Cambodia Noir

by Nick Seeley, Nicholas Seeley

Phnom Penh, Cambodia: the end of the line. Lawless, drug-soaked, forgotten—it's where bad journalists go to die. For once-great war photographer Will Keller, that's kind of a mission statement: he spends his days floating from one score to the next, taking any job that pays; his nights are a haze of sex, drugs, booze, and brawling. But Will's spiral toward oblivion is interrupted by Kara Saito, a beautiful young woman who shows up and begs Will to help find her sister, June, who disappeared during a stint as an intern at the local paper.

Cambo offers a hundred kinds of trouble that June could have got mixed up in. The Phnom Penh underworld is in an uproar after a huge drug bust; a local reporter has been murdered in a political hit; and the government and opposition are locked in a standoff that could throw the country into chaos at any moment. But June came with secrets and terrors of her own. Cambodia is not the only place she’s traveled, or the worst, and the more Will learns about her past, the more danger they both are in. . .

Propulsive, electric, and filled with unforgettable characters, Cambodia Noir marks the arrival of a fresh new talent. Nick Seeley's debut novel is a powerful and unsettling exploration of loss, and being lost, and what happens when we go too far into the dark.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Crime, Noir, Thriller, Asia, Mystery Thriller

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2016

Reviews

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys* · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't. But I sure feel like I did.

Will Keller used to be a hotshot photographer but then he went into a personal hell and has never left it since. He has ended up in Cambodia just staying drunk, drugged out of his mind and just waiting to die. He is approached by a woman named Kara saying that she wants him to find her sister. Will has some connections to her missing sister and that sister's suitcases are at his place.

The missing sister June was an intern at a local paper, but it turns out that Kara and June are not who they are said to be.


Will is in the middle of a big hot mess. I think it's pretty much his normal though because he just keeps going. Politics blend into the story with Will's now obsession on finding June. When he is lucid. He stays passed out a lot.
I shouldn't even be here. I should be in some suburb of Hoboken with a car and a brat and a family photo studio; an idea for a coffee table book I'll never finish. But I screwed that up. Wanted to see the world-went too far. You scratch the surface, and faster than you'd think, you're out here in the swamps with Charlie and his friends.
You cross that line, it always ends in death. I learned that long ago.
So why am I doing it again?



There is a lot of dark in this book and that part didn't get to me as much as the wonky parts of it. I felt drugged out even reading the thing and for me it was just choppy. My head hurts. I read for entertainment and I just didn't feel entertained. I'm too old for drugged out weekends. Or drugged out anything anymore. I honestly should have just dnf'ed this one.


.Netgalley in exchange for review


Two of my friends that read way smarter books than I do loved this book. I think this was a case of it being me not the book. Check out their reviews: here is Delee's review and here is Sandra's review.

[Delee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done Nick Seeley. Well done!

Nick knows his S!@T.....Ohhhhh....may I call you Nick???? There is nothing I like better than to dive into a book of an author that knows what he is doing. I felt safe there...I felt comfortable knowing that he knew much more than I did- and that he could guide me through it. I knew some things about Cambodia- but....

...word of advice- if you are going to read it- brush up on a bit of Cambodian history- I can guarantee a little knowledge before hand will make you appreciate the story more.



William Keller is a journalist- once great...now full of drugs, alcohol, and despair. It is a miracle he is still standing- let alone stumbling off to his next story- but when duty calls he is off and running.

2003 elections have just happened and it didn't go well- things are breaking down- and politics... the drug trade...and military are colliding (more than usual).



Will turns up at an address of a supposed drug house- and things go from bad to worse. A war is happening- and one he is not prepared for...



On top of everything Will is dealing with- a girl- Jun- has gone missing, and her sister- Kara- has asked for help in finding her. The girl-Jun Saito- a fellow journalist- has left her diaries behind- which will help Will-delve into her past- and aid him in knowing the things she tried to keep secret from everyone.





...drugs... icky sex...power... and violence...the dark seedy underbelly of a place that is beautiful on the outside...but horrifying when you get too close.



This is not a book for the faint of heart- It is dark...depressing..and disgusting. Once you have opened that door- there is no closing it....the damage is done. Welcome to the reality of Cambodia....welcome to the reality of life. It is gruesome...it is tense...It is It is a must read. IMHO.

Thanks NetGalley!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I need to preface this review by saying that I discovered very quickly that I'm probably not the intended audience for this book. I read the description and saw the cover, so was expecting a thriller, but this one was a bit too much for me. Several other reviewers seem to love it.

Debut novelist Nicholas Seeley delivers readers a fast-paced look into the seedy, corrupted underbelly of Cambodia. And what a depraved world it is. Alcohol, drugs, prostitution, kidnapping, poverty, smuggling, murder, and in case you haven't had enough, several references to child sex slaves.

To the author's credit, he is a talented and deftly moved the story along. The element of suspense was definitely present. In future novels I would urge him to work on character development. While the main character is very well drawn, the secondary characters (and there are many) kept blending together in my mind.

If you have a strong stomach for the very dark side of human behavior, you may enjoy this one. Otherwise it might be one to skip.

3 stars, primarily because of the writing and pacing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a goddamn war.

Hot damn. This book was a pure acid trip on its own!



Will Keller, a photojournalist, is living his life fast. And hard.
Sex, drugs and booze are on his daily menu.
Haunted by his past, he now tries to outrun it.

Set against the backdrop of beautiful Cambodia, Will leads us through the darkest places mankind has known. Corruption is thriving, and a war is brewing. Whether for power, or scoring the much needed high. Then Will is approached by a mysterious woman who wants him to find her sister. Faith has it, that her diaries are in his possession. Amid the chaos he starts his quest....

The Cambodia theme song starts playing:
“Moto? Moto?”
“. . . need a ride?”
“. . . want a girl?”
“. . . come and eat—”
“. . . anywhere you want—”
“. . . where you go, handsome guy?”
“. . . she very pretty—”

Nicholas Seeley knows the craft of writing. There is a tension from the beginning till the end that keeps you engaged, and swallows you whole. Took me from South America all the way to Asia. I could smell the lilies, taste the local delicacies, floated along on the Mekong river, got my high together with Will.

The book is rough and dark, there is a lot of violence. And it is depressing, with so many evil things at work.

It’s not even death, death was something that happened long ago. Cambodia is what remains:
the place of the skull . . .
. . . Dried bones in salt earth . . .
. . . Sun on black water . . .
. . . Rivers of mud . . .
No shelter.
How could I expect the journey to end anywhere but here?

I think I've found myself another favorite author...


image credit: Acid Trip by Robin Clarijs

Review copy supplied by publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a rating and/or review.

[Ayz · Rating 5 out of 5]

a hella dense and somewhat difficult book that’s worth sticking with for its sheer visceral nature and its unforgettable ending.

took me several months to finish this book, with its alternating narrative style, as I was enjoying it in little bits and pieces, realizing if I read too much at once it became overwhelming. each page and paragraph is packed with the love of words and a blistering story-line inspired by raymond chandler, fight club, and hearts of darkness.

I’m not fully sure how I can justify this five star rating, except that despite its flaws, I know that I read something really special and when that happens, you don’t always have to intellectualize the art or your enjoyment of it.

cambodia noir is modern noir gem that will age well with rereads.

and to author nick seeley:

please write more books, brother.

you’ve got a voice.

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She didn't care about the money... She didn't care about the story. Or me, or Sam, or even drugs. She didn't have reasons. She just wanted to see what was in the dark..."

Cambodia Noir reads like a drug-induced frenzy, like falling into an abyss of human depravity, senselessness, unmoored emptiness and despair. Steely's voice as our protagonist, washed-out journalist Will, is mesmerizing, and offers - for the reader at least - a sobering portrait of how far any of us may fall through a combination of denial, repression, and addiction. Addiction not only to drugs, but to the next blood-curling experience, the next big score (in this case, the Pulitzer-worthy story).

Will, in denial and repressing tragic memories of reporting in Afghanistan, comes to Cambodia to get lost (mostly from himself, he is not being literally hunted). He chases down stories about the corruption, political machinations, drug running and the like - all while fully saturated in a highly volatile concoction of drugs, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and whatever other substance he can get his hands on that will help his memories fade.

And yet, as dark and violence-prone as his life already is, Will finds out it can get much worse on the day he is contacted by a wealthy Japanese American. This woman wants him to find her missing sister, who had interned at Will's paper. The story unfolds into a complex and nuanced plot involving American law enforcement, Japanese mafia, drug trade & policy, sex-trafficking, corrupt Cambodian police, Cambodia politics, international NGOs working in Cambodia, etc.

I loved Seeley's style - he weaves an incredibly intricate tapestry, and his language perfectly renders the drugged-out-thrill-seeker who is running away from himself/the world. Yes, Will is a bit detestable, or perhaps just pathetic, or just a human who has allowed himself to fall - depending on your outlook - but to most he's probably not a sympathetic character. Still, Seeley draws us into Will's world in such a way that we can at least begin to understand it (as a horrific cautionary tale in the very least), even if we may not sympathize. So, excellent characterizations.

There were a few detractors for me. One was the depiction of Cambodia as a dark, desperate, fringe place that no one would consider being unless they were in hiding (most of our characters are running away from something, and most are not Cambodian). I'm from Romania, and what annoyed me about Cambodia Noir is the same reason "Dracula" really gets on my nerves - some Irish guy decided to find the most "back-water" uncivilized place that "no one had ever heard of" and fabricate a story out of whole cloth devoid of any local history or lore. So I'm pretty sensitive when some Western man goes into what they deem a "backwards", or in this case, ultimately-bleak and depressing country, and weaves stories about its people from solely from their own point of view.

Cambodia Noir is crippled not by Seeley's perspective - he gives every indication towards the end that he realizes his depiction of Cambodia is only the dream of some strung-up junkie. What goes wrong is that because he is writing from an addict's perspective, the narration is incredibly myopic - there's the next fix, be it drugs or action, but not much else other than darkness and dysfunction.

To Seeley's credit, he does give one tinsy voice to a very minor character, who towards the end rebukes Will's offers to "save her" from her home: "I am not a dream. I am real. I was born in a Khmer Rouge Camp. I grew up in the war. Now we have peace, and someone dies every day. But it is always my home"... Then later, Will understands that "Cambo only existed through the lens of those places we created: a world built to reflect us back at ourselves, a world of poverty and deference..." I wish there had been a bit more of this - if there were, I wouldn't be subtracting this from my rating...

Which brings me to my second detractor. The ending was incredibly rushed, and to me "the solution" also felt a bit contrived. The entire novel, we are led through Will's life moment by moment, but yet the last couple chapters fly by in a rush, we are given only broad outlines about how Will finds the sister, and what she's up to didn't seem to follow from anything else that had happened.

Overall, a unique, masterfully written, soul-wrenching debut that probes the depths of the darkness of human nature.But, it's probably not for everyone. There is a lot of violence, drugs obviously, other things we never speak about in "polite" company, and also frequent allusions to the child-sex trade.

[Jülie ☼♄  · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly good!

What a brilliant read this was!
I have recently returned from a trip to Cambodia and found this story all the more compelling for that as I could easily identify with the descriptions of the people, the streets, and the places along the river.. the pulse of the place which never seems to sleep.
Nick Seeley has an artful way of describing the soul of Cambodia, the way it gets into you. For all of it's shades of dark and light, there is something about the place that gets into your system and stays there.
You can sense the things that seem to bubble just beneath the surface like a living pulse which constantly reminds you that there are many facets to this beautiful enigmatic place.

Cambodia Noir is an edge of your seat insightful glimpse into Cambodia's dark underbelly.

This is the place, it would seem, where all the washed up, burned out journalists go when they have no more wars left in them to chase...or when they have run out of the necessary intestinal fortitude to face them.
Here they find the escape they yearn for, their final escape or retirement into the bliss of oblivion.

This is also where the bad journalists go to find work in the small newspapers here, and a measure of solace through the limitless supply of drugs, sex and grog...24/7...
It's where the renowned and "once-great war photographer Will Keller" has settled, or at least is trying to..since the war has ended.
Making ends meet is often difficult due to a lack of decent or new news stories.

Will's job as photographer with a local newspaper is not very stimulating and so his days roll into each other, spent mostly in a fog of drug and alcohol induced apathy.
He is recovering from one such bender in a bar in the early dawn hours one morning when a beautiful woman seeks him out with a job offer.
She wants him to help find her missing sister and she is offering a very handsome fee to do so.
As Will mentally joins a few stray dots whilst speaking with the woman, it is not too long before he understands just how much danger he might be placing himself in, and yet...

Hang on tight now whilst you are taken on an extremely noir reading adventure!
What a fantastic job Nicholas Seeley has done with this debut novel, where the stuff of nightmares become bold reality.

Highly recommended reading for lovers of a well executed (no pun intended) darkly compelling mystery. 5★s

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy to read and review.

[The Shayne-Train · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is amazing.

A first-person present-tense feverdream, equal parts Raymond Chandler and Bret Easton Ellis. Drugs and crime, political coups and sex workers, and blood, and blood, and blood.

Visit a locale you may not have literarily been to before. The humidity and corruption of the place actually seeps from the printed words into your soul. You're tasting the fish soup and pollution as you devour page after page, even when it starts to make you feel a bit sick.

Highly recommended for anyone who likes their noir on the frantic, graphic, semi-disturbing side.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know this book will be beloved by many. I know I may get trolled for disliking it. But honestly, it just annoyed me, from start to finish. There were so many things that, taken separately, I could've overlooked; taken altogether, I just couldn't wait for this book to be over.

The first and biggest problem with this novel was the narrator. Will Keller is a washed-up photojournalist who, having once been listed for a Pulitzer, now has only one goal in life: to numb his pathetic, cowardly self with drugs and alcohol into oblivion, when he passes out in a puddle of his own sick. His backstory may be intended to engender sympathy in the reader, but the backstory is what made me truly hate him. He's a coward and a junkie and he's become rather useless. I don't believe he's entitled to his woe-is-me attitude.



He gets other people killed, and I'm supposed to feel sorry for him? Be concerned that he's pickling his brain with drugs and alcohol?



And the fact that he's a junkie wouldn't have been enough - I've read and enjoyed books with excessive users before. It's the fact that we're treated to an endless litany of which drugs he's doing and when and where he procured them and how they make him feel. Almost literally every third sentence is, "He rolled a joint and lit it." I don't care about his joints. I care about the story. But it takes forever to get to the story because we spend so much time with Will in his drug-induced stupors.

I also didn't like this novel from a stylistic perspective. The short, choppy, staccato sentences were just not to my taste. Omitting the pronouns from the beginnings of the sentences quickly became frustrating, and the lack of dialogue tags frequently became confusing. Sometimes it's difficult to tell who is doing which side of a conversation, and it completely kicks me out of the story to have to reread a paragraph five times to figure out who said what.

The "thrilling mystery" itself seems a little far-fetched to me. June's identity, and that of her family, was Big Hollywood all the way - not that she's from Hollywood. She's not. But the reveal was suspiciously like some Hollywood blockbuster film. Totally unexpected in a way that was not believable, at least to me. And why would her sister think Will could find her in the first place? I can only imagine what he must've looked like when she met him, after staying up all night drinking and doing drugs and drinking some more.

The background and the setting were what drew me to the novel in the first place, and the only saving grace for me. Cambodia is a fascinating place, both politically and ecologically, and I wanted to read more about that. The descriptions of the locales were the best part of this novel, to me at least.

I'm sure there are many, many people out there who will love this novel exactly the way it is, but there were just too many things that bothered me about it. I wanted to enjoy it and I just couldn't.



TL;DR: I did not like much of anything about this novel, but it may be an "It's me, not you" situation. Give it a try; you may love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an egalley of this book to review. All opinions expressed are my own.
***********************************************

This book was just not for me. I'm sure it will have an audience, but it ticked so many of my pet peeve boxes. Full review forthcoming.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick Seeley’s quick rapid fire sentences, merging with a story packed with sinister shadows and seemingly endless, unsolvable mysteries, a photographer who feeds on the dark thrills of Cambodia’s sordid neighborhoods, lives there, maybe even lives for those places, maybe as part of his punishment for the dark things he keeps trying to bury deep in his soul.

Riveting. You will be sucked into this world where everything is so vivid and real and rich, where every mystery leads to another unknown taking Will Keller down a path where you’ll feel every bump in the road alongside him. Like one of the ghosts haunting him, waiting for his next move.

Many thanks to Scribner, NetGalley and to the author, Nick Seeley for providing me with an advanced copy.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

In summary: a misguided and confused plot presented through a psychedelic haze, further hampered by the lack of a plausible protagonist and an attempt at poetic prose which failed to resonate with this reader.

Author Nick Seeley tries to emulate the noir stylings of James Sallis by way of Ken Bruen’s Jack Taylor series but misses on both. The premise is sound but the end result frustrating; Will Keller, a newspaper photographer is hired by a mysterious woman to find a missing journalist, who happened to be staying at Will’s place in Cambodia while he was out of town for a period of time. June, the missing reporter, had left behind a mountain of journals which are crafted into the story in between Will’s drunk and drug induced chapters to provide insight into what she was working on, giving Will a basis for his investigation. Questions arise as to why the mysterious woman sought out Will, a random photographer to locate June, and more baffling, why Will would accept given his self-evidence purpose on self-destruction. The threads are there but they don’t tie.

Throw in political corruption, drug trafficking and manufacturing, the yakuza, corrupt war generals, a prostitution ring, false NGO’s out for profit, a decaying tourist industry, a newspaper staffed by rank amateurs, and an incomprehensible stew of bit characters all out to kill Will for one reason or another and you’ve got the mess that is Cambodia Noir.

My rating: 2/5. This gets 2 stars from me, more so for the premise which could’ve been better executed and there being a couple of nicely written sequences (unfortunately these were far and few between). There is something good in this book but it just failed to hit the mark with me.

[CL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicholas Seeley knows how to write in a way that keeps you wanting more from beginning to end. The topic is depressing and violent but is written during a time when it could be described in no other way. Cambodia’s politics, the drug trade and the military are all fighting for control. Corruption is everywhere and there is a war about to start. William Keller, a journalist who drinks too much and who uses drugs, has been asked by Kara to find her sister Jun, a fellow journalist who has gone missing. William needs the money Kara is offering so he agrees to try and help locate her. Jun has left behind diaries that may help him but these diaries take him into the worst of Cambodia’s underworld where the Asian drug trade rules and the Cambodian Government is just as corrupt as the drug lords. Jun has talked with the wrong people at the wrong time and now as William searches for her he wonders just who Jun is and can he find her. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicholas Seeley has created a vibrant, in your face, fast paced picture of what hell looks and feels like. This is a not to be missed debut novel that, once read, will not be forgotten and I loved it! Cambodia is a dangerous country with a history that no-one should have to live through.

Amidst this seething morass of horror and corruption we have Will Keller. He is a has-been war photo journalist looking for oblivion from his troubled memories. He is surviving on a day to day basis awash with drugs, booze and sex. He goes on the trail to find a missing journalist and finds himself descending into the murky, sordid and nightmarish world of Cambodia's underbelly. Corruption, violence, blood and deception is rife and overflowing everywhere. Along the way, secrets and terrors emerge.

Nicholas Seeley has a talent for creating superb characters. His plotting is second to none. HIs descriptions make Cambodia come alive in such a way that you are there. His writing captures you by the throat and does not let go until the very end. A great book, when is his next coming out? Many grateful thanks to Scribner, the publishers for a copy of the book via netgalley.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending this free ebook in return for an honest review.
Will Keller is an American reporter/photographer living in Cambodia in 2003. He has become a drug addict/alcoholic, but is still a very good photographer. A beautiful woman comes to him and hires him to find her sister, who disappeared a few months ago.
Will agrees to look for her. He then digs into the dangerous underworld of drugs and politics. He is attacked several times. I found it hard to believe that someone who used as much drugs as Will does functioned well enough to survive, much less look for a missing person.
I did like the author's way with words: "It's not even death, death was something that happened long ago. Cambodia is what remains: the place of the skull..."
Will struggles with demons inside him, caused by the death of a girlfriend, that he feels responsible for. I did like the ending. I give this book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4, out of 5.

[Amy Gianero Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not for the faint of heart. A hardcore mess with your brain book. Drugs, Sex, Violence, The Underworld of Cambodia. I think it was brilliant & would love to see more. Not for everyone-I think you need to be somewhat evil & dark to understand & like this novel. I found myself thinking this would make an excellent & action packed movie-Nick Seeley spins his web so perfectly & takes you into this high paced super graphic masterpiece. Looking forward to more-what happens to Will Keller? I would like to know...

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

[Dann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this book at the library because it sounded interesting; I had never heard of Seeley or the book. But I was grabbed by it immediately; it's a great throwback to the classic days of hardboiled detective fiction, but updated for a modern age. Drugs, sex, violence . . . it's all there. And the mystery is a good one that will keep you guessing. Cambodia is a great backdrop for this story, and Seeley's descriptions of setting will definitely make you feel like you're there; he has a notable talent in this area. If you like mysteries and thrillers, grab it. It's absolutely worth your time.

[Gilgamesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty, bloody, sexy, this is noir at its finest. Will Keller is a fantastic narrator, with echoes of a young Phillip Marlowe. The suspense, combined with some heartbreaking moments (that scene in Afghanistan....) makes this unputdownable. Like Graham Greene but angrier and dirtier. Read it.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to be a big fan of crime thrillers, devouring Kathy Reichs and Ian Rankin novels in a rabid frenzy. However, after a while the patterns become a little too obvious, and even hits like I Am Pilgrim start to fall a little flat. It’s not enough to just have a gruesome crime and a scattering of intriguing clues; I want more. Cambodia Noir delivers: it is so much more than a crime thriller. More Hunter S Thompson than Nancy Drew, it’s a drug-soaked psychological labyrinth that sucks you in and vomits you out afterwards.

When the door opens, the heat slams into me like a fist, a physical blow – then gives way, suffocating and wet. I have stepped into the maw of something, I am breathing its air. Metal steps down to the tarmac, still glistening from the monsoon. The runway is a narrow ribbon of black; beyond, darkness and wet grass. In the distance, hot wind whips a row of palms against a sky of looming violet cloud. Lightning in the distance flashes red, like a scar. Cambodia.

This novel’s strength is the author’s ability to convey a sense of place: Seeley puts you right into Cambodia, evoking the smells, atmosphere, sounds, sweat and the undercurrents of tension as the political system ramps up for what may be another coup. As someone who has lived in Asia and visited South East Asia, I was convinced. This is the kind of book that can only be written by someone who has immersed themselves in a community for an extended period of time. And it’s not all the same old expat commentary on the quaintness of rickshaws, temples and overloaded mopeds; Seeley explores the arrogance and tunnel vision of the expat community and contrasts it with the lived experiences of Cambodians who have lived through the war and continue to live there today. It’s a colourful and exciting book, but it is also self-aware, and those layers of awareness give it a richness and depth that I have never encountered in crime fiction before – perhaps this is why it ended up on my shelf as a literary novel.

God, God, why do I do this to myself? I knew, I must have known, what waited here – did I really think I could steer my way past all the bitter, sharp and poisonous things that give this place its reputation? And yet I let myself be drawn, again and again, to these… these excrescences of death. It only took a week for them to get me to the torture chamber.

The form of the novel is interesting – June is missing, but she has left behind some downright confusing stream-of-consciousness and poetic journals for Will to page through, which are as incomprehensible as the blurry photographs she’s fond of taking. Sections of the journals are interspersed with Will’s narrative, and as June spirals downwards, Will matches her madness with his own increasing desperation to find her. I found that it became a bit of a plot hole, though, as I felt that either Will was discovering clues in the journal sections that the readers weren’t given too, or he was making miraculous inferences. In William Huntington Wright’s 20 Rules for Writing Detective Stories, he says, “The reader must have equal opportunity with the detective for solving the mystery,” and those “miraculous” inferences became a sore point for me as the novel went on and they began to pop up more and more frequently.

Cambo only existed for her through the lens of those places we created: a world built to reflect us back at ourselves, a world of poverty and deference. She thought she was lost, that she had fallen outside of history – guess that was what she wanted. But history goes on. Even here, where so many have tried to end it.

As a mystery, this novel fell a bit short – the plot became a bit far-fetched at times and the links between clues and conclusions were sometimes a little too miraculous to keep my eyebrows from raising skeptically. However, as a literary novel with a mysterious plot, in which the reader focuses more on the psychological, descriptive and sociological elements of the novel, it is exquisite. Seeley’s rhythms and stylistic flourishes give a poetic edge to the grit and grime of this story of a clash of underworlds.

I always knew who I was, and I knew that I was going somewhere. Then I came here, where there is no history. No stories left, just skulls in nameless piles. No traditions, their keepers were murdered. No time, or if there is, it is not a river but the sea, vast and gray and on every side the same. Here I am neither measured against the past nor connected to the future, for past and future are interchangeable. Here, I am free.

Ultimately this is an amazing first novel; it’s written with the lexical flair acquired through the author’s years of experience as a journalist, and captures the grit and tempos of Cambodia. Although it’s not necessarily a great crime-thriller, it is poetic, pensive, and self-aware; it criticizes behaviors and the erasure of history. Cambodia Noir is a modern story, wrapped in layers of history and the pain of several generations. It’s a story about culture and psychology and the madness of trauma, violence and betrayal. It’s a hell of a ride.

[Kelsi H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please check out all of my reviews at http://ultraviolentlit.blogspot.ca!

Phnom Penh, Cambodia is the end of the road for a group of washed up journalists, including our protagonist Will Keller. He is a photographer, working for a friend who edits a local newspaper, and drifting in a haze of drugs and alcohol – which inevitably lead to sex and violence. Will is halfway through a downward spiral in a city that’s easy to get lost in, when he accidentally photographs a major governmental conspiracy in the works. Other journalists are getting killed for less, so Will burrows deeper into the underground world of Cambodia.

Meanwhile, Will is approached by a woman named Kara Saito – she has come to Phnom Penh to find her missing sister June, who was interning at Will’s newspaper. June left the city to track down a story in the surrounding countryside, and she hasn’t been seen or heard from since. She left behind her luggage in Will’s apartment building, including a journal from her travels around the world. As Will flips through the words and pictures in hope of finding a clue to June’s whereabouts, he begins to realize that she was not who she said she was, and Kara might not be either.

Will inefficiently attempts to track down June, and even her travel diaries are not much help – she travelled to many countries, seeking something that is left undefined. Meanwhile, the government is in an uproar over the incident from Will’s photographs, and the seedy underworld of Phnom Penh is closing ranks around the journalist expats. It probably helps to know a little bit about Cambodia’s political situation to follow the events of the novel, but in any case, there’s no mistaking the gritty, depraved world of poverty, drugs and prostitution.

Both the language and setting are realistic and evocative – reading this novel feels like slipping into Will’s sweaty, drug-induced nightmare. The effect is hallucinatory, intense and exciting, especially for a debut novel. The story moves quickly, and it is a thrilling ride. This is true noir, at its best.

I received this novel from Scribner and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

CAMBODIA NOIR will appeal to readers who like anything from wild west adventure novels, through to classic noir styled lone wolf investigations, set in a country with a difficult recent past, and a fraught present. Because it is a combination of all of those elements, and then some.

Dark and violent, with explicit drug taking and sex, author Nick Seeley has written a book that makes no attempt at all to cushion the blows that his characters, and his readers encounter whilst reading. It's a tough, no apologies tale set in a society that's broken. So broken that life is cheap, money is everything, and the levels of corruption and organised crime are positively breathtaking.

Needless to say, not one for fans of cosies, readers of this book are dragged through the mire along with a protagonist that's as guilty of some horrible behaviour as many of those he encounters. He's also one of those blokes capable of enduring a positively epic level of beatings, sleep deprivation and drug taking. He's also one of those blokes with a moral compass which might swing wildly, but is there, and his desire to find the missing June is as much about finding the girl, as it is about understanding what the hell she and her sister are up to.

Highly recommended if you like your noir on the darkest of dark sides.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won a copy of Cambodia Noir during a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway, in exchange for an honest review.

Told in the alternating perspectives of Will Keller, a once great war photographer who spends his days shifting between chasing a high and a story, and June Saito, an intern at the local paper who disappeared. Her diary documents the time before her sister hired Will to track her, as well as sheds some light on her professional interests. When Will gets closer and closer to the truth, will he be placing himself and his friends in danger?

Cambodia Noir has a good premise with very unlikeable characters. The depravity and corruption that run rampant through this book kept me shaking my head, wondering what was the point. The ending drops off like a cliff and I could not help but question why I read the entire book. If the point of the story was to show how being around corruption constantly can change a person, than the author did his job. I was not a fan, as there was nothing here to redeem the main character. Overall, I found Cambodia Noir to be depressing and pointless, as it is hard to care about the results when there is nothing positive to say about any of the main characters.

[Ralph Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cambodia Noir by Nick Seeley- Will Keller is a photo-journalist living in Cambodia for nine years, working for a local newspaper, and taking too many drugs and drinking too much booze, trying to forget his past. His editor tasks him with finding a lost journalist, a young girl who went out on an assignment and never came back- not unusual for this Country it seems. Armed with the girl's recent diaries, Will begins a decent into the Cambodian underworld that scares him even as he continues to dodge threats, real and imagined, until a darkness settles over his soul. The first-person narrative is a drug-fueled fever dream of intense and informed encounters with some of the most deadly denizens of the Asian drug trade and the Cambodian Government. Here the Police are the biggest criminals. Interspersed between Will's taught reflections are passages from the lost girl's diary as she slowly realizes she has said the wrong thing to the wrong people and she will pay a terrible price. This is a great book to dive into and enjoy. The pacing is relentless, the characters are colorful and humanized by their actions, and the backdrop of Cambodia's teaming streets and lush jungles offer an exotic local both mysterious and elusive. If you like noir fiction, this is first rate.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot: Standard hard drinking, hard drugging, antihero type with a dark past seeks missing girl in violent Cambodia. The verdict: Really well done, with consistent pacing and plenty of action but characterization (especially of minor characters) needs work, as everyone seemed to blend together. Also, there was just too much substance abuse for my taste, although I appreciate its usefulness as a plot device, keeping our narrator too addled to figure shit out.

I won this advance reading copy through Goodreads so thank you to Simon & Schuster (who are always so prompt about sending stuff).

[Barry Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty impressive first novel which explores the dark underbelly (is there any other belly?) of Cambodia eyeballing the drug trade, police and military corruption, gangs, journalism and the generally dark side of human beings with a flare for language and the razor shadings of despair. Not for the weak of heart but rewarding. - BH.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delivers pretty much what you’d expect given the title and synopsis, although it almost completely falls apart in the final act. Carried over the bumps by a deeply flawed protagonist, vivid setting, and some flashes of wit.

[Neil Plakcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Great sense of atmosphere, interesting premise and characters I wanted to know more about. Couldn't put it down.

[Tony Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Nicholas Seeley's first novel which makes it even more remarkable as its a top read. Sure Seeley is a very experienced journalist and South East Asia has been part of his beat over the last few years. In Cambodia Noir you get to feel that you're actually on location with him and it's not often a pleasant experience. This is the dark, dirty. gritty side of Cambodia, where lives are a tradeable commodity. Its a lifestyle fuelled by every illicit drug you can imagine, along with politics are about as shady as it gets. Will Keller is a very talented photographer whose been in Phnom Penh for about 10 years longer than is healthy. While ostensibly working for an English language paper he's also immersed in the seediest aspects of the city that never sleeps. Out of the blue he's charged with finding June, a young journalist intern who has disappeared while working on a story that is risky to say the least. We seesaw between Will's dialogue and diary entries by June which he has uncovered. Will's very survival is a day by day thing and he goes to the very edge, risk taking while stoned seems to be his primary modus operandi. I haven't read a debut novel this good for goodness knows how long.

[Paul McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Irvine Welsh somehow melded with Hunter S. Thompson and decided to write a book about a washed up, Junkie news photographer, in Cambodia in the early 2000's, Cambodia Noir might be the result. Cambodia Noir is not a book a reader is likely to forget.
The story does start off slow, and an impatient reader may jump to the conclusion that it is about nothing but drinking, and drugging to excess, but the story is told where every other chapter is from a diary left behind that Will (who is the main character) is reading as as he searches for its author, a missing journalist from the newspaper in Cambodia that he works at.
The diary chapters give the reader an insight to what a fantastic writer the author is and again if the reader is patient they will see a complex story unfold. Not just of why Will is such a damaged individual, but why Cambodia is how it is and why he and June share more than would be thought possible.
Again this is not a light read, it starts off intense and becomes progressively darker as the story unfolds.
This is a fantastic book by a very good writer.

[Renée Garris Schwabe · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is written from two perspectives: the drugged-out, too-cool-for-school photojournalist and a woman(diary entries). The book started out with some potential as an interesting read but never hit the mark. It does move fairly quickly but some of the characters are just not believable (including the protagonist). There are interesting descriptions of the underworld in Cambodia and all too realistic portrayal of sex and drugs...and drugs, and drugs. There is a disconnect between the main character and the ending of the book. There was interesting human insight at a couple of points but again, no follow through, no connections, no believable scenes to make the book work as a whole. The beginning is a completely different book than the last few chapters and not because it developed along a critical line - it seemed as thought the ending was hurried to finish a mediocre book.

[Ebonie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. It touched on a lot of the dark, sad things that happen in a country which has captured my heart when traveling due to the average person trying to live a good life. And whilst I can appreciate the darkness of soul, drugs and the need to escape the life we create I felt this story became too fanciful and lost its way in the way it resolved itself. Additionally, the main character is a key part of Cambodia's real life problems which made it hard to feel sympathy for him. The character development felt stilted and a little empty and none of them really felt like they deserved my time except for Phann whose death is nothing more than a one sentence footnote. Comparisons to Bret Easton Ellis are misguiding