresistibly pretty colours that lead to carnage when disturbed. Medina’s ability comes from real life - she spent time as a Troop Commander in a TA regiment of the Royal Engineers, and then worked as a Managing Editor at Jane’s Information Group. Part of her role at Jane’s involved being with mine clearing groups in both the Middle East and Battambang where she advised on helping deal with complex mines. The authenticity comes shining through… it is insightful but rarely sentimental.
Many ’causes’ are covered in White Crocodile. I’ve already mentioned domestic violence, and how accurate those descriptions are (my counsellor friends tell me..). But there is also the largely ignored plight of many Cambodians, and the issue of sex trafficking. Plus one of the key characters is a Croatian who suffered greatly in the war with Serbia, and still carries the mental wounds. But – and it’s very clever the way Medina handles this – you do not feel you are being preached at in any way. Above all else White Crocodile is a great and exciting ‘whodunit’.
Well worth reading.
White Crocodile is a tense, page-turning, and extremely well written debut thriller from K T Medina. It is set primarily in Battambang (North Western Cambodia, near the Thai border…), with flashes to Manchester. Battambang, now ‘in real life’ an attractive and significantly tourist town with French colonial architecture, was one of the centres of fighting during the time of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The area around the town features well marked mine fields – and tourists nowadays are instructed not to wander off clearly defined paths… The problem, of course, is much more serious for Cambodians than it is for tourists – whole swathes of what was prime agricultural land are still off limits and deprivation and hunger are the norm for many across the country. Mine clearing charities are in operation, and the story centres around one of these.
Luke, from England, leaves his estranged wife Tess behind (she left him because of domestic violence – sensitively portrayed) and heads off to work for MCT – Mine Clearance Trust. Tess is told he has been killed, and travels to Cambodia to try and establish what actually happened. The White Crocodile is a character from ancient mythology foretelling death – still believed in by many Cambodians today. There is a series of abductions and murders in the minefield where MCT is working – and the White Crocodile is blamed by the Cambodians workers, and also by some of the Westerners. Fear is rampant.
At the same time, and in parallel chapters, Manchester detectives are investigating the murder of a Cambodian girl and the trafficking of others into the sex trade in the area. Not surprisingly the two stories come together…The denouement is thrilling and well worked.
White Crocodile works particularly well because of the experience of K T Medina, and her ability to describe so convincingly the horror of mines and the damage they can do to the human body. One especially poignant piece describes how a young girl is lured into picking up a ‘butterfly mine’ – so called because of its irresistibly pretty colours that lead to carnage when disturbed. Medina’s ability comes from real life - she spent time as a Troop Commander in a TA regiment of the Royal Engineers, and then worked as a Managing Editor at Jane’s Information Group. Part of her role at Jane’s involved being with mine clearing groups in both the Middle East and Battambang where she advised on helping deal with complex mines. The authenticity comes shining through… it is insightful but rarely sentimental.
Many ’causes’ are covered in White Crocodile. I’ve already mentioned domestic violence, and how accurate those descriptions are (my counsellor friends tell me..). But there is also the largely ignored plight of many Cambodians, and the issue of sex trafficking. Plus one of the key characters is a Croatian who suffered greatly in the war with Serbia, and still carries the mental wounds. But – and it’s very clever the way Medina handles this – you do not feel you are being preached at in any way. Above all else White Crocodile is a great and exciting ‘whodunit’.
Well worth reading.
February 26, 2016
This is the first novel by Medina and it's a really great thriller, and she is a fine writer.
The main character Tess goes to Cambodia to find out what happened to her estranged husband who was killed while clearing mines that the Khmer Rouge had left behind. Indeed she herself is a mine clearer, so she goes there on the pretext of doing work there, as nobody knows that she is trying to find out what happened to her husband.
This is one of the most urgent page turners I have ever read, with constantly building suspense and an amazing out of nowhere ending. I read the whole book in one sitting. Some of the violence is quite graphic and sexual trafficking of women is part of the story as well, so it can be kind of upsetting at times. But all in all, it's a great book and I can't wait for her second one.
The main character Tess goes to Cambodia to find out what happened to her estranged husband who was killed while clearing mines that the Khmer Rouge had left behind. Indeed she herself is a mine clearer, so she goes there on the pretext of doing work there, as nobody knows that she is trying to find out what happened to her husband.
This is one of the most urgent page turners I have ever read, with constantly building suspense and an amazing out of nowhere ending. I read the whole book in one sitting. Some of the violence is quite graphic and sexual trafficking of women is part of the story as well, so it can be kind of upsetting at times. But all in all, it's a great book and I can't wait for her second one.
