A thriller trilogy offers crime, intrigue and mysticism Singapore style

American author, William L. Gibson's fascination with the supernatural and the inexplicable informs his noir thrillers which are set in colonial Malaya and Singapore. Photo: Monsoon Books

The year is 1892, and troubles are brewing in Singapore’s Chinatown. A dead American is found floating in the middle of a canal. Tensions are brewing among Chinese gangs, which are preparing to clash in a  turf war. And a mysterious Hindu artefact is stirring up trouble – both natural and supernatural.

Such is the tangled web of intrigue that forms the narrative of Singapore Black, a hard-boiled historical thriller written by Jakarta-based American author William L. Gibson.