Location, location, location. An interesting setting is a key constituent in a good crime novel, and since we started Crime Fiction Lover our reading has taken us to all kinds of places. We visited Ystad, Edinburgh and Miami a few weeks ago when we talked about our favourite story locations, and have been from London to Phoenix in our recent reviews. But the other day author Ron McMillan enticed us out to Seoul, South Korea.
McMillan’s Yin Yang Tattoo came out a year ago and it’s about how an ex-pat photojournalist becomes embroiled in the Seoul underworld. When he picks up a tasty assignment with a big company, perhaps it is too good to be true and indeed, he uncovers corporate corruption and for his troubles is framed for the murder of a prostitute.
On top of its unpicking of the seedier side of life in Seoul, there’s an interesting story about Yin Yang Tattoo. McMillan was invited to talk about the book by the Honk Kong International Literary Festival 2011 on account of it being one of the few English crime fiction novels set in Korea. However the author was un-invited again when the Chairman of the Festival described the book as being “Altogether too highly-coloured for our kind of festival…”
Nevertheless, a sequel is on the way, this time set in Thailand and Hong Kong. No doubt it will be another colourful visit to Asia for Ron McMillan who has spent many years living in the Far East. To promote Yin Yang Tattoo, he has had this graphic novel-style video trailer made which features his own Scots tones quoting from the story.
If you’ve read Yin Yang Tattoo, please let us know what you thought of it, and it’s Seoul setting, by posting a comment below.