August 10, 2014
Sometimes, when you read a surfeit of the same genre, books can be quickly put aside, as all to often they begin to repeat the same old tired motifs, and conceits, of crime writing. Sometimes, however, something fresh, new, original and exciting awaits you, and I’m delighted to say that White Crocodile is one such book. Using the backdrop of Battambang in Cambodia, Medina has not only succeeded in constructing a story that adheres to all the tenets of a gripping crime thriller, but also skilfully manipulates this chosen location to integrate the attendant issues of this country still recovering from the ravages of war…
Penned by debut author, K.T. Medina, this book completely defied my expectations in terms of content and the execution of the story. With an incredibly accomplished prose style, that carried the story along beautifully, I felt so closely involved and intimately acquainted with the characters throughout this powerful and moving tale. Tess Hardy is a troubled woman, not only differentiated by her gender in the masculine environment she works in as a mine clearance expert, but also having come out the other side of an abusive relationship- a relationship that is powerfully rendered within the book. As Tess reconciles herself to the breakdown of this relationship, a strange phone call from Luke (her husband), mine clearing in Cambodia, followed swiftly by his death, takes Tess to this strange and dangerous environment. As the link between Luke’s death and a series of young women’s murders in Battambang becomes more evident, Tess finds herself embroiled in not only the day-to-day dangers of her job, in a community steeped in folkloric suspicion, but dark secrets with their roots back in England. Despite the clear and concise drawing of the other characters in the book, it is Tess that is the central lynchpin of the whole story, and she exudes a fascinating combination of emotional strength and weakness throughout. Her utter professionalism as a mine clearer is never in question, holding her own among her male counterparts, but there is a delicious fragility to her at times, that positively impacts on the reader, as she delves deeper into the mystery of the murders, and how the perpetrator of these could be dwelling closer to home than she thinks. As we follow her progress from victim, to defender of these women singled out for death, and finds herself in danger, the reader is utterly immersed in her story, and the mental and emotional strength she attains along the way.
Although, my personal knowledge of Cambodia, has only been accrued through film representations and other fictional books, I felt that the setting, influenced by the author’s own personal experience of the region, was perfect in its rendition. The suffocating heat, the strange belief systems, the heartbreaking visualisations of mine victims, and the prejudices experienced by women within this community, came powerfully to the fore. I was genuinely moved by the plight of the local people, carving out some kind of existence, beleagured by poverty due to the unstable nature of their surrounding environment- an environment whose description Medina carefully balances between both the good and the bad aspects, that impact on the lives of its inhabitants.
I was genuinely impressed by the scope of this crime read, and in common with the best crime writing, I felt that White Crocodile went beyond such a simple label. Packed with colourful description, weighty issues, and an inherent sensitivity to the particular social and economic problems of this region of Cambodia, Medina has achieved something quite special, and more importantly, refreshingly different. A remarkable debut.
Penned by debut author, K.T. Medina, this book completely defied my expectations in terms of content and the execution of the story. With an incredibly accomplished prose style, that carried the story along beautifully, I felt so closely involved and intimately acquainted with the characters throughout this powerful and moving tale. Tess Hardy is a troubled woman, not only differentiated by her gender in the masculine environment she works in as a mine clearance expert, but also having come out the other side of an abusive relationship- a relationship that is powerfully rendered within the book. As Tess reconciles herself to the breakdown of this relationship, a strange phone call from Luke (her husband), mine clearing in Cambodia, followed swiftly by his death, takes Tess to this strange and dangerous environment. As the link between Luke’s death and a series of young women’s murders in Battambang becomes more evident, Tess finds herself embroiled in not only the day-to-day dangers of her job, in a community steeped in folkloric suspicion, but dark secrets with their roots back in England. Despite the clear and concise drawing of the other characters in the book, it is Tess that is the central lynchpin of the whole story, and she exudes a fascinating combination of emotional strength and weakness throughout. Her utter professionalism as a mine clearer is never in question, holding her own among her male counterparts, but there is a delicious fragility to her at times, that positively impacts on the reader, as she delves deeper into the mystery of the murders, and how the perpetrator of these could be dwelling closer to home than she thinks. As we follow her progress from victim, to defender of these women singled out for death, and finds herself in danger, the reader is utterly immersed in her story, and the mental and emotional strength she attains along the way.
Although, my personal knowledge of Cambodia, has only been accrued through film representations and other fictional books, I felt that the setting, influenced by the author’s own personal experience of the region, was perfect in its rendition. The suffocating heat, the strange belief systems, the heartbreaking visualisations of mine victims, and the prejudices experienced by women within this community, came powerfully to the fore. I was genuinely moved by the plight of the local people, carving out some kind of existence, beleagured by poverty due to the unstable nature of their surrounding environment- an environment whose description Medina carefully balances between both the good and the bad aspects, that impact on the lives of its inhabitants.
I was genuinely impressed by the scope of this crime read, and in common with the best crime writing, I felt that White Crocodile went beyond such a simple label. Packed with colourful description, weighty issues, and an inherent sensitivity to the particular social and economic problems of this region of Cambodia, Medina has achieved something quite special, and more importantly, refreshingly different. A remarkable debut.
April 13, 2020
Reading the other reviews of this book I wonder if I read something else. The story was good, it would have been great in more capable hands. The dialogue and interaction between Tess and Alex, were horrible, stilted, and boring. No one behaves like this. It took forever for the story to get to the point, and it was very difficult to like anyone in the book. A great story wasted by bad writing.
October 19, 2014
Is it just me? I feel bored when reading this book.
July 28, 2018
3.5 rating
This novel could have been so good. It just needed a better editor. The story is a mystery set in the background of mine-clearing in Cambodia. The problem is that it also involves sex trafficking, spousal abuse, child abuse, murder, a mythical creature, police corruption, NGO corruption, government corruption and more. Too many leave little room for any of the issues to be explored properly or for the story to flow. I wish the author had focused on fewer issues and given us more character development. I found the ending rushed and trite. That being said, the book was interesting and raised topics I knew little about, and now can't stop thinking about!
This novel could have been so good. It just needed a better editor. The story is a mystery set in the background of mine-clearing in Cambodia. The problem is that it also involves sex trafficking, spousal abuse, child abuse, murder, a mythical creature, police corruption, NGO corruption, government corruption and more. Too many leave little room for any of the issues to be explored properly or for the story to flow. I wish the author had focused on fewer issues and given us more character development. I found the ending rushed and trite. That being said, the book was interesting and raised topics I knew little about, and now can't stop thinking about!
September 13, 2014
This was a very good read - the kind where it's hard to put down. Tess Hardy is a mine clearer and she receives a disturbing call from her ex-husband who is clearing mines in Cambodia. Shortly after his call, Tess learns he was killed by a mine explosion and she decides to go to Cambodia to work out the mysteries surrounding his death. From there, the reader is taken on a journey of the world of mine clearance as well as the exotic world of Cambodia. An excellent first novel and sadly this is not available in the United States in either paper book form or ebook (what's up with that?). It's British so you have to go to the source to get a copy (thank the Internet Gods for international shopping). Highly recommend.
February 15, 2016
A few years ago, I fell out of a tree; about six or seven meters. In the nano-second I had in which to react, I had the presence of mind to twist my body so that I landed on my side, not on my head [which would have probably killed me] or on to my back [because a broken spine would mean a wheelchair for life]. I smashed my right shoulder so badly that even today I have limited use of my right arm. The surgeons couldn’t put the damaged bones and tissue back together but thanks to our fantastic NHS, they gave me a new steel joint and shoulder plate. But the muscle has gone.
This novel is divided into chapter headings in terms of days: DAY 1; DAY 2 &tc up to and including DAY 8. It is about many things but early on, on DAY 2 someone has his leg blown off by a concealed anti-personnel land-mine. The author, K T Medina doesn’t make much of the incident but the level of pain visceral, physical and mental that he must have suffered can only be imagined.
On DAY 5 he is back home, ‘screwing Keav’, his live-in private prostitute.
Let me tell you, I couldn’t so much as butter a slice of toast on the third day after smashing my shoulder.
Big mistake buying this. Its her debut novel and has reviews to die for on Amazon and by and large I do trust the Amazon reviewers but reading it, I felt I had landed on another planet. Badly written and poorly edited . . . was it edited? . . . it has no redeeming features. At times it feels like a creative writing test to see how many plot-holes you can cram into one book. And it is tell, tell, tell; it’s like that bloody Place Called Winter I forced down over Christmas, don’t they teach show not tell at these creative writing courses? The subject matter is mine-clearance in contemporary Cambodia, very laudable and quite commendable that she can skilfully bring this to our attention without being morbid or overly pessimistic about the awful situation there. Most reviewers mention this and I am sure that Ms Medina and her publishers and Agents would make the case that the subject matter is deserving of our attention, but she has decided it isn’t dismal enough. She introduces other harrowing miseries; sex trafficking; extreme child cruelty; murder; domestic abuse; corruption; forced prostitution; Bosnia; wretched third-world orphanages. No barrel is left unscraped. And all this is served up to entertain us?
There is clearly a constituency for misery-fiction but I am not amongst them.
There is a school of thought that we need to read about these horrors so that as individuals, we can process the terrors of the world: the beheadings; the crucifixions; people being burned alive in cages; the fear, the dismay at man’s cruelty to man. The only way we can sleep at night is by processing them in crime fiction or a thriller like White Crocodile or a cinema experience like The Revenant.
But she employs such monumental effort for so little return.
This novel is divided into chapter headings in terms of days: DAY 1; DAY 2 &tc up to and including DAY 8. It is about many things but early on, on DAY 2 someone has his leg blown off by a concealed anti-personnel land-mine. The author, K T Medina doesn’t make much of the incident but the level of pain visceral, physical and mental that he must have suffered can only be imagined.
