The Monsoon Ghost Image

Detective Maier Mystery #3

by Tom Vater

Alternate cover edition of ASIN B07K325BSV

DIRTY PICTURES, SECRET WARS AND HUMAN BEASTS - DETECTIVE MAIER IS BACK TO INVESTIGATE THE POLITICS OF MURDER
The third Detective Maier mystery is a taut and crazy spy thriller for our disturbing times.

When award-winning German conflict photographer Martin Ritter disappears in a boating accident in Thailand, the nation mourns the loss of a cultural icon. But a few weeks later, Detective Maier’s agency in Hamburg gets a call from Ritter’s wife. Her husband has been seen alive on the streets of Bangkok. Maier decides to travel to Thailand to find Ritter. But all he finds is trouble and a photograph.

As soon as Maier puts his hands on the Monsoon Ghost Image, the detective turns from hunter to hunted – the CIA, international business interests, a doctor with a penchant for mutilation and a woman who calls herself the Wicked Witch of the East all want to get their fingers on Martin Ritter’s most important piece of work – visual proof of a post 9/11 CIA rendition and the torture of a suspected Muslim terrorist on Thai soil. From the concrete canyons of the Thai capital to the savage jungles and hedonist party islands of southern Thailand, Maier and his sidekick Mikhail race against formidable foes to discover some of our darkest truths and to save their lives into the bargain.

Genres: Thriller

ebook

First published October 31, 2018

About the author

Tom Vater is a writer, editor & publisher working predominantly in Asia.
Tom has published six novels, The Devil’s Road to Kathmandu, currently available in English and Spanish, The Cambodian Book of the Dead, released by Crime Wave Press in Asia and world wide in July 1013 by Exhibit A as well as two follow-ups, The Man with the Golden Mind, out with Exhibit A in March 2014 and now with Next Chapter and The Monsoon Ghost Image (2018), also out with Next Chapter. In 2019, the Goethe Institute Kolkata and the city of Kolkata selected Tom to take part in the Indo European Art Residency - his novella collection Kolkata Noir is the result. In 2022, Next Chapter published Tom's eco thriller, The Green Panthers.
Tom has written for The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The South China Morning Post, Marie Claire, Geographical, Penthouse etc.
From 2012 to 2021, he was co-owner of Crime Wave Press, a Hong Kong based English language crime fiction imprint.
He has published several non-fiction books, including the highly acclaimed Sacred Skin with photographer Aroon Thaewchatturat, and the more recent Burmese Light with photographer Hans Kemp.
His True Crime title SHARKMAN was an instant Amazon bestseller when it came out in 2024.
Tom is the co-author of several documentary screenplays, most notably The Most Secret Place On Earth, a feature on the CIA’s covert war in 1960s Laos.
In his spare time, he plays in Rock’nRoll bands, swims with sharks & reads Noir fiction.

You can follow him on his Facebook page or on Clippingsr.

Reviews

[Elaine - Splashes Into Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fast paced spy thriller and, for me, a disturbing read. Within the first few pages seven people have been killed as 'collateral damage' to enable Martin Ritter, a conflict photographer, to fake his own death and start a new life for himself. That's just a taste of things to come, so if murder, torture, mutilation and more abhorrent behaviour isn't what you enjoy reading about, give this a miss - you have been warned!

This is the third story in the Detective Maier series but, as I haven't read either of the previous books, I can honestly say that it can be read as a standalone. There are references to traumatic events from the previous story that have inflicted psychological damage on him - but nothing quite like will happen in this story, I hope! When the widow of Martin Ritter contacts the detectives claiming her husband has been seen in Bangkok, Maier travels to Thailand to ascertain if he really is still alive. This is the trigger for a horrific adventure, taking on the CIA, terrorists and becoming the target for those determined to suppress information of their torture of suspected terrorists. 

This is a fast paced, action packed story that will definitely appeal to some people. For me the gratuitous violence, an integral part of the story, made it a difficult read. The author is very talented at bringing it all to life, not something that I necessarily appreciate given the nature of events but that others will find enthralling. It is a story of fighting to uncover the truth, however horrendous that might be, and endeavouring to bring to justice the perpetrators - or to eliminate them to protect others. It is frightening to consider that any such actions really are occurring in the world but no doubt they are and we all have to hope that there are real life folk prepared to put their lives on the line to bring them to a halt.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book and this review is my honest opinion after choosing to read it. 

[Munie Moe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and fast paced thriller but at the same time it is disturbing as some method of torture and killing is quite gory. The storyline at the beginning quite confusing as it is being describe the photographer being missing while in Thailand and Detective Maier being assign to search him.

But going deeper to a story. It is the chase of Monsoon Ghost Image that brought the fake death of a photographer and also knowing the secret behind the photographer bring dangers to Detective Maier.

[CHenry Roi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Tom Vater’s best work yet. It has all the Vater hallmarks: fast pace, action packed, violent, set against a closely observed Asian backdrop, with vivid description and sharply drawn characters. It also has his uncompromising political commentary, this time focusing on the issues around extraordinary rendition and the mentality of torture. Chilling. Gripping. A terrific read.

[Debbie Vignovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

TMGI by Tom Vater is the third and perhaps final thriller in the Detective Maier trilogy. I requested and received a digital copy compliments of Crime Wave Press in exchange for an honest review.

Vater has certainly imagined a complex protagonist in Maier, an East German man who was once a war correspondent and now works as a PI for the premiere Sundermann agency in Hamburg, Germany, specializing in South East Asian cases. However, it is his past as a journalist that catches up to Maier in The Monsoon Ghost Image.

Maier’s old colleague, Martin Ritter, an internationally renowned war photographer, is presumed dead when his boat exploded off the shore of Thailand, along with all the other passengers on board.

But not so fast—Ritter’s wife, Emilie, receives photographic evidence that Martin is alive and roaming the streets of Bangkok. Emilie, also a colleague of Maier’s during those years, hires the Sundermann Agency and specifically Maier to help find Ritter and to find out why her husband has apparently faked his own death.

It pays to realize that most of the action in The Cambodian Book of the Dead, first of this trilogy, finds Maier narrating a story in which he is in the process being drugged and/or beaten or while he is recovering from being drugged and/or beaten.

With barely a breather the following book, The Man With the Golden Mind was brutal, violent, and extremely personal for our German detective so I expected to find Maier back in Hamburg licking his wounds— depressed and reeling— but to find him a self-pitying slob reduced to drinking Campari Orange seems a harsh form of self punishment even from an author that pulls no punches.

In typical Vater fashion the case is a mere facade for something way deeper and it doesn’t take long to realize that the detective agency and particularly Maier have been manipulated into a back door scheme by a person who identifies herself only as the Wicked Witch of the East.

She soon sends them another digital image—a photograph code named the Monsoon Ghost Image that captures visual proof of a post 9/11 CIA rendition and torture of a suspected Muslim terrorist on Thai soil.

Plot spoiling actions happen at this juncture as through a sudden sharp turn of events— Maier and Mikhail twist from being the hunters into being hunted now that the detective agency is in sole possession of this damning photograph.

Ritter, the man behind the camera, has flipped to the dark side and was planning on optioning the MGI off to the highest bidder only to have it stolen by The Wicked Witch of the East and now he is looking not only to get it back but revenge as well.

In fact everyone in the picture is looking for it and will seemingly stop at nothing to get it back. As readers we are treated to vast array of characters ranging from CIA baddies, to Thai generals, to hypnotic mind melting psychopathic doctors, to millionaire sociopaths— all with one thing in common they are all hot on the trail, if not a couple steps ahead of Maier and Mikhail.

Throughout the course of this trilogy Vater proves himself a master of plot and character—his writing is precise, satirical and right on target but what continues to shine is the author’s deep familiarity with South East Asia. He repeatedly mines that base of knowledge to evoke for his novels a stunning sense of place and richly imagined scenes.

This time, under the sure hands of Tom Vater the dark side of Thailand springs to life in vivid detail. The readers get a birds’ eye view of it all—from the back streets of Bangkok, Thai torture chambers, hedonistic party islands, sea gypsies and a millionaire’s island retreat that masquerades as a modern day Jurassic Park where men with too much money and time on their hands hunt humans instead of dinosaurs as sport.

While the island adventures of Maier and Mikhail with their sly wink at both Jurassic Park and Rambo might very well be over the top and leave one shaking their head they are nevertheless very entertaining to read.

This is another complicated twisty plot—you might need to get out that white board again—it is also a very disturbing read. The death toll is extremely high in this last entry into the world of Maier and is is filled with violence, torture, savagery, and mutilation—the extreme black of noir.

To say more would come at the expense of spoiling a great plot and that is not fair to other readers or to the author but I do as per my usual have a few more thoughts to share.

It is my thought that perhaps when Tom Vater first starting thinking of writing this trilogy it was because he wanted to highlight three moments in history and that Maier was born as a way to string his political agenda into a cohesive series.

However, it is also true that some characters seem to know their own minds and write their own stories. Maier and certainly Mikhail quickly morphed into book-stealing juggernauts that ride Vater’s taut well-crafted plots like monster trucks crashing over top of the political outrage that outlines a path below the fiction.

1) The Cambodian Book of the Dead is set in the Cambodia of 2001 and Vater paints a vivid picture of the country as it re-emerged from a half century of war, genocide, famine and cultural collapse. A Cambodian history lesson about the tragedy of the regime of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge and the killing fields. A thoughtful look at genocide, globalization, and expatriate exploitation of the local economy.

2) The Man With the Golden Mind is set against the backdrop of an unimaginable hidden truth—that of the secret war run by the American CIA in Laos during the Viet Nam War—A war that resulted in Laos becoming the most bombed country of the 20th century— one that was mostly covered up and barely reported by the press. It is a stunning bit of lost history that deserves seeing some daylight, a project that Vater helped document in 2008 with his brother and former wife.

3) The Monsoon Ghost Image is set in the Thailand of 2002 and is a tale of murder, torture, terrorism, and rendition. Riding underneath this outrageous spy thriller is a savage indictment of how the American government conducted itself overseas in a post 9/11 world.

I was curious as I read my way through this trilogy of thrillers why Vater decided to set them in 2001-2, the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. With TMGI his choice becomes clear, as perhaps, it was always on his agenda to shine a harsh light on America throughout the trilogy and in particular through TMGI— the post 9/11 conduct of the CIA.

September 11, 2001 is a day that will always be burned into my memory from turning on the TV and watching live and in shock as the second plane flew into the second tower to the horror of realizing that the jet that flew so low over my house was the one that crashed in the field in Pennsylvania. It was a tragic and horrible day.

Disturbingly what has sprung from that infamous act of terrorism is an American response that ignited two wars: The conflict in the Middle East that continues to this day and the War on Terror that also continues to this day.

In the resultant scramble to find the terrorists responsible for 9/11 and the “mythical” Weapons of Mass Destruction the American government sanctioned the CIA to use whatever means they saw fit to find justice for the American people.

The CIA saw fit to implement the practice of rendition, in other words— sending a foreign criminal or terrorist suspect covertly to be interrogated in a country with less rigorous regulations for the humane treatment of prisoners.

Tom Vater through TMGI asks the question of how low did the CIA stoop to get answers about terrorism and those mythical weapons of mass destruction and how far were they willing to go to keep these tactics a secret?

The plot for TMGI is action packed, edge of your seat, violent, deranged, outrageous and disturbing. It, horrifically, is a pale shadow compared to the truth, a reality that is still as relevant today in 2020 as it was back in 2002.

Even a brief look on Wikipedia reveals that the CIA paid two unqualified psychologists more than $80M to develop an enhanced interrogation technique that allowed for both physical and mental torture that was to be conducted in black sites on foreign soil, the hosting countries were compensated with huge payoffs for their cooperation. When this classified program started to gain public notice the CIA responded by covering up evidence and destroying documents.

Another point made by Vater is how easy it is for Americans to look away and ignore, but isn’t this true for all humans—including Germans? I do like a book that causes me to think and to take a stance for my beliefs so here goes:

As an American, who lives in the almost Midwest— these wars— unless I choose to let them, have no impact on my day to day life. In today’s America the popular vote does not elect presidents—the electoral college does. In today’s America the majority of public opinion doesn’t determine the course of justice—the ruling Senate majority does.

If I direct my focus solely towards the things that I cannot control, cannot change and where my actions have zero effect— then my mind suffers. My mind settles best through the practice of the Yoga Sutras and utilizing the tenets of Buddhism—philosophies that look in rather than without.

There is no escaping that I live in a completely globalized world that is incredibly complex—one where there are no easy answers or solutions to anything. Ancient aphorisms often stumble along this path but for the most part I trust their wisdom.

I would rather a quiet mind so I chose to pick my own battles. I chose to focus my thoughts and my actions on providing solutions to problems within my own wheelhouse where I can indeed effect change. Women heading into the technological minefield of birth need and deserve all the assistance I can muster.

Judge me as you like but sitting here at my desk in the early days of 2020— I am finding myself hard pressed to even justify defining America as a democracy anymore. Alright—alright, no need to threaten water boarding…

The Detective Maier trilogy has made for some very well spent reading time—on all fronts. I highly recommend all three—and reading them in order. One question remains will Tom Vater have more to say and continue on with this epic series or will Maier “ghost” us leaving one to forever ponder his fate.

[Caroline Venables · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really gritty, and is a great read. I found the way he described some of the locations fascinating, he certainly paints a picture with his words.

The story follows Maier, who is slowly drinking himself to death, unfortunately for him he is about to take a case that will cause his death a lot quicker than alcohol.

A photograph has been taken that shows the torture of a prisoner following the events of 9/11. Should this photograph become public knowledge the authorities would have to admit to unlawful means of information gathering.

But Maier and his partner and Mikhail are not the only ones after this photograph, they start out as the hunters but soon find themselves being hunted to ensure their silence. Not for the faint hearted, as the body count rises and rises as they keep running.

[Gareth Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided with a review copy of this book.
In The Monsoon Ghost Image Tom Vater sets the story of the presumed disappearance of a German war photographer, Martin Ritter, against the backdrop of a larger canvass in which the CIA wages the War Against Terror by foul means or fair. Into this dangerous post 9/11 milieu comes private detective Maier and his Russian sidekick, Mikhail. They are sent to Bangkok to investigate sightings of Ritter, an assignment which plunges them into the brutal, high-stakes world of murder, torture and kidnapping, the world of rendition where anything goes. Central to the intrigue is an incriminating image of torture, the Monsoon Ghost Image of the title, from which there is money to be made and national reputation to be compromised.
True to the thriller genre, the novel is sharp and slick, gritty and violent. But it is more than that. Vater's writing is stylish, imaginative and highly evocative. The bustling seediness and vitality of Bangkok comes alive on the page. The main characters are well-drawn. On the critical side, the plot devices fall a little too easily into place at times; also, minor characters are disposed of with disturbing ease, treated as means to an end. For all that, Vater has produced a classy thriller, one with a real feel for its exotic locations and for the grim political realities that lie behind its action.

[Julie Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoilers: Once again Tom Vater is available to give his Readers a guided tour of the world's most dangerous and least scenic spots. After India and Cambodia, this time the author sets his sights on Thailand, mostly Bangkok a city known for its active nightlife and sex trade.

In what is probably his best work yet, Vater provides an effective merge of setting and character to quite possibly end his Detective Maier Mystery series with The Monsoon Ghost Image.


This book is much better than the previous book, Cambodian Book of The Dead which was very descriptive in setting but lost something in the plot. Dare I say it, I even liked it better than last year's Kalkota Noir which combined Kalkota's setting with tributes to drawing room mysteries, noir literature, and science fiction. The Monsoon Ghost Image has a mesmerizing setting and believable characters inside a plot that is not only well executed with suspense and tension but pushes those characters beyond their endurance.


In this third go round in the adventures of Detective Maier, things have changed considerably. Maier seems to have recovered from the events in The Cambodian Book of The Dead (which I read) only to be left traumatized by the events in The Man with The Golden Mind (which I have not.) In his last mystery set mostly in Laos, Maier slept with his stepsister, was nearly killed by his father, and lost a couple of fingers in a Vietnamese prison camp ambush. On the plus side, he befriended Mikhail, a large Russian man who serves as Maier's bodyguard and sidekick. Well he no sooner is getting some much deserved rest in which he should consider never leaving the house let alone accepting any job that takes him out of the country, then what does his boss want him to do? Accept another job that takes him out of the country.

Emilie Ritter, a former girlfriend of Maier's, reported that her photographer husband, Martin, is missing and presumed dead. Even though his funeral is in Hamburg, Emilie is convinced that Martin is still alive and that he is on the run. She sees sinister unknown figures that seem to scream government ops. Not only that but she receives a letter from someone dubbed "The Wicked WItch of the East." The letter informs her that Martin is alive and well in Bangkok and is "involved in the crime of the century." All of this implies that Martin got involved or uncovered something dangerous and with far reaching implications. It seems to involve a photograph of various prominent individuals. So off Maier and Mikhail go to Bangkok with two sinister agents following close behind.


Vater's gift for setting is definitely at play and is even heightened more in this book than any of his previous works. With Kalkota Noir and The Cambodian Book of the Dead, Vater combined real setting with a sense of unreality. The Cambodian Book of the Dead mixed the reality of a country still living with the scars of the Khmer Rouge dictatorship and the supernatural of traditional ghost stories to create a comparison of disruptions in the physical and spiritual worlds of Cambodia. Kolkata Noir borrowed heavily from various genres like film noir and science fiction to create a three part mystery that reads like a Hollywood film, set in India.


What is particularly sinister about The Monsoon Ghost Image is aside from tropes that could be found in murder mysteries, psychological thrillers, and political suspense novels, there is no sense of fantasy. The setting is very real and somehow made even more dangerous. Some of the more horror elements are a bit over the top, such as the appearance of a surgeon who specializes in torturing people for financial rewards, political gain, and for his self pleasure. However, in this context and as we know in our history books and the news, there were and still are people that are that sadistic and brutal.


We see the sex trade industry but not as some enticing glittery thing where people can go abroad to fill their deepest desires. Instead, it is seen as something dark and depraved, showing the people who get involved in it were drawn by needing money, feeling devoid of any self worth or validation, or believing the empty promises that sinister adults gave them. They have since grown into hardened individuals who survive this harsh uncaring existence the only way that they can. They do anything for money and inflict the same pain that was given to them, continuing an endless cycle of abuse and human trafficking.


Maier goes through a lot of development and mental stress in this book, surprisingly even more so than in the previous books where his struggles were more personal. Without spoiling too much there are several points where Maier is left alone without contacts, allies, and with multiple enemies after him. Just like many of the victims that he encounters and tries to protect and find justice for, he realizes that he is likely to die because of others' schemes and manipulations.

In fact it becomes clear that Maier, The Ritters, Mikhail and many other characters are manipulated by outside higher forces. These forces don't care who they are or who has to be hurt or killed. Maier is just simply another person for these forces to step on and remove, no more important to them than a small insect.


There are various chapters in which Maier is held captive. It's very rare in a mystery novel when the detective is left in such a vulnerable position where they are imprisoned during their investigation and subjected to physical and psychological torture for a long time., A period of months it seems. Considering the physical and mental abuse inflicted on him in the last couple of books, Maier's experience in Thailand during his imprisonment and the realization of him being manipulated could be the final push to send him completely over from the justice seeking law abiding citizen to the tortured empty lawless. The protective light that Maier shines over the innocent could dim forever and never return.


This may be the final book in The Detective Maier Mystery Series. If it is, Vater definitely saved the best for last.

[For The Novel Lovers · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading both The Cambodian Book of the Dead and The Man With the Golden Mind I was really coming to appreciate how Tom Vater crafted a really unique and complex protagonist in Maier and how he weaves together one story within several separate mysteries and how he brought to life the East Asian countries and cultures he writes about in the mind of the reader. So, the series concluded with The Monsoon Ghost Image and after the insane plot twists in the first two books and some of the weird and strange events that took place within those novels I couldn’t wait to get stuck into the series finale. The novel opens with Maier being contacted about an old colleague, Martin Ritter, a renowned war photographer who is presumed dead after his boat literally exploded off the coast of Thailand. Things get interesting very quickly when Maier is contacted by Ritter’s wife, Emilie who has received evidence that her husband is alive and in Bangkok. In response, she hires Maier to find her husband and find out why he apparently faked his own death.

During my reading of The Monsoon Ghost Image I realised that like in Cambodian Book of the Dead the literary style is very similar with Maier narrating a story where he is often abusing and recovering from that abuse in a violent and brutal fashion that makes you wince and yet you can’t put the book down. In Vater’s signature style the case is merely a cover for something far bigger and it doesn’t take long for Maier to find himself at the heart of it all after being manipulated into it but a woman who only calls herself the Wicked Witch of the East. It is from her that Maier receives a digital image, this image is a code named the Monsoon Ghost Image after which the novel is named and capture proof of a post 9/11 CIA approved torture of a suspected Muslin terrorist which was really difficult to read at times. Vater also introduces more than one of his essential plot twists that cause a change in the events of the novel that transforms Maier from the hunter to the hunted for the possession of this photograph.

It seems that Ritter is one of the bad guys planning to set the code off to the highest bidder only to have it stolen by The Wicked Witch of the East and is now willing to do anything in order to get it back and get revenge as well. Maier seems to be in possession of something that many people are looking for and willing to do some horrific things in order to get it in their possession so Maier spends a lot of time running from one bad guy or another. Throughout the novel and the trilogy Vater has proven himself to be an absolute craftsman in terms of plot and characters and repeatedly dives into the well of knowledge he has to evoke a stunning sense of place, making the reader vividly imagine his richly written scenes in their mind. In this novel, the dark side of Thailand spring to life and we get to see and experience it all from the back street of Bangkok. While the island adventures of Maier and Mikhail with their sly wink at both Jurassic Park and Rambo might very well be over the top and leave one shaking their head they are nevertheless very entertaining to read.

In classic Vater style this is a complicated, twisty plot and is also very disturbing to read so definitely check out the trigger warnings before diving into this series and that often took me by surprise. Having now completed the trilogy I strongly believe that Vater intended to highlight moments in history through each novel and how he strings them together into a cohesive series was absolutely divine to watch unfold under Vater’s skilled hands. The Detective Maier trilogy has made for some very well spent reading time. I highly recommend all three and reading them in order, even though each could be read as their own contained story there are overarching themes and characters that appear in each novel. Overall, Vater has become an author that I wouldn’t hesitate to read because I know I’m in for a wild ride even if I don’t completely love the novel at the end of the experience.

[Julie Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in a series featuring private detective Maier. I haven’t read books one and two but this did not hinder my enjoyment of this book which can easily be read as a standalone. However, reading books one and two first would fill in some back story and give a deeper understanding of some of the characters in the book, so if you intend to read them all it would probably be a good idea to read them in order.

This is an interesting combination of detective story and spy thriller which is constructed in a way that is very different to the mainstream. The book is extremely fast-paced, sometimes moving so quickly that events pass by in a blur and it is quite hard to keep up with what is going on; the writing a dizzying kaleidoscope of happenings that have the reader and the characters spinning to get there head around it, which is a good reflection of the situation in which the characters find themselves. On the downside, I did find the narrative jumped around quite a bit and there seemed to be linking events missing which made it confusing to follow in places and I found it quite disjointed. This may be that it is just a very different way of writing that I am unused to, but it was definitely disconcerting the way people appeared and disappear rapidly with minimal connecting narrative.

There is a rapid and varied set of locations to match the events happening. From Berlin to Bangkok to Kho Pha Ngan, the case takes Maier and his cohorts across Asia to track down the significance of The Monsoon Ghost Image and why so many people are prepared to kill to keep it from seeing the light of day. There is a high level of very graphics violence in the plot and some extremely sick and unpleasant people involved and the writer doesn’t pull any punches so readers of a sensitive disposition may not enjoy this aspect of the novel but it certainly makes for excitement and high levels of tension for those who do. Bring a healthy dose of credulity to the book, there are parts that need it. At times it reminded me of some of the wilder aspects of a James Bond plot, but there is never a dull moment. Whether or not you are convinced by every aspect will be for you to judge.

The great plus for me of the book is the vividness of Vater’s writing. The scenes are brilliantly and viscerally brought to life through his prose and descriptions and the book has more of a literary leaning than I was expecting, given the plot, as Maier ruminates on the state of the world and the nature of man and the struggle against terrorism. Sometimes the forms of writing and speech are very formal. It was a really unique and interesting mix of elements that make it stand out in a sea of thrillers. Vater’s writing is definitely worth a peek if you are looking for some thing out of the mundane.

[Vigilant Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Title – The Monsoon Ghost Image
Author – Tom Vatar
Genre – MST Crime
Word Count 50,000
Rating 2 stars out of 5
No. 49 - 2018
Posted 12/31/2018

My Impressions: Moody, dangerous, filth, torture, murder, evil psychopath, extreme characters

Main Characters:
Detective Fred Maier – German detective, ex-reporter
Mikhail Kozakov– Maier’s partner, ex-Russian hit man.
Martin Ritter – Famous, worldwide conflict photographer.
Dr. Suraporn – Psychopath, plastic surgeon.

The Monsoon Ghost Image is set mainly in and around Bangkok, Thailand. Martin Ritter is alleged to have perished when a boat exploded and everyone aboard died. But then Ritter is seen resurrected from the dead and walking the streets of Bangkok. His wife Emilie hires Maier and Mikhail to locate Martin and learn what is going on. The body count begins to climb at am alarming pace. The American CIA agents are the main bad guys here and stoop to the lowest levels possible in the name of national security. The majority of the support characters are horrible, evil despots with no morals.
Maier and Mikhail search for a photo Ritter took capturing the torture of a prisoner. Ritter plans to make a fortune with it but the CIA agents are searching for him.
Throw in jungle hunts of human victims, mysticism, fantasy, and science fiction and the story doesn’t resemble the mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime genres it was advertised as being.
Mikhail assembled a crude catapult weapon from pieces of bamboo in just a few hours. He then fired Guava fruit 400 meters (1,012 feet ) to precisely hit the targets he aimed it at. I laughed and lost what little interest I had. The fruit not only hit two outboard engines on a boat but tore them completely off the transom they were mounted on. He then followed those unbelievable stunts with shooting down a helicopter with a .22 caliber handgun.
The story contains cursing, non-graphic sex scenes and butchering of humans by a deranged madman who hypnotizes by barking to gain mind control of his victims.
I finished reading this book but do not recommend it.

The book’s editing isn’t terrible, but there are far too many missing, misspelled, extra, and wrong words.
Unorganized sentence structure is another issue that makes the story difficult to read.
Character development is complex and thorough for the main characters.
Location details are overdone and became boring, like a travelogue.
Research is lacking. Glock handguns do not have safety switches.
The plot is complicated and complex.
The writing style tends to be slow and preachy.

This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.

[Mark Atley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monsoon Ghost Image, solid story-telling, engaging characters and the closing of an arc for the main character, Maier. However, the most striking thing about this series is truly the amount of violence perpetrated against Maier; this novel takes us back to 2002, in the wake of 9/11 and the beginning of the War on Terror, set in Thailand, and pits the hero against the CIA—sort of—but I’ll let the reader discover what I mean by that.

Is this a five-star story, no, but is this a solid entertaining novel, with a different perspective on the world, oh yeah.

This series is zany.

It’s dark.

It’s violent.

It has some very interesting characters, especially a drunk Russian assassin, who is a pleasure every time he appears on stage, who is a holdover from the first novel.

Negatives: the plot is ever-changing, which means some settings and characters are wasted, and some are elements retreaded to the point of becoming cliché, but mainly, become confusing—what I call too loose, and some of the greatest novelist have made a career on doing such plotting.

Positives: the characters are engaging and there are some truly beautiful scenes that make you laugh, surprise you, and shock you—the sea gypsies, in this novel, were a great addition to a dark moment, and helped lighten the mood just enough to not drown the reader in the violence and darkness of that passage.

I was asked to read this novel, and review it. I don’t like reading the end or middle of a series, so I read all three novels in this series in a week. Perhaps, I was looking for something different, perhaps these novels are good, coming from a different type of protagonist and from a different point of view, but I liked them.

This series—this novel no different—is sold as a mystery disguised as a thriller, because the mystery is second to the story, meaning it’s more a thrill ride with people you want to go on a journey with then figuring out whodunit, encapsulating the very essence of the eastern experience from an author, who clearly has some strange exploits, but written with knowledge, love, and care of the peoples and places this series is sat.
And that’s alright.

Mark Atley

[C.J. Langer · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading The Man with the Golden Mind I was really looking forward to reading the 3rd and final book in the trilogy, The Monsoon Ghost Image, and it didn't disappoint. In fact, I rarely come across a story with so many jaw-dropping moments.

What I found interesting was how different this book felt compared to the last one while maintaining the continuity necessary to be part of a trilogy. The Man with the Golden Mind was a love affair with the setting and Nature. The characters and plot were almost secondary to the description of the countryside. Sure there was action and scary parts but nothing like in The Monsoon Ghost Image.

I read a lot of dystopian and dark fiction. Zombie novels are among some of my favorites to read. But I haven't come across something this dark in a long time. I think what affected me the most was that it was set in the not too distant past and wasn't an exaggeration. Vater pulled no punches when describing both the people and the cities.

The War on Terror took on a new meaning for me after reading this book. Sure there were fictional bits about spy stuff and how our government actually treats POWs - at least I hope it was fictional... I suppose the plausibility of the story is what makes it that much more terrifying. If a Monsoon Ghost Image was actually published today I couldn't say I would be surprised and that's what makes this story all the more terrifying and tragic.

There is much more I could say about this book but I don't want to give away the jaw-dropping parts or the ending. I will say that I enjoyed reading this book more than I have any other in a long time, even the scary bits. Vater did an excellent job setting the scene, giving me characters I wanted to know more, and keeping me on the edge of my seat.

So if you're looking for a novel - trilogy - that is full of wonderful settings, international intrigue, scary bits, and characters you love then you should read The Monsoon Ghost Image.

[Tasha Mahoney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this story really hard to write a review about because most of the time I felt rather lost in the plot and story-line. This may be my shortcoming but none the less, I struggled to keep up with the story.

This is the third book in the Detective Maier series, and I have not read the other ones. I read this as a standalone and it worked as such.

Fast paced and intense, The Monsoon Ghost Image took me from continent to continent but predominantly took place in the Thailand. The story started out with an intense occurrence that I found made me curious to get to the bottom of.

There are many shocks along the way to uncover the truth and bring the wrongdoers to justice and there were many moments that, horrified me. 

In all honesty, I did not find one character appealing and this was unusual for me as I generally find at least one likeable character in a story.  The characters  spanned from damaged to pure evil with no respite. Some of the characters actions horrified me, though I think the descriptions were relevant to highlight their despicable behaviour. 

I have not read many spy and espionage stories and feel that for future knowledge, this may be a genre that my brain cannot process. I just couldn't retain the information and felt lost a lot of the time. 

All in all, I just feel that I was not the right fit for this story. Keeping up with all of the characters, CIA and the darker organisations was really hard for me. 

I found the writing to be intelligent and descriptive, and feel that lovers of spy and espionage thrillers would do well to give this one a go.  The violence and intensity were relevant to the story and didn't feel gratuitous.

Thank you to Tom Vater and Rachels Random Resources for providing me with a review copy of The Monsoon Ghost Image. This has not influenced my review. 

[☠Arianne Reads Horror ☠ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was CRAZY!!! I loved it! We follow Maier, a german private detective, and his friend Mikhail, trying to follow the trail of a suspected false death. The 'death' of Martin Ritter, and the following email his wife gets telling her hes alive and well, leads Maier and Mikhail to Thailand to try and find out what happens. And what is the Monsoon Ghost Image?? You'll need to read to find out!

I really really enjoyed this read. Although a trilogy, this book does great as a standalone, and I'll definitely be going back to read the other two. Tom Vater does an amazing job of drip feeding information to the reader in a way where it seems like we know what's going on, and we know alot of information, then more is introduced and even more pieces start to fit together.

This read is really fast paced, no lack of description, and a large amount of violence too! I loved the little metaphysical, or is it...? Mind gamey flair that's intertwined into the story. There is alot going on within the book, many different angles and side plots that all join to create the larger story and an amazing ending!!

If you enjoy a quick paced, full of violence detective book, this is PERFECT!! A great read.

Thanks so much to @hrpr.blackthorn and @tomvaterwrites for letting me read this book!!( I was given a copy for review, but all opinions are my own!! #AD #PR)

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 of the Detective Maier Mystery Series. My first read of the series but readers of the first two books will know exactly what to expect. Definitely not one for the squeamish; this story is predominantly set in Thailand following 9/11 and features murder, torture, extraordinary renditions and scenes of a sexual nature. The descriptions of the scenery are beautifully written and take you from the depths of the slums of Bangkok to the joy of gorgeous coral coves.

Briefly, Maier is in Germany attending the memorial service for a war photographer, missing presumed dead, following a boat explosion in Thailand. He is approached by the widow who shows him an email stating her husband was seen in Bangkok very much alive and asks the detective to find him. Maier travels to Bangkok with his Russian colleague Mikhail and discovers a photograph which, if published, would reveal the truths of extraordinary rendition and torture by the CIA. The CIA, a sadistic doctor and a mysterious woman are all determined to get the hands on the photograph.

An enthralling story and reads well as a stand-alone. Fast paced, dark and entertaining read although some events portrayed were not for the faint hearted; I had more than one shudder! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Detective Maier Mystery series but reads well as a standalone. Which is just as well, as I haven’t read the others but that will be rectified when time allows.

You need to be made of quite strong stuff to read this book; murder, torture, sexual scenes & descriptions which make your toes curl (this is when having a vivid imagination is a disadvantage). That being said, the descriptions of Bangkok’s underbelly were totally immersive.

Maier attends the memorial service of a war photographer who he had known, & worked with, for many years. The photographer was virtually a national icon but, after the boat explosion in Thailand, his body was never recovered, hence a memorial rather than a funeral. At the service, he is approached by the widow & shown an email claiming that her husband is alive. She engages Maier & his Russian sidekick, Mikhail, to find out the truth.
This request finds Maier embroiled in CIA secret missions & he crosses paths with an extremely sadistic doctor together with a mysterious woman, who are all keen to obtain a photograph which has come in to his possession.

A dark & intricately woven story which kept me interested right to the end. Recommended.

[Chelle W (teaandplottwists) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve not read any of Vater’s previous novels and really enjoyed The Monsoon Ghost Image. It was very fast paced and gripping with some rather interesting characters! We meet a lot of people and visit a lot of different places throughout the story; I did get slightly confused at times, remembering which characters were who and where we were, but I have a terrible memory so probably more my fault than the authors!

I didn’t particularly warm to any of the characters but I’m not sure we’re meant to….these are assassins, spies, murderers, detectives and monstrous, terrifying doctors!

There is a lot of death/murder in this book which is quite gruesome to say the least, so probably not for the faint-hearted/squimish but it will most definitely have you flicking through the pages to see what’s happening next! And there was a brilliant twist towards the end which I hadn’t anticipated at all!

Overall I really enjoyed this and if your a fan of spy thrillers/crime fiction and aren’t afraid of a bit of blood and gore, then you should definitely check this out

[Michele Twomey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a review copy of this book.
From the opening page of this book I knew I was in the hands of a gifted storyteller, granted one that has a pension for graphic violence, who voyages through some disturbing situations, but someone who must have had enough real-life experiences to build a well-crafted gritty, sometimes cool world. The plot has some intriguing twists as it delves into those harrowing years of shady practices, that kicked off the era called The War on Terror.
I must admit this is not a book I would lean towards, based on the blurb. Yet, the keen noir feel, the interesting characters, as well as the attention to detail in the scenes kept me reading. I believe it is part of a series, but the main character Maier is given enough backstory to make it enjoyable as a stand-alone.

[Cherry London · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darn, this book is high on the adrenalin and deeply intense with sinister characters and a whole lotta of muck. Martin Ritter was a condemned man from the start and the only way to close that sorry chapter of his life was to end it and start anew, but at what cost, now seven people were blown to smithereens all by his hands, was he a mad man or a demented one. Detective Maier was another such lost soul, now he waits for the day it would all end, but first, he gotta do his job no matter what. Both of these gentlemen had had it with wars no one wins and from their perspective outlook, the world is a criminal entity. Now Maier and his Partner Mikhail are in a race one that could have a fatal ending as the boss, clients, and simple acquaintances are dropping dead. An action filled and thrilling read.

[Carly Rheilan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve yet to read anything by Tom Vater that I didn’t admire, but this is quite exceptional. (OK, I need six stars now…) You’re carried along by the storytelling, which is utterly compelling, full of twists and surprises as our (now familiar) hero Detective Maier navigates a difficult tightrope through the politics and personalities of his mission in Bangkok, as always falling off from time to time (he is a wonderfully fallible hero). There is plenty of violence along the way but the grit of the story is its mordant commentary on US imperialism and its treatment of political prisoners, its depiction of the brutalising Bangkok sex trade, and the feebleness of an individual’s principles against the cynical immorality of political players. This is a book you will finish and start again. (I did, anyway.)

[Adhyan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I started the book with a lot of expectations. The first chapter hit me like a blast. I LOVED it immediately! I felt myself get hooked.
However, once the first chapter was over... I felt that the writing was just not doing it for me. I'm not sure what exactly was the problem or how to fix them but this is what I noticed;
1) I couldn't feel the character's emotions. They didn't feel real if that makes sense.
2) I found that I had to go back and reread a lot of pages because I just couldn't make sense of what just happened there.

But, putting all that aside, I was still curious about what happens and the is because of the impression that first chapter made on me. The plot, the story is good but maybe the writing style isn't my type.

[Marilyn Goncalves · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Monsoon Ghost Image by @tomvaterwrites is the third book in the Detective Maier Mysteries and can be read as a stand alone though I’d love to read the first two books.
Set in Thailand this fast paced dark story is intense with horrendous and violent characters which I’m here for. Detective Maier is approached by a widow asking him to find her husband who is presumed dead after a boat explosion but has been spotted in Bangkok. During the Investigation Maier discovers an incriminating photograph the CIA, other government agencies and some very shady characters want to get their hands on.

A wonderful mix of detective investigation political, spy psychological thriller and graphic violence make for an enjoyable read.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Monsoon Ghost Image is a fast-paced, noir spy thriller with quite the disturbing experience. There are some things in this book that are tough to deal with, but I love suspenseful thrillers, so this was right up my alley.

This is the third in a series, but can be read as a standalone. There are references to previous information, but I never felt lost.

Tom Vater is an expert in keeping you hooked. The story is enthralling, and there wasn’t a moment I wasn’t holding my breath. That is definitely the kind of story I enjoy and I highly recommend checking it out.

* I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*

[Emily | bookswith.emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fast paced read. I really enjoyed this last instalment of the trilogy. I was sad coming to the end of the book knowing there are no more books, but I liked how the author wrapped this series up.

All the books in this trilogy can be read as standalones, but I would definitely recommend reading them all because they are all such great reads. This last book was probably my favourite, I loved the plot. It was very gripping and action packed. There is so much detail along side the action which makes it a fast paced read. I am always surprised when I read one of the authors books about how much detail he adds about Asia, it really bring the story to life.

It is important to note this book touches on real life historical events throughout the trilogy. I thought it was clever how these were brought into the story and plot. It was interesting to read about the fiction within the real life events.

As always, I loved the main character, Detective Maier. He is so entertaining and is a great narrator. I like how we can see how different events affect him and his memory. I enjoyed reading about the other characters in this book. Their personalities really added something to the story. I really enjoyed this book and the characters, I am sad to say goodbye to them.

[Ivana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have received an e-copy of this book in e change for an honest review.
First of all, it was a good story, it kept my attention until the end. It was also very violent and kind of went overboard with the action. I finished it quite fast and felt like watching an action movie. The core storyline was what I liked the most and the main character was very believable but the main bad guy's competence was a strech. I liked the book and I'd like to read more about detective Maier for sure.

[Julia Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is the third in the series it can be read as a stand-alone book. Full of death and torture it can be a gritty and a hard to read story at times but the narrative is well written, if somewhat fast-paced, and the story comes to life as you get deeper into it. - see the rest of this review at https://simplyhonestreviews.webador.c...

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book #3 in the Detective Maier series. This was my first book by this author, and therefore also the first book in the series that I have read. German Detective, Maier is on the search for an award winning photographer Martin Ritter who has gone missing in Thailand. Maier soon becomes the hunted when he ends up with Ritter’s most important piece of work and is in a race against time to save his own life.

This is not my normal choice of book, but I was given the opportunity to read it. The synopsis sounded like a great thriller so I thought it was worth giving it a read! It is the third book of the series, and whilst I haven’t read the other two books, I was able to read this as a standalone. I think I would have benefitted reading the previous books first though as it would have helped to understand the characters and background.

Detective Maier, to me, is essentially very much the good guy but is tough, hard and his reputation certainly goes before him. He sounds like the kind of guy you want to know, but you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of! Based mainly in Thailand, this is not your typical spy thriller but much darker and grittier. Full of ‘baddies’ hell bent on killing the ‘good guys’, this book is a violent book full of psychopathic characters, guns, torture and a high body count!!

On the downside, I have to admit, whilst I’m not opposed to books with lots of violence, the storyline wasn’t really for me and I probably wouldn’t have normally read it. On the plus side, it was well written with the main character being a very likeable character. The storyline was strong and factual and I have no doubt that if you are into modern political/spy thrillers then this series will be right up your street! As I haven’t read the previous two books in the series, it may be that I need to go back and read those to fully understand and enjoy the character and the storyline, and because of that I will definitely put the previous two books, The Cambodian Book of the Dead and The Man with the Golden Mind on my To Be Read list to try at a later date!