Ok spy/action biological warfare type thriller. Bit in Jack Reacher style. Good storyline but sometimes there were just too many irrelevant details. Kept me reading until the end, but not really my favorite type of book though I am sure it will appeal to others. Set in Vietnam and NYC and involving rats, an ER doctor, a PI, the FBI, the American embassy etc.

It's not easy to release a book about a pandemic during an actual pandemic, It was a bit frightening to read about how easy it is to release a man-made biological weapon via rat and how it could literally take down society... while we're living in a world that has been changed as we know it because of a pandemic.

The Red Lotus follows, Alexis, an ER nurse as she and her boyfriend head to Vietnam for a vacation where they are doing a bike tour. However, he ends up missing and is later found dead. The police called it a hit-and-run, but Alexis is convinced there is more to it than that, especially when she finds out he lied to her about other things as well. What was he involved in? What was he really doing in Vietnam?

I enjoyed the suspense in this book and I really wanted to know what was going to happen. There are snippets between some chapters of a statement by someone that is talking to a lawyer, but you don't find out who until the end (although it wasn't hard to figure out). This isn't a twisty thriller, but it is suspenseful enough to make you want to keep reading.

Alexis is an Emergency Room doctor who meets Austin when he comes in for a bullet wound. Months later they are in a serious relationship and travel to Vietnam for two reasons: a bike tour and to visit the country where Austin’s dad and uncle fought in a war. When Austin goes missing, Alexis realizes she didn’t know him as well as she thought when his secrets are uncovered in the investigation to find him. She is still determined to figure out what happened to Austin and goes to great lengths to uncover conspiracies in a dangerous world that she doesn’t belong in. The combination of Alexis being an ER doc and her response under the stress of the investigation made her a cool character.

This book didn’t quite do it for me overall. It was just okay in terms of plot, characters, and mystery. The one aspect that stuck out was setting. Bohjalian did a wonderful job making Vietnam come to life and pay homage to the beautiful culture and people. It made me want to visit Vietnam, so job well done! An interesting aspect of this book was that a virus is used as a potential weapon. Very thought-provoking in the age of COVID, knowing how much damage a dangerous virus could do in the wrong hands.

I didn’t find myself caring about any of the characters in this book. They just weren’t interesting or relatable to me. They didn’t feel real which is so crucial to creating characters. Even Alexis seemed so bland even though I wanted really badly to like her. Several phrases were used multiple times which might be an editorial mistake, but it really stuck out to me and pulled me out of the novel. I haven’t read The Flight Attendant by this author, which many people enjoyed, but this one unfortunately fell flat for me.

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian came out before the intensity of COVID pandemic became a reality. Reading it at this point through the lens of an actual global pandemic seems prescient. The mystery of this book is not really a mystery. The information about how a contagion might be developed and spread is frighteningly fascinating. The details about rats, I could do without! At the same time, a book about a possible fictional pandemic becomes an escape from the real one.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2020/01/the-red-lotus.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

This author is quickly becoming one of my favorites. His novels are always thrilling and keep you guessing throughout.

How well do you really know someone six months into a relationship? At that point walls are still up and you only tell the person what they need to hear. Everything isn't yet invested into this person. Secrets and omissions still happen regularly because of this. What if those secrets and omissions come back to haunt you?

Six months into their relationship, Austin whisks Alexis away to Vietnam. Officially they were there on a bike trip. Touring the countryside and celebrating life. After Austin goes missing the reason for their trip comes under investigation.

Alexis is consumed with thoughts of Austin. Thoughts that bring her closer and closer to a danger that she doesn't know exists.

A thought provoking and thrilling book.

Thank you so much for this ARC! I tried to read this book numerous times and even tried to listen to the audio book but really had no luck. I loved Chris Bohjalian's last book, the bar was set really high! This was just a different type of read.

An intricately plotted medical thriller starring an intelligent, brave young doctor who won't stop trying to unravel the mystery of her boyfriend's death, even when her own life in danger. Smart and scary -- I couldn't put it down!

DNF. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy! I decided to not keep reading this one, it was not for me. Thanks!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve always been a fan of Bohjalian’s so I was excited to read this. I thought it was very timely...and scary!! I loved the characters and the story. I thought it was suspenseful enough to keep you guessing. I love the descriptive writing and little details added by the author. Really enjoyed this book!

Not... bad, but not for me. I was incredibly excited to read this after the Flight Attendant, but the medical and science facts- and ESPECIALLY all the detail about rats- are just not my wheelhouse.

A suspenseful book that captures one’s interest immediately. I think Bohjalian outdid himself with this intriguing mystery. A different setting, a lot of untruths, an all around entertaining tale.

He writes! He scores! Author Chris Bohjalian hits another one out of the park!

In his twenty-second novel, Bohjalian writes of deadly pathogens that seem to mirror today’s daily headlines. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear that he had a crystal ball that told him about the Coronavirus. It takes too long to research, write and publish a book that is somewhat related to the pandemic that has its grip on the world.

Anyway, in this taut thriller, Bohjalian takes us to Vietnam. Alexis and her new boyfriend, Austin Harper, are on a bicycle tour of the country. Austin takes off alone one day near the end of the tour, supposedly in search of where his uncle was killed and his dad injured in to pay his respects. Alexis, an emergency room in New York City, begins to panic after several hours have passed since he was to return.

Other than the touring company and the people who have been riding alongside Alexis and Austin, no one is that concerned….at first. As the hours creep by, Alexis gets more frantic and begins to search. The police are not helpful and the Consulate doesn’t seem to have time….neither do Austin’s parents, who don’t return Alexis’ calls.

While Alexis is searching, Bohjalian turns the narrator’s attention to Austin, giving readers some insight as to what is happening with him.

While searching, Alexis finds Austin’s energy gel packs lying on the roadside. It seems these little, innocuous packets---the size of a fast-food catsup packet---contain a deadly pathogen that makes the Coronavirus seem like a bout of hay fever.

I didn’t always get the science behind the pathogens, but thankfully, Bohjalian provides only what is necessary to the story. Other who get it, will appreciate the second-layer of depth he delves into. But that didn’t stop me from loving this novel.

And now the sad part returns---waiting on the next Bohjalian novel. Normally I would give a book I liked this much six stars, but due to the science, “The Red Lotus” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I keep wanting to like Chris Bohjalian's books but every time I do, I'm disappointed. I know he has a huge fan base, so I'm not really sure why I can't connect with his books. Unfortunately this one is a DNF for me. It was slow and just didn't grab me in any way. I think this one was finally the sign that I need to pass on his books in the future.

This was quite slow for me. I don’t usually fair well with slow burns depending on the writing. But this was a bit too slow for my liking and a bit repetitive. The last 25-30% tho really grabbed me and picked up quite. So i appreciate that the ending was better. I did like the multiple POV. I feel like that just adds quite a bit to a story to get different bits and pieces to the puzzle. This wasn’t just a typical mystery but had some thriller elements as well. Overall, i liked it. I just wish it was a bit faster through the first half

Another great thriller from Bohjalian. His last novel, "The Flight Attendant", was fast paced and unpredictable. It was delightful to find that 'The Red Lotus' lives up to that precedent. The level of intrigue will keep you guessing right up until the last chapter. And the subject couldn't be more timely!

I really enjoyed this. With each new novel, Bohjalian’s novels continue to grow on me — this definitely was a page turner for me with a really interesting storyline and quite a few twists that kept me interesting in not only what the “real” story was — but just who was telling the truth!

Fast paced and full of questions, I loved this book. The medical side was equally fascinating and disgusting—rats! This book does deal with disease and discussion of pandemics and plague, I’m sure Mr Bohjalian had not idea how close fiction would come to reality. Don’t miss this book!

Good thriller. What I like most about Bohjalian is that no two of his books are ever alike, yet they are all engaging!

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian is a must-read! He constantly writes books that are extremely well-paced, with a tight plot that keeps the reader in suspense. This book is what I call a slow burn, there’s a slowly simmering suspense that isn’t thrills and chills every chapter, but keeps the reader engaged.

Check it out:

The first time Alexis saw Austin, it was a Saturday night. Not in a bar, but in the emergency room where Alexis sutured a bullet wound in Austin’s arm. Six months later, on the brink of falling in love, they travel to Vietnam on a bike tour so that Austin can show her his passion for cycling and he can pay his respects to the place where his father and uncle fought in the war. But as Alexis sips white wine and waits at the hotel for him to return from his solo ride, two men emerge from the tall grass and Austin vanishes into thin air. The only clue he leaves behind is a bright yellow energy gel dropped on the road.

As Alexis grapples with this bewildering loss, and deals with the FBI, Austin’s prickly family, and her colleagues at the hospital, Alexis uncovers a series of strange lies that force her to wonder: Where did Austin go? Why did he really bring her to Vietnam? And how much danger has he left her in?

Another brilliant novel from a favorite author! Get it here.

Doubleday and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Red Lotus. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Austin disappears while on a bike tour in Vietnam, leaving his girlfriend Alexis with few answers and even more questions. Austin said he was on a pilgrimage to see where his father was injured and his uncle was killed during the Vietnam War, but the police and the FBI almost immediately poke holes in the story he told. Why did Austin really go to Vietnam and is Alexis now in danger because of his actions?

Alexis is an emergency room doctor and has the training to be able to work well under pressure. After everything is said and done, her character was the biggest disappointment. The backstory regarding cutting was unnecessary, as well as most of her story in the present. The book was all action, predictable at best and slowly paced at worst. I found it hard to believe that, despite having so many connections to the case, not one person thought to give Alexis a heads up about their findings. The only person keeping Alexis in the loop is the PI that she hired to figure out the truth.

I have read many books by author Chris Bohjalian that I enjoyed, but I was not impressed with The Red Lotus. The premise was weak overall and most of the characters were completely unlikable. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend The Red Lotus to other readers.