On DAY 5 he is back home, ‘screwing Keav’, his live-in private prostitute.
Let me tell you, I couldn’t so much as butter a slice of toast on the third day after smashing my shoulder.
Big mistake buying this. Its her debut novel and has reviews to die for on Amazon and by and large I do trust the Amazon reviewers but reading it, I felt I had landed on another planet. Badly written and poorly edited . . . was it edited? . . . it has no redeeming features. At times it feels like a creative writing test to see how many plot-holes you can cram into one book. And it is tell, tell, tell; it’s like that bloody Place Called Winter I forced down over Christmas, don’t they teach show not tell at these creative writing courses? The subject matter is mine-clearance in contemporary Cambodia, very laudable and quite commendable that she can skilfully bring this to our attention without being morbid or overly pessimistic about the awful situation there. Most reviewers mention this and I am sure that Ms Medina and her publishers and Agents would make the case that the subject matter is deserving of our attention, but she has decided it isn’t dismal enough. She introduces other harrowing miseries; sex trafficking; extreme child cruelty; murder; domestic abuse; corruption; forced prostitution; Bosnia; wretched third-world orphanages. No barrel is left unscraped. And all this is served up to entertain us?
There is clearly a constituency for misery-fiction but I am not amongst them.
There is a school of thought that we need to read about these horrors so that as individuals, we can process the terrors of the world: the beheadings; the crucifixions; people being burned alive in cages; the fear, the dismay at man’s cruelty to man. The only way we can sleep at night is by processing them in crime fiction or a thriller like White Crocodile or a cinema experience like The Revenant.
But she employs such monumental effort for so little return.
November 22, 2015
Auf dem Klappentext steht "Das weisse Krokodil ist Dein Richter. Das weisse Krokodil ist Dein Schicksal. Das weisse Krokodil ist Dein Tod."
Das las sich schon mal sehr vielversprechend ... es sollte ein packender Thriller sein. Dabei dreht es sich um die Engländerin Tess, die sich von ihrem Ehemann getrennt hat. Der nun bei einem Minenräumeinsatz in Kambodscha stirbt. Tess glaubt nicht an einen Unfall, und fährt selbst nach Kambodscha. Da sie auch ausgebildete Minensucherin und -räumerin ist, kommt sie bei den gleichen Einsatztrupp unter. Und muss gleich am ersten Einsatztag mit ansehen, wie ihr zugeteilter Kollege unter dubiosen Umständen durch eine Landmine zerfetzt wird. So weit, so spannend. Das weisse Krokodil des Titels ist eine Zeichnung, ein Symbol, vor dem die Einheimischen und sukzessive auch die europäischen Minenräumer immer mehr Angst haben. Denn es symbolisiert den Tod ... Parallel zu den Geschehnissen in Kambodscha wird in England die Leiche einer jungen Frau gefunden, der zuständige Kommissar entdeckt bei seiner Mördersuche irgendwann dann den Zusammenhang mit Kambodscha - wo seit einigen Monaten junge Frauen verschwinden. Oder brutal ermordert werden. Tess muss sich also mit abergläubischen Einheimischen, durchdrehenden europäischen Kollegen vor Ort (entweder traumatisiert, oder pädophil, oder beides ...) sowie diversen Verschwörungstheorien herumschlagen. Klingt ja soweit recht spannend - und man merkt, dass die Autorin selbst beim Militär und auf den Minenfeldern Kambodschas war.
Nur: die vielen genauesten Bezeichnungen und Beschreibungen der verschiedenen Waffen- und Minentypen, bis ins letzte Detail, halten die Story doch ziemlich auf. Außerdem handelt Tess häufig nicht nachvollziehbar, man kann sich nicht mit ihr identifizieren. Letztendlich war es dann beim Lesen ehrlich gesagt ziemlich egal, ob sie den Mörder findet, wer das ist, ob jemand vom Team überlebt (und nein, ich spoilere nie, deswegen hier auch nicht mehr zum Inhalt). So zogen sich die gut 400 Seiten ziemlich zahnlos dahin - im Gegensatz zum titelgebenden weissen Krododil, das im Buch ordentlich Opfer forderte!
Fazit: 3 von 5 möglichen Sternen. Interessantes Thema, aber für einen Thriller zu langatmig.
Das las sich schon mal sehr vielversprechend ... es sollte ein packender Thriller sein. Dabei dreht es sich um die Engländerin Tess, die sich von ihrem Ehemann getrennt hat. Der nun bei einem Minenräumeinsatz in Kambodscha stirbt. Tess glaubt nicht an einen Unfall, und fährt selbst nach Kambodscha. Da sie auch ausgebildete Minensucherin und -räumerin ist, kommt sie bei den gleichen Einsatztrupp unter. Und muss gleich am ersten Einsatztag mit ansehen, wie ihr zugeteilter Kollege unter dubiosen Umständen durch eine Landmine zerfetzt wird. So weit, so spannend. Das weisse Krokodil des Titels ist eine Zeichnung, ein Symbol, vor dem die Einheimischen und sukzessive auch die europäischen Minenräumer immer mehr Angst haben. Denn es symbolisiert den Tod ... Parallel zu den Geschehnissen in Kambodscha wird in England die Leiche einer jungen Frau gefunden, der zuständige Kommissar entdeckt bei seiner Mördersuche irgendwann dann den Zusammenhang mit Kambodscha - wo seit einigen Monaten junge Frauen verschwinden. Oder brutal ermordert werden. Tess muss sich also mit abergläubischen Einheimischen, durchdrehenden europäischen Kollegen vor Ort (entweder traumatisiert, oder pädophil, oder beides ...) sowie diversen Verschwörungstheorien herumschlagen. Klingt ja soweit recht spannend - und man merkt, dass die Autorin selbst beim Militär und auf den Minenfeldern Kambodschas war.
Nur: die vielen genauesten Bezeichnungen und Beschreibungen der verschiedenen Waffen- und Minentypen, bis ins letzte Detail, halten die Story doch ziemlich auf. Außerdem handelt Tess häufig nicht nachvollziehbar, man kann sich nicht mit ihr identifizieren. Letztendlich war es dann beim Lesen ehrlich gesagt ziemlich egal, ob sie den Mörder findet, wer das ist, ob jemand vom Team überlebt (und nein, ich spoilere nie, deswegen hier auch nicht mehr zum Inhalt). So zogen sich die gut 400 Seiten ziemlich zahnlos dahin - im Gegensatz zum titelgebenden weissen Krododil, das im Buch ordentlich Opfer forderte!
Fazit: 3 von 5 möglichen Sternen. Interessantes Thema, aber für einen Thriller zu langatmig.
November 2, 2014
"White Crocodile," by K.T. Medina seemed like a missed opportunity to this reader. Set in the exotic location of modern day Cambodia, this novel tackles the some heavy issues including extreme poverty, inadequate medical facilities, and the continued victimization of civilians due to past war. All of these problems set the scene for a unique, who done it, type story. So, why was this reader ultimately disappointed? I'll tell you why.
In the, "White Crocodile," the main character, Tess, finds herself drawn to the strange and primitive land of Cambodia in order to locate answers regarding her ex-husband, Luke's, death. Upon arrival, she is informed he was instantly killed during an accident while working to clear explosive mines from a forgotten battlefield. However, Tess has a hard time accepting this explanation. It is revealed that prior to his death Luke contacted her with concerns for his safety. Here enters the plot line of the White Crocodile, and simultaneously what this reader found to be a missed opportunity.
The tale of the, "White Crocodile," is a superstition created by the native people of Cambodia to explain the continued disappearance, mutilation, and often murder of many local young women. It is said the White Crocodile roams the villages at night stealing and killing women as it pleases. Unfortunately, that is all that is really said. This reader kept waiting for the character, Tess, to have some actual one on one conversation with the, "villagers," about the White Crocodile myth. I wanted to hear more about the beast in, "the bush." I wanted to feel the tension alluded too, but never really examined by the author. Basically, I was looking for a little mystique mixed with my mystery. Instead, I got a basic, "who done it," story rather than the, "what did it," paranoia I was craving.
Don't get me wrong the, "White Crocodile," by K.T. Medina was still an enjoyable read with a fairly good twist at the end. Maybe I was just looking for my twist to be more exotic than a Cambodian setting.
In the, "White Crocodile," the main character, Tess, finds herself drawn to the strange and primitive land of Cambodia in order to locate answers regarding her ex-husband, Luke's, death. Upon arrival, she is informed he was instantly killed during an accident while working to clear explosive mines from a forgotten battlefield. However, Tess has a hard time accepting this explanation. It is revealed that prior to his death Luke contacted her with concerns for his safety. Here enters the plot line of the White Crocodile, and simultaneously what this reader found to be a missed opportunity.
The tale of the, "White Crocodile," is a superstition created by the native people of Cambodia to explain the continued disappearance, mutilation, and often murder of many local young women. It is said the White Crocodile roams the villages at night stealing and killing women as it pleases. Unfortunately, that is all that is really said. This reader kept waiting for the character, Tess, to have some actual one on one conversation with the, "villagers," about the White Crocodile myth. I wanted to hear more about the beast in, "the bush." I wanted to feel the tension alluded too, but never really examined by the author. Basically, I was looking for a little mystique mixed with my mystery. Instead, I got a basic, "who done it," story rather than the, "what did it," paranoia I was craving.
Don't get me wrong the, "White Crocodile," by K.T. Medina was still an enjoyable read with a fairly good twist at the end. Maybe I was just looking for my twist to be more exotic than a Cambodian setting.
October 13, 2017
This has the feel of a book that the author gave up on 9/10ths of the way through.
The majority of the book is very readable - set in modern day Cambodia, it draws our attention to the havoc and mayhem still caused by the land mines laid during the 1970's during the Cambodian Civil War, and the subsequent genocidal reign of the Khmer Rouge.
But this is no ordinary historical novel - it manages to combine a murder mystery element presented in a very original way, full of politically aware, fully formed characters and the socio political background created by the dreadful events in Cambodia in the last century.
There are depths to this novel that you don't expect from a simple thriller, and you do get the sense that here is a very exciting new author.
But then the end - without giving too much away, it is beyond predictable, it's derivative and descends in the very final chapter into genres that this author is far too good for! I won't give up on KT Medina - but I hope in future, she doesn't give up on me over the last few chapters of her books as well.
The majority of the book is very readable - set in modern day Cambodia, it draws our attention to the havoc and mayhem still caused by the land mines laid during the 1970's during the Cambodian Civil War, and the subsequent genocidal reign of the Khmer Rouge.
But this is no ordinary historical novel - it manages to combine a murder mystery element presented in a very original way, full of politically aware, fully formed characters and the socio political background created by the dreadful events in Cambodia in the last century.
There are depths to this novel that you don't expect from a simple thriller, and you do get the sense that here is a very exciting new author.
But then the end - without giving too much away, it is beyond predictable, it's derivative and descends in the very final chapter into genres that this author is far too good for! I won't give up on KT Medina - but I hope in future, she doesn't give up on me over the last few chapters of her books as well.
September 21, 2020
Very different from what I expected. Good thriller novel and crazy twist of an ending but I didn’t enjoy the writing style. The story stopped in weird spots and then switched to different characters too often. Interesting read though.
March 14, 2021
I picked up White Crocodile after being hugely inspired by the author at Crimefest in Bristol a few years ago. K.T.Medina spoke with such passion about her writing and the plot she was discussing at the time was fascinating ... I confess it has therefore been sat on my TBR shelf for too long.
I am pleased to have finally read this engaging tale set predominantly in Cambodia with a parallel story set in Manchester. I did take me some time to fully grasp the connection between the two settings and remember what was happening although I did start to see where this was going but not until getting close to the end.
White Crocodile, as the blurb will tell you, details the issues of mine-clearance and murder, with girls missing and children being abandoned. I feel the author dealt with the issues well and sensitively, quite graphically in places so you could really sense the horror that the locals and clearers had to contend with. The sights and smells, the awful situation that had no hope of improving for so many, and young children suffering so badly too. The setting was rich with description and the protagonist Tess very believable for me. She wasn't giving up without a fight to find the answers to her husbands potentially suspicious death and then later the injuries and deaths of so many others.
What is the White Crocodile that the locals fear so desperately or is it someone that needs to be found and stopped?
A great read, that makes you feel the humidity and the environment of Cambodia, not somewhere I have 'visited' in books before so I can't say if it is descriptively accurate but certainly painted a staggering setting for me.
Would recommend to others, a great mystery with some truly awful truths and descriptions set in a fascinating and deeply deprived and corrupt part of the world.
4 stars from me and I will be looking out for other titles by K.T.Medina.
I am pleased to have finally read this engaging tale set predominantly in Cambodia with a parallel story set in Manchester. I did take me some time to fully grasp the connection between the two settings and remember what was happening although I did start to see where this was going but not until getting close to the end.
White Crocodile, as the blurb will tell you, details the issues of mine-clearance and murder, with girls missing and children being abandoned. I feel the author dealt with the issues well and sensitively, quite graphically in places so you could really sense the horror that the locals and clearers had to contend with. The sights and smells, the awful situation that had no hope of improving for so many, and young children suffering so badly too. The setting was rich with description and the protagonist Tess very believable for me. She wasn't giving up without a fight to find the answers to her husbands potentially suspicious death and then later the injuries and deaths of so many others.
What is the White Crocodile that the locals fear so desperately or is it someone that needs to be found and stopped?
A great read, that makes you feel the humidity and the environment of Cambodia, not somewhere I have 'visited' in books before so I can't say if it is descriptively accurate but certainly painted a staggering setting for me.
Would recommend to others, a great mystery with some truly awful truths and descriptions set in a fascinating and deeply deprived and corrupt part of the world.
4 stars from me and I will be looking out for other titles by K.T.Medina.
January 5, 2023
This isn't my usual genre to read, but I was intrigued by the blurb and it really paid off. Highly enjoyed this story. The end was a little abrupt for me, but it didn't take away from how much I liked it.
March 13, 2019
Really good book with twist I didn’t work out. Action meets thriller which is different to my normal crime type books. Slow start but picks pace a lot and it’s worth the slow start
July 19, 2019
Very compelling. Felt as though I could see the events unfolding. Through her own experiences, K. T. Medina demonstrates how history & human circumstance can create & unleash monsters upon the vulnerable. Couldn’t put it down!
September 25, 2025
an enjoyable read but would have liked to explore the crime network a bit more deeply. has made me curious to learn about the Cambodian civil war though and it's entanglement with the Vietnam war.
November 16, 2014
This is a really strong debut from K T Medina.
The damaged but dogged Tess Hardy is the young ex-army woman (she served five years with the Royal Engineers, including mine-clearing tours in Afghanistan) who travels to Cambodia, despite knowing little about the place, to take a mine-clearing job with a humanitarian charity. This comes about after Tess receives a phone call from a voice from her past. Her abusive, controlling ex-partner Luke called her from Battambang in Cambodia where he was working as a mine-clearer. He sounded scared, unusually so, and two weeks later, would be dead after an explosion. Suspecting this wasn’t an accident Tess finds herself investigating his death.
Once in Cambodia Tess is welcomed into a county with a troubled, violent past and an oppressive heat, but there’s much more to concern her. One of her colleagues, Johnny, suffers an accident in the minefield and is badly injured. Tess suspects foul play. Alone in her investigations she soon suspects that the region is harbouring other crimes amid some strange beliefs.
Teenage mothers are going missing from the villages surrounding the minefields of Cambodia. Some are found, gruesomely mutilated and murdered, their abandoned babies by their side. Local superstition has the White Crocodile to blame; a mythical creature that means death for all who encounter it.
There’s another brutal murder, this time of a prostitute back in the criminal underworld of Manchester, England, and the story moves from Cambodia and back, involving a twenty year old secret of violence.
Traumatised by her own domestic abuse, Tess Hardy is emotionally vulnerable but smart and brave; a heroine whose present has her in peril but whose journey provides strength.
White Crocodile is a story of violence and revenge set against a backdrop of mine clearance in a war damaged and deprived region, and, closer to home, issues of trafficking and prostitution. These two stories eventually come together via a compelling fast-paced narrative.
The West's exploitative attitude to a country still recovering from a bloody, barbaric conflict is well handled in this original and exciting book with twists and turns aplenty. Gripping to the end.
The damaged but dogged Tess Hardy is the young ex-army woman (she served five years with the Royal Engineers, including mine-clearing tours in Afghanistan) who travels to Cambodia, despite knowing little about the place, to take a mine-clearing job with a humanitarian charity. This comes about after Tess receives a phone call from a voice from her past. Her abusive, controlling ex-partner Luke called her from Battambang in Cambodia where he was working as a mine-clearer. He sounded scared, unusually so, and two weeks later, would be dead after an explosion. Suspecting this wasn’t an accident Tess finds herself investigating his death.
Once in Cambodia Tess is welcomed into a county with a troubled, violent past and an oppressive heat, but there’s much more to concern her. One of her colleagues, Johnny, suffers an accident in the minefield and is badly injured. Tess suspects foul play. Alone in her investigations she soon suspects that the region is harbouring other crimes amid some strange beliefs.
Teenage mothers are going missing from the villages surrounding the minefields of Cambodia. Some are found, gruesomely mutilated and murdered, their abandoned babies by their side. Local superstition has the White Crocodile to blame; a mythical creature that means death for all who encounter it.
There’s another brutal murder, this time of a prostitute back in the criminal underworld of Manchester, England, and the story moves from Cambodia and back, involving a twenty year old secret of violence.
Traumatised by her own domestic abuse, Tess Hardy is emotionally vulnerable but smart and brave; a heroine whose present has her in peril but whose journey provides strength.
White Crocodile is a story of violence and revenge set against a backdrop of mine clearance in a war damaged and deprived region, and, closer to home, issues of trafficking and prostitution. These two stories eventually come together via a compelling fast-paced narrative.
The West's exploitative attitude to a country still recovering from a bloody, barbaric conflict is well handled in this original and exciting book with twists and turns aplenty. Gripping to the end.
September 29, 2014
Escape autumn's chill by immersing yourself in the searing heat of Cambodia, in this fascinating and fast-paced tale of teenage mothers being murdered and mutilated.
British explosive expert Tess goes to Cambodia to help clear minefields – but also to discover what happened to her violent ex, Luke, who called her one night saying he was scared, then disappeared…
An intense web of secrets and lies are expertly woven, as Tess gets closer to solving not just what happened to her ex, but also whether the mythical White Crocodile is really bringing death to young mothers. Or if there is actually a sick serial killer on the loose.
Author Medina's time spent in the Territorial Army as a weapons expert lends the novel gritty realism, as does her degree in psychology, which means characters come across as utterly believable in their flaws.
With twists and turns coming at you from every direction, you won’t be able to put this tale down. It’s a vividly-written, atmospheric nail-biter!
British explosive expert Tess goes to Cambodia to help clear minefields – but also to discover what happened to her violent ex, Luke, who called her one night saying he was scared, then disappeared…
An intense web of secrets and lies are expertly woven, as Tess gets closer to solving not just what happened to her ex, but also whether the mythical White Crocodile is really bringing death to young mothers. Or if there is actually a sick serial killer on the loose.
Author Medina's time spent in the Territorial Army as a weapons expert lends the novel gritty realism, as does her degree in psychology, which means characters come across as utterly believable in their flaws.
With twists and turns coming at you from every direction, you won’t be able to put this tale down. It’s a vividly-written, atmospheric nail-biter!
June 19, 2015
A great debut novel by K T Medina. Tess Hardy receives a worrying phone call from her ex husband followed by the news that he has been killed clearing mines in Cambodia. She decides to go out to the town in Cambodia to investigate although she has never been there before.
She discovers that young mums are going missing and others are being found in terrible states of mutilation and links are found to her ex. There is a dark superstition around her and suggestions that this is linked to England. She is in danger and we are drawn into the story
I will definitely look out for more by this author.
Many thanks to Faber and Faber and Net Galley for the chance to read this one.
She discovers that young mums are going missing and others are being found in terrible states of mutilation and links are found to her ex. There is a dark superstition around her and suggestions that this is linked to England. She is in danger and we are drawn into the story
I will definitely look out for more by this author.
Many thanks to Faber and Faber and Net Galley for the chance to read this one.
March 26, 2016
I was super thrilled to see a blurb from Mo Hayder (one of my favorite crime-thriller writers) on the cover. Once I finished the novel, I saw that Hayder was also Medina's mentor, which makes perfect sense considering they are similar enough in their dark and captivating storytelling abilities. I would also compare this favorably to Larsson's Millennium trilogy, with the strong yet previously broken female lead. This is my favorite kind of crime fiction, with full immersion in the setting and unsettling looks into the minds of a variety of characters. Not for the squeamish. Bleak as hell. Can not wait to see more from K.T. Medina.
August 9, 2015
A bit of interest generated by the setting and socio-political context but ultimately a rather plodding and formulaic crime novel - reminded me that I don't really like the crime genre (apart from Sherlock Holmes stories). The plot was straightforward and quite transparent (I worked out in about 1 minute what it took the seasoned police detective the rest of the book to realise) and the characters were very 1-dimensional and forgettable and I didn't really care who stood on a landmine in the end. OK as a light read I guess. Probably more like 2.5 stars - 2 is a little harsh. Actually the more I think about it, 2 is about right (possibly generous).
June 13, 2016
Wow--fresh, fresh plotting and story with great twists. Love how the author puts you in Cambodia with all the sights, sounds, and smells. She is not shy about pointing out the West's thinking that they have the answers to a local problem. Perfect when you want a thriller with meat on its bones.
January 2, 2021
This was just a bit disturbing for me; I felt that the author skimmed over so many details that would have made the story feel so much richer and taken some of the focus away from the gore of the setting. It was a short one to finish in my two week isolation but definitely not a favourite of the year.
August 23, 2022
“When this minefield found, White Crocodile here.” … “Seen here.”
Issues about wives being left by the husband and pregnant, abusive husbands. They had all been either missing or found dead. The author writes about those issues traumatically. At first, I just don't understand why the woman who gets killed beside the man who caused those women to suffer and the relationship of the minefield workers get killed. It is quite confusing about the plot but the characters play just fine.
The plot is slow and doesn’t give often clues about the white crocodile whether it is a myth come true or the person who is the killer behind the myth. I could level the mystery and the tension is half of the level/bar.
The situation in Cambodia is presented as raw and thriller. Contain 18+ things and F word. The author knows how to put the tension and serve a chill sensation. I adore it yet, another part is quite draggy.
‘… her father unaware that he had been driving a corpse for the last few kilometers of the journey to the hospital.’
Issues about wives being left by the husband and pregnant, abusive husbands. They had all been either missing or found dead. The author writes about those issues traumatically. At first, I just don't understand why the woman who gets killed beside the man who caused those women to suffer and the relationship of the minefield workers get killed. It is quite confusing about the plot but the characters play just fine.
The plot is slow and doesn’t give often clues about the white crocodile whether it is a myth come true or the person who is the killer behind the myth. I could level the mystery and the tension is half of the level/bar.
The situation in Cambodia is presented as raw and thriller. Contain 18+ things and F word. The author knows how to put the tension and serve a chill sensation. I adore it yet, another part is quite draggy.
‘… her father unaware that he had been driving a corpse for the last few kilometers of the journey to the hospital.’
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews