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What You Don't Know: Tales of Obsession, Mystery & Murder in Southeast Asia
An American lawyer dreams of killing his trophy wife in Thailand. A Vietnamese soldier goes mad in a haunted forest. A bereaved mother's trip to Cambodia ends in tragedy - or does it?
One of Asia's top crime writers takes you on a spine-tingling journey from the jungles of Sumatra through Bangkok's seedy bars to the seemingly sedate streets of Singapore. Your traveling companions are a slew of dark emotions - fear, grief, jealousy, greed, lust and revenge. And your destination?
With flashes of black humor and hard-to-forget characters, these stories shine light into some of Southeast Asia's darkest corners.
One of Asia's top crime writers takes you on a spine-tingling journey from the jungles of Sumatra through Bangkok's seedy bars to the seemingly sedate streets of Singapore. Your traveling companions are a slew of dark emotions - fear, grief, jealousy, greed, lust and revenge. And your destination?
With flashes of black humor and hard-to-forget characters, these stories shine light into some of Southeast Asia's darkest corners.
148 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2016
3 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Elka Ray
12 books303 followersElka's novels include the Pysch Suspense A FRIEND INDEED and the Mysteries DIVORCE IS MURDER and KILLER COIN.
An avid reader of all things crime, Elka is Canadian/British and lives between Central Vietnam and Vancouver Island.
Meet Elka on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/elka.ray/
An avid reader of all things crime, Elka is Canadian/British and lives between Central Vietnam and Vancouver Island.
Meet Elka on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/elka.ray/
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 7, 2017
What You Don't Know is a collection of ten short stories set in Southeast Asia.
In "Payback" Martin and Candice are on holiday in Thailand, where a lot of tourists seem to be dying. This gives Martin an idea.
In "The Yellow River" a young man patrolling the Yellow River hears a ghost story. But could it be true?
In "Cleaning Up" Hong, a maid for a Western ex-pat in Vietnam, meets up with her ex-husband a few years after their divorce. He presents her with an interesting proposition.
In "Burning Bright" Felicity and Gary are on a holiday in Cambodia when an opportunity presents itself.
In "Hot Flashes" Miriam goes on holiday in Bali to meet her online date Wayan. Things don't turn out quite as she planned.
In "Hit and Run" Dr Scott and his wife are questioned over the disappearance of their son's girlfriend in Singapore.
In "The Secret Admirer" Maddie and Moira visits a fortune teller in Vietnam, with unexpected results.
In "Killing Me Softly" Jimmy McGee is on holiday in Thailand and can't seem to get enough of the ladies. Will he ever learn?
In "What You Don't Know" Meredith in on her annual trip to Indonesia, where her son Andrew disappeared six years ago.
Set in Vietnam, in "Jungle" Nguyet has a disturbing meeting with her boss, leading to the most original murder plan yet.
The stories in this collection revolve around the themes of ghosts, revenge, adultery, and murder, with their exotic Asian settings making them truly unique. The copy I read contained numerous editing errors, especially considering the length of the book. While all of the stories held my attention, some seemed to finish a bit abruptly. Nevertheless, this collection is certainly worth your while, especially if you like suspense, ghost stories, and exotic locations. My favorite story: "The Yellow River".
Warnings: adultery, sexual references, violence.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (19 January): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.co...
In "Payback" Martin and Candice are on holiday in Thailand, where a lot of tourists seem to be dying. This gives Martin an idea.
In "The Yellow River" a young man patrolling the Yellow River hears a ghost story. But could it be true?
In "Cleaning Up" Hong, a maid for a Western ex-pat in Vietnam, meets up with her ex-husband a few years after their divorce. He presents her with an interesting proposition.
In "Burning Bright" Felicity and Gary are on a holiday in Cambodia when an opportunity presents itself.
In "Hot Flashes" Miriam goes on holiday in Bali to meet her online date Wayan. Things don't turn out quite as she planned.
In "Hit and Run" Dr Scott and his wife are questioned over the disappearance of their son's girlfriend in Singapore.
In "The Secret Admirer" Maddie and Moira visits a fortune teller in Vietnam, with unexpected results.
In "Killing Me Softly" Jimmy McGee is on holiday in Thailand and can't seem to get enough of the ladies. Will he ever learn?
In "What You Don't Know" Meredith in on her annual trip to Indonesia, where her son Andrew disappeared six years ago.
Set in Vietnam, in "Jungle" Nguyet has a disturbing meeting with her boss, leading to the most original murder plan yet.
The stories in this collection revolve around the themes of ghosts, revenge, adultery, and murder, with their exotic Asian settings making them truly unique. The copy I read contained numerous editing errors, especially considering the length of the book. While all of the stories held my attention, some seemed to finish a bit abruptly. Nevertheless, this collection is certainly worth your while, especially if you like suspense, ghost stories, and exotic locations. My favorite story: "The Yellow River".
Warnings: adultery, sexual references, violence.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (19 January): https://booksdirectonline.blogspot.co...
February 2, 2017
This book is a collection of short stories, based in seedy backgrounds, all round Asia. The author uses each to highlight one of the more gritty areas, with a theme based loosely round one of the seven deadly sins, essentially. You choose a seemingly idyllic town, with a few dark corners and lurking people, who have one dirty thing in mind, and this book had a wee tale for it, to show you just how dark it can go.
Whilst they are Horror and dark tales, they aren't too rough. However, they do contain triggers and one should be prepared if this before thwarting the book at all. If you are a lover of horror and depravity reads though, you need to get your hands on this book.
The collection contains an array of characters, all based in their own settings, and with characteristics and personalities to match those settings. The author does very well to describe each setting and person, to really place you at the scene, enough that you may want to check you didn't leave any DNA.
The pace of each story is different, which I was impressed by, some collections end up having reads that all seem to fall into a similar pace. This set has a pace to suit each background and the means by which the darkness is shown. I liked that and it really drew me in to the stories even more.
Finally, I loved that it was a series of short stories, as it meant I could come home and gobble up one or two, leaving me time for anything else I needed to do, but still getting to look forward to my read each night, no matter what amount of time. Ok, fine, I read a good deal of it in one night...but I couldn't help it.
Overall, a very brilliant collection of stories and one I highly recommend.
**I received this book for free and voluntarily provided my honest and unbiased review.
Whilst they are Horror and dark tales, they aren't too rough. However, they do contain triggers and one should be prepared if this before thwarting the book at all. If you are a lover of horror and depravity reads though, you need to get your hands on this book.
The collection contains an array of characters, all based in their own settings, and with characteristics and personalities to match those settings. The author does very well to describe each setting and person, to really place you at the scene, enough that you may want to check you didn't leave any DNA.
The pace of each story is different, which I was impressed by, some collections end up having reads that all seem to fall into a similar pace. This set has a pace to suit each background and the means by which the darkness is shown. I liked that and it really drew me in to the stories even more.
Finally, I loved that it was a series of short stories, as it meant I could come home and gobble up one or two, leaving me time for anything else I needed to do, but still getting to look forward to my read each night, no matter what amount of time. Ok, fine, I read a good deal of it in one night...but I couldn't help it.
Overall, a very brilliant collection of stories and one I highly recommend.
**I received this book for free and voluntarily provided my honest and unbiased review.
February 2, 2017
This book is a collection of ten short stories that all take place in Southeast Asia. Many of these stories are like 7-10 pages, while some stories like, “Hot Flashes,” Story #5 is only two pages!
The stories in this book concentrate around murder, mystery, revenge, loss, lust, infidelity, greed, fear, grief, jealousy, ghosts, and other dark topics!
These stories are short, but have strong storylines, intriguing plots, and well developed characters.
Many of these characters throughout the book are realistic, interesting, and relatable. For instance, in the first story, “Payback,” it’s about a husband and wife vacationing in Thailand. While there, Martin, the husband learns of many tourists dying in suspicious circumstances. Martin decides he is tired of his gold-digging trophy wife and plots to kill her. Unfortunately, this task is harder than expected and it is entertaining to see the lengths he goes to accomplish this.
In Story #5, “Hot Flashes,” an older woman, Miriam, finds herself on a whimsical trip to Bali to meet her beau – a man she met on the internet. As many people know, people can pretend to be anybody online and this story, like life, show you that you never really know who you’re actually talking to on the internet. This story was interesting and very realistic. This story was super short, but enjoyable. It’s nice to know that even people in Southeast Asia play the Catfish game too lol.
In Story #7, “The Secret Admirer,” Maddie and Moira visit a fortune teller. However, since the fortune teller doesn’t speak any English they bring Maddie’s Assistant, Thuy, with them. In the telling the fortune teller predicts that Maddie will move away from Saigon and get married. The fortune teller also predicts during Moira’s telling that a man at her work has a crush on her. The rest of the story is about the two friends trying to figure out who Moira’s secret admirer is. This story is hilarious and very entertaining! Also, this story has very likable and genuine characters, and a very plausible storyline.
Even though these stories are on the darker side, Miss. Ray was able to find a way to add humor at just the right spots. I think this is quite hard for authors to do as it can come off as callous. However, it definitely added a bonus dimension to these stories and made these stories that much better.
This book is unique with such exciting, interesting, and intriguing stories! There are so many unexpected twists and turns that keep you engaged to the very last page!
However, many of the stories end somewhat abruptly. This allows for the reader to draw their own conclusions. I usually prefer a tidier ending, but the style of this writing held up and perhaps was more fitting for these kind of stories.
I love short stories, because it is so easy to read one over coffee in the morning, then another later in the day, and another before bed, etc. I really enjoyed reading these stories and found them to be the perfect length to read throughout my day.
My favorite stories in this book were “Payback,” “Hot Flashes,” and “The Secret Admirer.”
Wow! The detail in this book is top-notch! Whether Miss. Ray is describing the beautiful scenes of Southeast Asia or Candy’s hot red sandals – it is very easy to picture! It is clear Miss. Ray knows Southeast Asia! This was probably one of the best parts of these stories! Every detail was well described and thought-out. I felt like I was reading the story just as Miss. Ray had envisioned it.
I would absolutely recommend this book as these stories are highly entertaining, intriguing, and engaging! You will enjoy stepping into the intense and shocking realm of Southeast Asia and will find these characters to be fascinating and thought-provoking!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**
The stories in this book concentrate around murder, mystery, revenge, loss, lust, infidelity, greed, fear, grief, jealousy, ghosts, and other dark topics!
These stories are short, but have strong storylines, intriguing plots, and well developed characters.
Many of these characters throughout the book are realistic, interesting, and relatable. For instance, in the first story, “Payback,” it’s about a husband and wife vacationing in Thailand. While there, Martin, the husband learns of many tourists dying in suspicious circumstances. Martin decides he is tired of his gold-digging trophy wife and plots to kill her. Unfortunately, this task is harder than expected and it is entertaining to see the lengths he goes to accomplish this.
In Story #5, “Hot Flashes,” an older woman, Miriam, finds herself on a whimsical trip to Bali to meet her beau – a man she met on the internet. As many people know, people can pretend to be anybody online and this story, like life, show you that you never really know who you’re actually talking to on the internet. This story was interesting and very realistic. This story was super short, but enjoyable. It’s nice to know that even people in Southeast Asia play the Catfish game too lol.
In Story #7, “The Secret Admirer,” Maddie and Moira visit a fortune teller. However, since the fortune teller doesn’t speak any English they bring Maddie’s Assistant, Thuy, with them. In the telling the fortune teller predicts that Maddie will move away from Saigon and get married. The fortune teller also predicts during Moira’s telling that a man at her work has a crush on her. The rest of the story is about the two friends trying to figure out who Moira’s secret admirer is. This story is hilarious and very entertaining! Also, this story has very likable and genuine characters, and a very plausible storyline.
Even though these stories are on the darker side, Miss. Ray was able to find a way to add humor at just the right spots. I think this is quite hard for authors to do as it can come off as callous. However, it definitely added a bonus dimension to these stories and made these stories that much better.
This book is unique with such exciting, interesting, and intriguing stories! There are so many unexpected twists and turns that keep you engaged to the very last page!
However, many of the stories end somewhat abruptly. This allows for the reader to draw their own conclusions. I usually prefer a tidier ending, but the style of this writing held up and perhaps was more fitting for these kind of stories.
I love short stories, because it is so easy to read one over coffee in the morning, then another later in the day, and another before bed, etc. I really enjoyed reading these stories and found them to be the perfect length to read throughout my day.
My favorite stories in this book were “Payback,” “Hot Flashes,” and “The Secret Admirer.”
Wow! The detail in this book is top-notch! Whether Miss. Ray is describing the beautiful scenes of Southeast Asia or Candy’s hot red sandals – it is very easy to picture! It is clear Miss. Ray knows Southeast Asia! This was probably one of the best parts of these stories! Every detail was well described and thought-out. I felt like I was reading the story just as Miss. Ray had envisioned it.
I would absolutely recommend this book as these stories are highly entertaining, intriguing, and engaging! You will enjoy stepping into the intense and shocking realm of Southeast Asia and will find these characters to be fascinating and thought-provoking!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**
February 7, 2017
Payback:
A man and his wife vacation in Thailand. The man gets tired of his wife Candy and decides that he could kill her here and nothing would ever become of it as the law is very slacking.
The Yellow River:
An eighteen year old joins the military and ends up in Kom Tum. His job is to travel up and down The Yellow River with three other guys. On one of their trips they run into a log and their boat is damaged and they are stranded. It is raining and cold. The wood is too wet to burn. So they think and hope that the wood in the jungle may be a little bit dryer so he goes in the woods to find more wood. He gets lost and spends the night in the jungle. While he is lost he remembers a story that has been passed down from generation to generation, a story that is used to tell little kids to keep them in line. The next morning he makes it back to his buddies and find one of them face down in the river and the other one is not talking literally.
Cleaning Up:
One day her ex-husband Binh and his little brother Tung enlist Hong's help in robbing the Jenkins home. But things don't go quite as they planned. Things turn deadly in the blink of an eye.
Burning Bright:
Felicity and her husband Gary are on vacation. Felicity misses her daughter June very much. June was hit by a car one night when she decides to walk home after her father Gary forgot to pick her up. Felicity just feels numb and is thinking about asking Gary for a divorce. She knows what he has been doing although he thinks he has kept his little misdeeds hidden from her for a long time.
Hot Flashes:
Miriam meets a guy on the internet and he wants her to come visit him in Bali in paradise. So she does but she soon learns that she is not the only one he has met on the internet. He has met women all over the world and this does not sit too well with Miriam.
Hit and Run:
A young girl goes missing. A family’s life is put in turmoil when their dog is killed in a hit and run. Bad dreams occur. An unexplained boating accident with mysterious waves.
The Secret Admirer:
A woman and her friend visit a fortune teller. The Fortune Teller tells her that someone in their office has a crush on her so they spend the rest of the day talking; joking around trying to figure out who in the office has a crush on her.
Killing Me Softly:
A man goes out drinking and meets a couple of girls. He takes one of them back to his hotel room and when he wakes up the next morning realizes that he has been robbed. But does he learn his? Actually no he doesn't because he goes out to a bar on another night picks a couple of girls. Same thing he is robbed again. You would think this man would learn his lesson but alas he does not.
What You Don’t Know:
A woman's son turns up missing. She goes looking for him every year. She travels all over Jakarta hoping to find her missing son.
Jungle:
A young girl starts her new job working in an office for Professor Son. He is like eighty years old but he still likes to play around with the young girls. So the first time she is called into his office and tells her sit on his knee she is shocked but she can't lose her job. She worries about him calling her to his office again and eventually he does. But what Professor Son doesn't know is that she is a tough girl and will not go down without a fight.
What You Don’t Know is filled with mystery, murder and intrigue. Each story weaves its own little tale of mystery and mayhem. It will take you on a journey through Southeast Asia. Each story is very appealing to any mystery fan. If you have not read What You Don’t Know then let me suggest that you give it a try.
A man and his wife vacation in Thailand. The man gets tired of his wife Candy and decides that he could kill her here and nothing would ever become of it as the law is very slacking.
