cover image Singapore Transfer

Singapore Transfer

Wayne Warga. Viking Books, $17.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-670-83569-0

A stodgily written amalgamation of travel brochures populated by stilted, one-dimensional characters, the latest in the Jeffrey Dean series ( Hardcover ) is neither mysterious nor the least bit thrilling. Jeffrey, ex-journalist and California rare-book dealer, is hired as ghost writer for a book about the economic miracle of Singapore, which will list the prime minister as author. Concurrently, Hawaii-based customs agent Leilani Martin and two colleagues are tracking the illegal shipment of ancient jade pieces from China to the U.S. mainland. Leilani and Jeffrey end up in Singapore together, where he tries to rescue her from two men who are chasing her and becomes peripherally embroiled in the smuggling investigation. When they visit a nightclub where a female impersonator is to give Leilani a vital clue, the man's throat has been cut. The Singapore government holds their passports and puts them in jail. Warga focuses on the least exciting element of the story, Jeffrey, and despite the heady ingredients included here, he produces only an excruciatingly dull tale. (July)