Overview

In Pottsville, Pennsylvania, young Doug Pearce, just fired from his steady job in the brewery, has never strayed far from home. But he's always been fascinated by stories of his Uncle Russ, the family black sheep murdered in Singapore in 1948. In comes a letter from an old friend of his dead uncle inviting him to Toronto. On arrival, Doug learns that wealthy and glamorous Edna has an agenda- she's assembled enough clues to solve the murder and recover a legendary red diamond Russ was thought to be smuggling. Doug, nervous but game, agrees to play detective. But by the end of his first day in Casablanca, Doug knows he's made a mistake. While he meets people eager to help-a retired museum curator, a beautiful and self-absorbed heiress, and her elderly father, a colleague of Russell Pearce-it becomes clear that someone else is looking for the diamond.

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9781590580936

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<p>*STARRED REVIEW FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY*<p><br> Benoit's smashingly good, action-packed first novel leads Douglas Pearce, a young brewery worker from Pottstown, Pa., on a quest for information about his long-dead uncle that takes him from Toronto to Casablanca, Cairo, Bahrain and Singapore, before returning him to Toronto. He gets on the trail of a huge stolen gem, and along the way finds rascals, thugs, thieves and vamps among the archeology scholars, ex-museum directors and encyclopedia publishers who appear to be his guides. With much wit and invention, Benoit convincingly portrays the Middle East. A hilarious account of chaos in the Cairo airport reads like an updated scene from Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad. Benoit adroitly contrasts the modern features of North Africa and Asia with the remnants of their ancient pasts. Two murderous chases through urban and rural Egypt build to a resolution that remains well concealed until the final pages. Some readers may find the sex scenes t

Relative Danger is as exhilarating as a magnum of Dom Perignon.-- Carolyn G. Hart, New York Times best-selling author Every element of this rollicking adventure shines. (starred review)-- Booklist Smashingly good, action-packed. (starred review)-- Publishers Weekly

*STARRED REVIEW FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY* Benoit's smashingly good, action-packed first novel leads Douglas Pearce, a young brewery worker from Pottstown, Pa., on a quest for information about his long-dead uncle that takes him from Toronto to Casablanca, Cairo, Bahrain and Singapore, before returning him to Toronto. He gets on the trail of a huge stolen gem, and along the way finds rascals, thugs, thieves and vamps among the archeology scholars, ex-museum directors and encyclopedia publishers who appear to be his guides. With much wit and invention, Benoit convincingly portrays the Middle East. A hilarious account of chaos in the Cairo airport reads like an updated scene from Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad. Benoit adroitly contrasts the modern features of North Africa and Asia with the remnants of their ancient pasts. Two murderous chases through urban and rural Egypt build to a resolution that remains well concealed until the final pages. Some readers may find the sex scenes too brief and a bit strange, but this is a quibble. Benoit is a rare discovery, and one hopes that he plans to produce more adventure-oriented mysteries with the same skill and energy that propel this excellent debut. -- Publishers Weekly (2 February 2004)

<p>*STARRED REVIEW FROM PUBLISHERS WEEKLY*<p><br> Benoit's smashingly good, action-packed first novel leads Douglas Pearce, a young brewery worker from Pottstown, Pa., on a quest for information about his long-dead uncle that takes him from Toronto to Casablanca, Cairo, Bahrain and Singapore, before returning him to Toronto. He gets on the trail of a huge stolen gem, and along the way finds rascals, thugs, thieves and vamps among the archeology scholars, ex-museum directors and encyclopedia publishers who appear to be his guides. With much wit and invention, Benoit convincingly portrays the Middle East. A hilarious account of chaos in the Cairo airport reads like an updated scene from Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad. Benoit adroitly contrasts the modern features of North Africa and Asia with the remnants of their ancient pasts. Two murderous chases through urban and rural Egypt build to a resolution that remains well concealed until the final pages. Some readers may find the sex scenes too brief and a bit strange, but this is a quibble. Benoit is a rare discovery, and one hopes that he plans to produce more adventure-oriented mysteries with the same skill and energy that propel this excellent debut. -- Publishers Weekly (2 February 2004)<p> <p>

Author Information

A compulsive traveler, occasional scuba diver, and incurable beginner saxophonist, Charles Benoit has worked in education and advertising. He and his wife, Rose, currently live in exotic Rochester, New York. Relative Danger is his first novel. Visit his website at www.CharlesBenoit.com

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