The Yellow River:
An eighteen year old joins the military and ends up in Kom Tum. His job is to travel up and down The Yellow River with three other guys. On one of their trips they run into a log and their boat is damaged and they are stranded. It is raining and cold. The wood is too wet to burn. So they think and hope that the wood in the jungle may be a little bit dryer so he goes in the woods to find more wood. He gets lost and spends the night in the jungle. While he is lost he remembers a story that has been passed down from generation to generation, a story that is used to tell little kids to keep them in line. The next morning he makes it back to his buddies and find one of them face down in the river and the other one is not talking literally.
Cleaning Up:
One day her ex-husband Binh and his little brother Tung enlist Hong's help in robbing the Jenkins home. But things don't go quite as they planned. Things turn deadly in the blink of an eye.
Burning Bright:
Felicity and her husband Gary are on vacation. Felicity misses her daughter June very much. June was hit by a car one night when she decides to walk home after her father Gary forgot to pick her up. Felicity just feels numb and is thinking about asking Gary for a divorce. She knows what he has been doing although he thinks he has kept his little misdeeds hidden from her for a long time.
Hot Flashes:
Miriam meets a guy on the internet and he wants her to come visit him in Bali in paradise. So she does but she soon learns that she is not the only one he has met on the internet. He has met women all over the world and this does not sit too well with Miriam.
Hit and Run:
A young girl goes missing. A family’s life is put in turmoil when their dog is killed in a hit and run. Bad dreams occur. An unexplained boating accident with mysterious waves.
The Secret Admirer:
A woman and her friend visit a fortune teller. The Fortune Teller tells her that someone in their office has a crush on her so they spend the rest of the day talking; joking around trying to figure out who in the office has a crush on her.
Killing Me Softly:
A man goes out drinking and meets a couple of girls. He takes one of them back to his hotel room and when he wakes up the next morning realizes that he has been robbed. But does he learn his? Actually no he doesn't because he goes out to a bar on another night picks a couple of girls. Same thing he is robbed again. You would think this man would learn his lesson but alas he does not.
What You Don’t Know:
A woman's son turns up missing. She goes looking for him every year. She travels all over Jakarta hoping to find her missing son.
Jungle:
A young girl starts her new job working in an office for Professor Son. He is like eighty years old but he still likes to play around with the young girls. So the first time she is called into his office and tells her sit on his knee she is shocked but she can't lose her job. She worries about him calling her to his office again and eventually he does. But what Professor Son doesn't know is that she is a tough girl and will not go down without a fight.
What You Don’t Know is filled with mystery, murder and intrigue. Each story weaves its own little tale of mystery and mayhem. It will take you on a journey through Southeast Asia. Each story is very appealing to any mystery fan. If you have not read What You Don’t Know then let me suggest that you give it a try.
February 1, 2017
Read my full review HERE, inclusive of my thoughts on every short story in this book.
4 stars
What You Don't Know is a collection of ten stories that focuses on themes such as revenge, lust, loss, etc. All these stories take place in Southeast Asia, setting the book against a unique cultural and scenic backdrop. Many of them have a very inconclusive ending that leaves much for the readers' interpretation. I usually don't mind this (because it gives me lots to think about), but I usually don't read a series of short stories that all end vaguely back-to-back.
4 stars
What You Don't Know is a collection of ten stories that focuses on themes such as revenge, lust, loss, etc. All these stories take place in Southeast Asia, setting the book against a unique cultural and scenic backdrop. Many of them have a very inconclusive ending that leaves much for the readers' interpretation. I usually don't mind this (because it gives me lots to think about), but I usually don't read a series of short stories that all end vaguely back-to-back.
August 24, 2016
I just finished this collection of imaginative, well-executed stories, which were on the whole entertaining and full of surprises. The author clearly knows Southeast Asia very well and captures perfectly the spirit and atmosphere of all her stories’ settings. What will stick with me the most, however, is the author’s voice, which is compelling and distinctive throughout. Highly recommended!
November 2, 2016
Having lived and traveled extensively in Asia this book was such a great read! It took me back to places that I have visited on my journey but this time taking me to the mysterious (and often dark) side that is surely there. I was left wanting more. 10 stories was not enough Ms Elka Ray !
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews