What do you think?
Rate this book
Bleeding in Black and White
Colin Cotterill creates a new member of his wonderful cast of characters in his latest book Bleeding in Black and White. CIA agent Robert "Bodge" Leon has been deskbound since joining the agency at its post-WW2 inception. He dreams of being in the field, but when that happens it goes far from as expected. Sent to the Vietnamese highlands during the French fight against independence, he meets the beautiful concubine of the Emperor. Meanwhile back in the US the KGB is using a purge inside the CIA to recruit double agents. Can Bodge survive to find love in the Orient and see justice done back home?
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 20, 2015
22 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Colin Cotterill
71 books1,020 followersColin Cotterill was born in London and trained as a teacher and set off on a world tour that didn't ever come to an end. He worked as a Physical Education instructor in Israel, a primary school teacher in Australia, a counselor for educationally handicapped adults in the US, and a university lecturer in Japan. But the greater part of his latter years has been spent in Southeast Asia. Colin has taught and trained teachers in Thailand and on the Burmese border. He spent several years in Laos, initially with UNESCO and wrote and produced a forty-programme language teaching series; English By Accident, for Thai national television.
Ten years ago, Colin became involved in child protection in the region and set up an NGO in Phuket which he ran for the first two years. After two more years of study in child abuse issues, and one more stint in Phuket, he moved on to ECPAT, an international organization combating child prostitution and pornography. He established their training program for caregivers.
All the while, Colin continued with his two other passions; cartooning and writing. He contributed regular columns for the Bangkok Post but had little time to write. It wasn't until his work with trafficked children that he found himself sufficiently stimulated to put together his first novel, The Night Bastard (Suk's Editions. 2000).
The reaction to that first attempt was so positive that Colin decided to take time off and write full-time. Since October 2001 he has written nine more novels. Two of these are child-protection based: Evil in the Land Without (Asia Books December 03), and Pool and Its Role in Asian Communism (Asia Books, Dec 05). These were followed by The Coroner’s Lunch (Soho Press. Dec 04), Thirty Three Teeth (Aug 05), Disco for the Departed (Aug 06), Anarchy and Old Dogs (Aug 07), and Curse of the Pogo Stick (Aug 08), The Merry Misogynist (Aug 09), Love Songs from a Shallow Grave (Aug 10) these last seven are set in Laos in the 1970’s.
On June 15, 2009 Colin Cotterill received the Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library award for being "the author of crime fiction whose work is currently giving the greatest enjoyment to library users".
When the Lao books gained in popularity, Cotterill set up a project to send books to Lao children and sponsor trainee teachers. The Books for Laos programme elicits support from fans of the books and is administered purely on a voluntary basis.
Since 1990, Colin has been a regular cartoonist for national publications. A Thai language translation of his cartoon scrapbook, Ethel and Joan Go to Phuket (Matichon May 04) and weekly social cartoons in the Nation newspaper, set him back onto the cartoon trail in 2004. On 4 April 2004, an illustrated bilingual column ‘cycle logical’ was launched in Matichon’s popular weekly news magazine. These have been published in book form.
Colin is married and lives in a fishing community on the Gulf of Siam with his wife, Kyoko, and ever-expanding pack of very annoying dogs.
Ten years ago, Colin became involved in child protection in the region and set up an NGO in Phuket which he ran for the first two years. After two more years of study in child abuse issues, and one more stint in Phuket, he moved on to ECPAT, an international organization combating child prostitution and pornography. He established their training program for caregivers.
All the while, Colin continued with his two other passions; cartooning and writing. He contributed regular columns for the Bangkok Post but had little time to write. It wasn't until his work with trafficked children that he found himself sufficiently stimulated to put together his first novel, The Night Bastard (Suk's Editions. 2000).
The reaction to that first attempt was so positive that Colin decided to take time off and write full-time. Since October 2001 he has written nine more novels. Two of these are child-protection based: Evil in the Land Without (Asia Books December 03), and Pool and Its Role in Asian Communism (Asia Books, Dec 05). These were followed by The Coroner’s Lunch (Soho Press. Dec 04), Thirty Three Teeth (Aug 05), Disco for the Departed (Aug 06), Anarchy and Old Dogs (Aug 07), and Curse of the Pogo Stick (Aug 08), The Merry Misogynist (Aug 09), Love Songs from a Shallow Grave (Aug 10) these last seven are set in Laos in the 1970’s.
On June 15, 2009 Colin Cotterill received the Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library award for being "the author of crime fiction whose work is currently giving the greatest enjoyment to library users".
When the Lao books gained in popularity, Cotterill set up a project to send books to Lao children and sponsor trainee teachers. The Books for Laos programme elicits support from fans of the books and is administered purely on a voluntary basis.
Since 1990, Colin has been a regular cartoonist for national publications. A Thai language translation of his cartoon scrapbook, Ethel and Joan Go to Phuket (Matichon May 04) and weekly social cartoons in the Nation newspaper, set him back onto the cartoon trail in 2004. On 4 April 2004, an illustrated bilingual column ‘cycle logical’ was launched in Matichon’s popular weekly news magazine. These have been published in book form.
Colin is married and lives in a fishing community on the Gulf of Siam with his wife, Kyoko, and ever-expanding pack of very annoying dogs.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 28, 2019
Bleeding in Black and White
“He sleeps with the Administrator’s wife, the royal consort lies for him, and he overthrows this tyrant. I think I’m starting to admire the fellow.”
A fast paced murder mystery set in America and Vietnam during 1953.
Our hero "Bodge", a CIA clerk, is offer a chance to leave his desk and go on a mission to Vietnam. Dangerous you might think, but his troubles start even before he leaves. His work mate is accused of being gay. (Now the background is the anti-gay, anti-communist witch hunts of America started by senator McCarthy.) And then Bodge is also dragged into accusations.
He dodges bombs and wild trucks before arriving in Vietnam where everyone has a hidden face, a hidden agenda.
An exciting story filled with deadly foes and beautiful ladies. Plus we have the added benefit that the author, who actually lives in South East Asia, making his stories believably real.
Enjoy!
“He sleeps with the Administrator’s wife, the royal consort lies for him, and he overthrows this tyrant. I think I’m starting to admire the fellow.”
A fast paced murder mystery set in America and Vietnam during 1953.
Our hero "Bodge", a CIA clerk, is offer a chance to leave his desk and go on a mission to Vietnam. Dangerous you might think, but his troubles start even before he leaves. His work mate is accused of being gay. (Now the background is the anti-gay, anti-communist witch hunts of America started by senator McCarthy.) And then Bodge is also dragged into accusations.
He dodges bombs and wild trucks before arriving in Vietnam where everyone has a hidden face, a hidden agenda.
An exciting story filled with deadly foes and beautiful ladies. Plus we have the added benefit that the author, who actually lives in South East Asia, making his stories believably real.
Enjoy!
July 18, 2015
Not as good as his Dr. Siri books, but then I'm so hooked on Colin Cotterill that I'd happily read his shopping list.
February 18, 2017
In the early 1950's deskbound CIA agent Robert "Bodge" Leon suddenly finds himself promoted to field agent and undergoes a brief spell of training which is interrupted when he and his best friend and work colleague Lou wind up very drunk after a night out with a young man they believe is Bodge's replacement.
Confused? You have to have your wits about you to read this standalone espionage/murder mystery because it's a wild ride, switching back and forth from French-ruled Vietnam to the McCarthyite paranoid vision that is 1950's America - with Reds AND sexual deviants under every bed. This latter part of the tale involves the KGB compromising American men and women into becoming double agents - and Bodge and his partner Lou are caught up in this twisted operation.
The humour is deliciously dark as various colourful characters flit in and out of the story. They include the Vietnamese Emperor's concubine Hong - a beautiful young woman who has stolen Bodge's heart before he's even met her. Hong is trying to engineer her escape from the Emperor's clutches and Bodge - a seeming innocent abroad - is caught up in her plan. The book does a wonderful hatchet job on French military and bureaucrats' rule of Vietnam as the war for independence goes on. Despite all the mayhem and murder, this isn't your standard action thriller and you really need to know some history. But it is a terrific read.
Confused? You have to have your wits about you to read this standalone espionage/murder mystery because it's a wild ride, switching back and forth from French-ruled Vietnam to the McCarthyite paranoid vision that is 1950's America - with Reds AND sexual deviants under every bed. This latter part of the tale involves the KGB compromising American men and women into becoming double agents - and Bodge and his partner Lou are caught up in this twisted operation.
The humour is deliciously dark as various colourful characters flit in and out of the story. They include the Vietnamese Emperor's concubine Hong - a beautiful young woman who has stolen Bodge's heart before he's even met her. Hong is trying to engineer her escape from the Emperor's clutches and Bodge - a seeming innocent abroad - is caught up in her plan. The book does a wonderful hatchet job on French military and bureaucrats' rule of Vietnam as the war for independence goes on. Despite all the mayhem and murder, this isn't your standard action thriller and you really need to know some history. But it is a terrific read.
August 2, 2016
This stand alone outside Coterill's detection series (plural, both the Coroner and the Journalist), this 50's era suspense works on every level! Come for th language, stay for the plotting.
May 30, 2016
Robert "Bodge" Leon and Lou, his office mate, have been CIA agents since the founding of the agency. Sticking close to their office, they can hardly be said to be earning their pay. But suddenly in the early 1950’s Bodge is given a field assignment. The US is providing financial support to the French in Vietnam and want him to pose with experienced agent Stephanie Delainey as married missionaries to keep an eye on the situation. The book is a wonderful glimpse into the period, both the paranoid of the cold war and the origins of American involvement in Vietnam.
August 5, 2016
Riveting Read
This is a wonderful rollicking adventure, hard to put down. Colin Cotterill has a way with words that gets you very deeply involved with his characters and their dilemmas.
This is a wonderful rollicking adventure, hard to put down. Colin Cotterill has a way with words that gets you very deeply involved with his characters and their dilemmas.
December 31, 2016
Not sure about this one. I think I was confused a lot of the time. I love his other books but this one left me a little underwhelmed. I pretty much gave up half way thru but then ploughed on till the end. It was all a bit depressing with characters being killed off and a very unhappy ending for one of them. I can still find the author's skill here but I just didn't warm to the story or the people.
June 20, 2015
An unusual combination of gritty NYC murder mystery and intrigue in French Indochina. Nothing like Cotterill's other novels. Displays great versatility.
January 2, 2016
I've enjoyed Cotterill's Siri books and thought that this one was even better. Could not put it down.
September 28, 2021
This might just be the most elaborately and tightly constructed of all Cotterill's murder mysteries (and I say this as a huge fan of Siri Paiboon and Jimm Juree) . . . so of course it's a samizdat/vanity publication. The lunacies of the publishing world never cease to amaze me. So one forgives the somewhat more frequent occurrence of typos and misspellings than in the Cotterills marketed by commercial publishers, even though their editors also don't catch such things as Cotterill's consistent reference to the bodily fluid resulting from infection as "puss." And maybe even in some ideal world an honest-to-goodness editor would've asked Cotterill what happened to DeWolff's incriminating photos of Bodge . . .
But no matter. This is great stuff, and if I've neglected to go into the plot, then only because everyone else has done so already. 4 1/2 stars.
But no matter. This is great stuff, and if I've neglected to go into the plot, then only because everyone else has done so already. 4 1/2 stars.
August 12, 2018
I love all of Colin Cotterill's books so it was no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed 'Bleeding in Black and White', a thriller set in New York and in French-occupied Vietnam in 1952. There were two threads running through this: the American paranoia with Communists and gays, and the American support of the French-Indochina war through weapons and advisors. Robert Leon, a World War 11 veteran is caught up in both of these situations. The story rollicks along with Cotterill's trademark humour, deft characterisations and sense of place. It's original, action-packed and full of pathos, tension and even some heartfelt tenderness.
December 8, 2017
I am selfish. I want a different ending. I like this slight variation from the authors main series. I love everything he writes.
February 1, 2021
Master Story-Teller
I have loved Cotterill’s Dr. Siri series for a long time and picked this one up a few years ago and never got around to reading it. It did not disappoint.
Cotterill has an exceptional ability to capture a time and a place without sacrificing the individuality of his characters. This story, which takes place as the Red Scare rises in the States and the Americans begin to be involved in Vietnam virtually begs for a cliched plot and an assembly of cardboard cutouts for characters. Thankfully, Cotterill declined that invitation and gave us this instead.
I have loved Cotterill’s Dr. Siri series for a long time and picked this one up a few years ago and never got around to reading it. It did not disappoint.
Cotterill has an exceptional ability to capture a time and a place without sacrificing the individuality of his characters. This story, which takes place as the Red Scare rises in the States and the Americans begin to be involved in Vietnam virtually begs for a cliched plot and an assembly of cardboard cutouts for characters. Thankfully, Cotterill declined that invitation and gave us this instead.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews