It’s easy to forget how long the publishing process really takes. Books are written and proofed and edited and reproofed and reedited and so on and so forth, with release dates scheduled months in advance. So far in advance, in fact, that you occasionally wind up with something that is accidentally timely.

So it is with Chris Bohjalian’s latest thriller “The Red Lotus.” It’s excellent in the way that Bohjalian’s work is always excellent – smart, crisply-paced, well-plotted – but it also happens to feature a central plot point revolving around the threat of a weaponized disease. While there are essentially zero actual similarities between Bohjalian’s plot and current events, the timing of the book’s release means that the comparison is unavoidable.

Still, once you move past that odd bit of synchronicity, you can enjoy this book for what it is – a taut and twisting work that features the intrigue and idiosyncrasy that are hallmarks of Bohjalian’s work. It is evocative and exciting, a quick and engaging read that will prove a welcome experience for fans of thrillers.

Alexis Remnick is an ER doctor in New York City, smart and sharp and devoted to saving lives. Her life doesn’t leave her a lot of room for a personal life; she’s got a few friends and a contentious relationship with her mother, but bot much beyond that. She’s all about the work.

But one Saturday night shift in the ER, she meets Austin. She treats him for a gunshot wound of all things, the result of a freak encounter in a bar with a crazed junkie. As it turns out, he works at the very same hospital in development – he’s a fundraiser. Their relationship is a bit of a whirlwind.

Just seven months into their relationship, Austin – an avid cyclist – invites her to go on a bike tour in Vietnam. It has a dual purpose, though; Austin wants to pay his respects at the spots where his father and uncle were wounded during their time as soldiers. One day, he sets out on his own to do just that.

But along the way, he’s taken by a mysterious group of men. As it turns out, there’s a lot about Austin that Alexis doesn’t know – a lot that no one knows. But she’s going to learn, even after Austin’s broken body turns up, the victim of a likely unsolvable hit-and-run on his bicycle.

Or so it seems.

Something about it all simply doesn’t add up. Even as she grieves, Alexis can’t let it go. The more she finds out about Austin, particularly the lies that he told, the more she suspects that there’s a lot more to all of this than meets the eye.

And in the middle of it all – rats.

As we follow some of the other players – a hospital administrator, a private detective, a shadowy mystery man – we’re privy to even more information than Alexis is … information that could prove unspeakably deadly.

That’s all I’m comfortable revealing to this point. One of the joys of Bohjalian’s work is the delicate intricacy of his plotting; he has a wonderful knack for layering his storylines, switching perspectives and leaping from point to point. These shifts allow us to engage with the truly tangled web that is “The Red Lotus” while still keeping the characters in the dark. Not every writer is comfortable leaning into the notion that the reader can know more about what’s going on than the characters, but Bohjalian is confident enough in his talents to do just that, deftly maneuvering the narrative in such a way as to surprise us all, character and reader alike.

Again, we can’t ignore the unfortunate timeliness of the disease-spreading subplot (one I’m not going to delve into here; that info is revealed early enough, but the specifics are definitely spoilable), but it should be noted that it’s simply a device. No, what makes this book compelling is the mysteries nestled within mysteries and the characters each dealing with their individual (and incomplete) view of the big picture.

“The Red Lotus” is a globe-spanning adventure, one that combines international intrigue with the high-adrenaline, high-pressure realm of the big city emergency room. It’s a book that sets the healers against those who would do harm, the selfless against the selfish. It is sweeping and relentless in its pacing, with Bohjalian unleashing his usual well-honed dialogue. If you’re hungry for thrills, this book will feed that need.

🐀The Red Lotus🐀
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Background:A suspenseful novel about love and deceit. Alexis and her boyfriend Austin go on a bike tour through Vietnam. Austin is an expert rider and goes off alone one day. When he doesn’t return Alexis is worried. Austin is found dead after a bike accident. What should be a shut and closed case when he’s found has Alexis asking questions. She an ER doctor who follows trends and connect the dots. How far will she go to find out what, if anything happened to Austin?
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Why I loved it: What a whirlwind of a book. This book went from 0 to 100 in seconds I was hooked immediately. I loved the fact that it never got dull and the intensity just kept rising. I HAD to know what happened next. Don’t let this beautiful cover fool you. This is one hell of a great story. The author #chrisbohjalian expertly weaves the story line and characters together effortlessly. Lots of jaw dropping moments and even some moments I got teary eyed. This is a MUST read!
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Rating: 5/5⭐️
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Thank you to @netgalley and @doubledaybooks for this ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

Emergency room physician Alexis meets Austin when he comes into her ER to have a bullet removed from his arm. Seven months of dating later, they are on a bike tour in Vietnam. One day, Austin is biking alone when he disappears. Alexis, understandably nervous, desperately searches for him in The Red Lotus.

The book begins as a simple missing person story. However, it soon escalates into a timely tale of how a modern day plague could start. Whoa, I feel so much better that this one is a bacteria—not a virus like COVID-19. Still, The Red Lotus is a perfectly creepy read while you are quarantined at home! 4 stars!

Thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love Chris Bohjalian, but this is not my favorite book from him.

The story starts interestingly enough, with an attractive man who was shot in a bar comes into the ER and is treated by an attractive female doctor who just happens to be single. Turns out the guy actually works for the same hospital he's being treated in, in the fundraising department. And that's Austin and Alexis's meet-cute.

Six months into their relationship, Austin invites Alexis along on a bike trip through Viet Nam, where he plans to honor his uncle and dad, who both fought in the Viet Nam War.

During the trip, Austin decides to break from the group and go on a solo bike ride, and never comes back. Alexis alerts authorities and the investigation begins.

Meanwhile, the story of what is happening to Austin unfolds separately. It turns out Austin is in Viet Nam for more than just a walk down his family's memory lane. And it turns out there are rats and a pandemic involved. Very timely, and nicely predicted, Mr. Bohjalian. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

I'm not sure why I didn't click with this book, but I never really fully got into it. And I'm left unsatisfied with the "why" of this story unanswered.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

So. This is the first book I've read by Bohjalian, despite having checked out The Flight Attendant THREE TIMES at the library and still never getting around to reading it. But this one sounded interesting so I ended up giving it a shot.

But. I definitely had some real problems with this book and I don't know if it was the best introduction to Bohjalian's work? I think I should've started with the Flight Attendant.

Well, anyway. So. I honestly had a hard time getting into this book. The premise of this book sounds good on paper but it ended up being something very different in execution. The whole setup for the mystery is overshadowed by random flashbacks to Alexis working in the ER? These were completely unnecessary and they took me out of the story. Plus they seemed to just start mid-sentence/thought so one minute you're in the middle of something exciting and then suddenly it's recounting some random ER visit that has exactly nothing to do with what's happening in this story. I honestly hated those flips and it took me a while to get through the first hundred pages because of it.

I also had a hard time connecting with the characters in this story. I honestly did not like Alexis which is problematic since she's the main character. I found Austin interesting but his chapters were so few that it didn't offset how little I connected with Alexis. (view spoiler) And then I did end up liking Ken though he wasn't in the story nearly enough. (view spoiler)

Anyway. I also could not figure out what the real purpose of this book was supposed to be or what genre it was? Was it supposed to be a thriller? A mystery? Social commentary? What? There was no twist and, honestly, there wasn't really a huge mystery. I figured out pretty early on what was happening and that didn't help me connect with this book. There were several times I thought about not even finishing it, I was so bored. But I ended up plodding through. And the ending didn't leave much wrap up or satisfaction either. Though, I will say, the ending really hit home with everything that is going on this week. It was more like reading the news than reading fiction.

So I don't know. I came away from this mostly just glad to be done. There were a few things I did enjoy like the setting in Vietnam and, as I said, Austin and Ken were interesting characters. But I don't think this was the best intro to the author for me. I have heard a lot of good things about the Flight Attendant and a few of Bohjalian's other works so I will hopefully be checking some of those out in the future. But this one just wasn't for me. I think fans of Bohjalian's work might have better luck with this one but, sadly, I did not.

But. I will say, if you do read this book, please go into this one with this knowledge: the premise is REALLY misleading. I honestly thought this book would be about Alexis uncovering what happened to her missing boyfriend and also uncovering all of her boyfriend's lies. But that's, like, the first hundred pages. This book is actually about, of all things, rats. And a lot of science about viruses (fitting for these pandemic days). So. This if you're looking for an edge of your seat thriller, this isn't it. This is more of a slow burn mystery? Kind of? I think if I would've known more what this book was about, I would've had different expectations going in. I don't think it would've helped my enjoyment but I also wouldn't have been quite so blindsided by the content. So hopefully that helps if you're thinking of picking this one up!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Doubleday for allowing me the chance to read and review this book!

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "The Red Lotus" by Chris Bohjalian, March 17, 2020

Chris Bohjalian, author of "The Red Lotus" has written an intense, edgy, captivating, and enthralling novel just perfect for our times. The Genres for this story are Mystery, Suspense, Global Thriller, Psychological Thriller, and Fiction. The timeline for this story is in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. Some of the places that this story takes place are in laboratories, and an emergency room in a hospital in the United States, and travel to Vietnam. The author describes his dramatic characters as complex, and complicated. There are twists and turns, secrets, lies, threats, danger, and murder.

Alexis is a 33-year-old Emergency Room Doctor, who has seen life at its best and worse. She never would imagine meeting her boyfriend as a patient in the emergency room one evening, after he had been shot in the arm. Within the next 6 months, they travel to Vietnam, where Austin is on a bike tour.

Alexis doesn't have the strength to negotiate the land the way Austin does, so he goes on by himself, and tells her that he wants to visit the places in Vietnam where his father and uncle were. As Alexis waits behind with other people, it gets later, and she gets worried.

The tour company goes with Alexis to the places Austin was. The only things that they find are packets of energy gel that he would use if he needed it. The Police and FBI become involved.

When Alexis returns home, she becomes obsessed with finding what happened to Austin, at any cost. As Alexis searches for clues to what had happened in Vietnam, she finds she is headed for more danger. So much more is involved than meets the eye. 

I love Chris Bohjalian's vivid descriptions of the characters, events and landscape, and his amazing storytelling. I would highly recommend this chilling and thrilling novel.

3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4

I can't decide if I read this book at exactly the right time or the completely wrong time. What I mean is that in light of the current coronavirus situation, this book was scarier than it probably would be under normal circumstances. Something tells me that will help sales of The Red Lotus a bit.

In any event, this thriller kept me turning the pages and was an enjoyable read. It starts with Alex on a bike trip vacation with her boyfriend Austin in Vietnam. He suddenly goes missing and Alex has no idea what happened. In the meantime, we see what Austin is going through when he goes missing, but we don't know exactly what is happening. When Alex starts learning about lies he's told her, she returns to the U.S. determined to figure out what happened. In the meantime, we learn a lot about rats carrying viruses and what this can mean for society.

While I overall enjoyed the book, there were a few things that bugged me about it, mostly things happening that felt far too convenient to the plot that didn't seem very realistic in real life (including the ending). Though the topic is heavy, I think of this as more of a light thriller-type book. Whether you want to read it while you're quarantined in your home during this current time is up to you...

More of a 2.5 star read for me, honestly. I enjoyed this mystery enough to see it through to the end, but the mystery itself did not stick out to me. I think what served this book the best was the multiple POV stories weaved throughout that added more complex elements to the mystery plotline. The protagonist herself was fairly dull, and honestly quiet emotionally detached and socially incompetent in my personal opinion. The plot twists were given away throughout the narrative in a way that did not seem clever or intentional, but maybe they were. It just seemed a bit gimmicky to me. I've heard that this author has written an excellent backlist, and I'm interested in reading that. The writing itself was really quite good, so I'd be curious to see if I like the backlist titles a bit better.

I think if you like more of a cozy mystery vibe, this one might work for you. Single woman, caught in a bad situation, trying to solve a mystery about her deceased boyfriend. If you want something predictable and pretty easy to read, this one might be good for an escape.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy. This one comes out today!

Last year Chris Bohjalian's thriller novel, The Flight Attendant, (my review here) was about a troubled flight attendant who becomes involved in a murder done by a murky Russian organization. It was good timing on Bohjalian's part that his book published at the height of the Russian election influence scandal.



This year his book, The Red Lotus, is about a group of nefarious people who are involved in a possible worldwide pandemic. (It makes me afraid to see what his next book will be!) Alex is on duty in a New York City hospital when a handsome man, Austin, comes into her emergency room after being stabbed in a bar by a homeless man.



They discover that Austin also works at the hospital, in fund development. They begin dating, and seven months later Austin and Alex are in Vietnam where they are taking part in a group bicycle tour. When Austin goes off on his own for a ride to visit the places where his uncle was killed in the Vietnam War and his father was shot, he doesn't comes back.



Alex has to work with the FBI, police, and embassy officials in Vietnam to try and find out what happened to Austin. She discovers that Austin lied to her- his uncle was not killed anywhere near where he was riding, and his father had not been shot in the war.



These lies bother her, and she wonders if she really knew Austin. She hires a private investigator to dig into Austin's life, and it turns out that there is a lot more to Austin than she knew, and it involves the hospital where they both work.



Once again, Bohjalian writes a smart, fast-paced thriller that had me reading well up past my bedtime. (Note to self- don't start reading his books after 9pm.) He keeps the reader guessing, and his characters are always interesting and well-drawn. I particularly liked Ken, the private investigator and Vietnam vet, and Toril, who worked in the American embassy in Vietnam, as well as Alex.



There is a scene at the end of the book that is so fraught with tension and action, I was gripping the pages so hard my hands hurt, and if it was a movie, I would have been peeking through my fingers at the screen. I could feel my heart pounding. (The Red Lotus would make a great movie.)



I live in New York City, and rats are a part of life here, and I do NOT like rats. I will warn readers that rats do play a big role in the story, and even though I really HATE rats (did I tell you that?), I still really liked The Red Lotus. I highly recommend it for readers who like a smart thriller. My heart is pounding just writing this review.

This definitely was a slow burner but because of that I had a hard time connecting to the characters and get invested in the storyline. It took me a bit to figure out what was going on. I was curious to keep reading on to see where the storyline was going and what was happening.

Chris Bohjalian is one of my very favorite authors. He writes wonderfully and yet is the most humble person in real life. I was excited to snag his latest from Net Galley. This was a suspenseful thriller and I think it would make an awesome movie. I couldn’t put it down. It was rather sad in parts, because one of Bohjalian’s gifts as a writer is to make the story realistic. The characters stayed with me long after I was done reading.

Thank you, Doubleday, for my ARC! This novel publishes on 3/17.

Just a note: I read this a few months back, well before the corona virus was headlining everywhere. This story involves what I’ll call “illness and epidemic”, so just putting that out there as a trigger given the current situation.

Well, if this pandemic/social distancing is doing anything positive - it's helping me blow through my to be read pile.

The Red Lotus had the potential to be great. Instead, I was bored with both people and honestly didn't care what happened.

Still, the cover is beautiful.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Like other Chris Bohjalian titles, this book pulls you in at the start, and quickly takes you someplace unexpected. The current pandemic we are experiencing during the Year of the Rat, makes the story line about a bacterial plague and the development of biological weapons uncomfortable at times. Fast paced and readable, I suspect a lot of the medical and biological information is simplified to keep the story moving, yet still terrifying at the same time.

I am left wondering about the motivation for some of the character’s actions. We are told how Austin didn’t live a lavish lifestyle, and didn’t spend a lot of money. What was his motive for wanting to deal in biological weapons? With Doug and Sally, I think the answer is money, but for Austin we don’t know. And not knowing is what drives Alexis to dig deeper as well. Alexis is left not only with the mystery of the bike accident, and the dress, but deeper questions regarding Austin’s feelings for her. Austin remains the mystery throughout the novel, and I think, like Alexis will never have an answer to how Austin felt about her, readers will never really have an answer for Austin’s actions. How well do you ever know someone? How well would you know someone after only dating for 6 months? At one point in the story Alexis is questioned about why she doesn’t have Austin’s passwords for his phone and computer. Would you trust someone with that information after only 6 months?

In the end, and like others he has written, not all of Bohjalian’s characters make it to the end. Too bad, because I would have liked to have another story about the PI character.

The red lotus plant lives underwater, and rises to the surface again and again. The PI’s wife says of Alexis that “She’s the real lotus in the nightmare,” and that “She’ll rise. She’ll bloom again.” But we are also left wondering when the plague and the rats as carriers can rise again as well. That is the real unknown.

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian is an amazing novel that features interesting characters and a fantastic plot. At the novel's core is the resurgence of the plague and this is extremely scary today as we all take precautions to curtail the spread of COVID-19. The story begins with Alexis and Austin, a younger couple, on a guided bike tour of Vietnam. Austin disappears and soon Alexis's fears are confirmed. Austin is discovered dead-presumably killed in a bike accident. Alexis, a NYC ER doctor, refuses to believe that Austin's death was an accident. She launches her own investigation when she learns that Austin lied to everyone about why he wanted to leave the group briefly and ride on his own. Who can Alexis trust as she seeks the truth about Austin, a man she dated for about six months. Alexis begins at the hospital where they both worked. Austin worked in fundraising, but could his death be tied to the lab? She smells a rat and Bohjalian uses these rodents throughout the novel as important characters. The Red Lotus is a definite page turner. Today it has become very thought provoking and it is a definite must read.

This read, with its plot delving into the horrific possibilities of a brewing pandemic—ended up being too timely for comfort, but I still enjoyed it immensely, due wholly to Chris Bohjalian's masterful writing. The voice gripped me from the opening, and what unfolded was a mystery that started personal and took on universal, chilling importance. I related to the isolation of a tragedy far from home, to the intensity behind the scenes in the ER, to the very real and complicated strains and bonds between family, coworkers, lovers, and friends. The author's impressively deep research is woven in seamlessly and in fascinating detail, in trademark Bohjalian form, and this story again solidifies his place as an auto-read, all-time favorite for me.

I have been reading this author's work ever since one of his first novels (Midwives) was chosen by Oprah for her book club. Bohjalian lives in Vermont (where I was born and lived for 35 years), and this was a very big deal for our tiny state! I may have missed a couple of his 21 novels, but I've devoured most of them. The Red Lotus was no exception. What worked for me in this thriller? First of all, I used to work in a hospital lab, so he had me at the protagonist being an ER doctor. Second, without giving too much away, suffice it to say that today's pandemic has an eerie connection. Third, the creepy facts I learned about rats.....yes, rats! Lets just say I like them even less than I already did! As always, Bohjalian has a way with words and every story is very different from the ones before (pretty hard to do when on your 21st book!). I will say that you had to pay close attention in this one as there were a lot of characters to keep track of (especially who was on whose side). Despite this, I had a much easier time following this one than last year's book The Flight Attendant (I was so lost with the spy stuff I'm still not sure I ever figured it out by the end). Despite the fact that the ending may have been a bit rushed, I did feel it delivered a good conclusion. While I love that this author can write in many different genres, his last few books have been of the thriller type. I can only hope that at some point he will slip in a book like Midwives and Close Your Eyes Hold Hands, which are my two absolute favorite Bohjalian books!

An excellent thriller with a large cast of characters, set partially in Vietnam, with lots of medical stuff thrown in for junkies like me. Definitely put it on your spring reading list.

Peril. Pathogens. Pandemic. The plot of this new thriller from Chris Bohjalian is timely and terrifying. A man disappears during a bike ride in Vietnam. His girlfriend finds herself alone in Vietnam with more questions than answers. She goes to the morgue to identify his dead body and notices an unusual puncture wound on the back of his right hand. The mystery continues once she is back in the states. Was his death really an accident? Has her boyfriend been lying about his past? Why was there a paper about rats and pathogens in his apartment? She hires a private detective and does not realize that her movements are being closely monitored. Meanwhile, back in Vietnam decisions the boyfriend made while in country have dire consequences. The pacing was a bit slow in the middle, but I still found this to be a relevant and somewhat alarming read.

Thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

You think you know someone...

Alexis met Austin in the ER on a Saturday night. She sutured a bullet wound in his arm and in the process learned that he also worked at the hospital but in another department. Six months later, Alexis accompanied Austin to Viet Nam on a biking tour but also for him to visit the places his father and uncle fought during the war.

But one night, Austin doesn't return from a solo ride. Unknown to her, he was approached by two men and taken. Alexis has no idea where he is or what happened to him, so naturally, she is extremely concerned and fears something bad has happened to him such as an accident, etc. She soon learns the "truth" the next day. But Alexis believes there is more to the story (which there is) and won't let things go. She is a doctor after all and what she sees is not consistent with what she has been told. hmmm

The book follows many characters with Alexis at its core with her search for the truth and putting herself in harm's way to get to that truth. So, what's the truth? You will have to read to find out!

Thus, this slow burn of a story. For me, this book started strong and ended strong, but the middle lagged for me. I wanted to give it a little nudge or push to get it moving just a little bit faster. The story was still interesting and kept me engaged albeit a slow engagement if you will. I found the writing to be strong and again, enjoyed the story but the slowness of it at times really brought my enjoyment down somewhat. Rats! I really wanted to love this one! is all I can say : )

I'm teetering between 3 and 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Alexis’s boyfriend disappears while biking during their vacation in Vietnam. Her devastation turns into confusion when she learns that Austin has been telling her small, seemingly innocent lies. Alexis’s search for the truth takes her back to the hospital where they both work. She realizes that everything from Austin’s previous trip to Vietnam, his interest in the hospital’s lab, and even the couple’s innocuous “meet-cute” is part of something much darker than she could imagine.

This book was just not for me! This might be a personal problem and I have a RAGING phobia about rats… which played a big role in this story. A major part of this plot was using disease transmission as biological warfare with rats as the carrier. But don’t let my crazy fears steer you away from trying this one! I did like getting in the protagonist’s head as she experienced grief, confusion, and conviction to get her questions answered. She and her supporting characters were well-developed, but I had WAY TOO MANY unanswered questions around the “villain”, who was one of the central characters. The bad guy’s motives were just NOT clear enough at all, and I walked away feeling confused about the character at the heart of this story.

Chris Bohjalian has written a gripping thriller about a timely subject--a pathogen that could cause a pandemic. Alexis, an ER doctor from Manhattan, is traveling in Vietnam on a bike tour with her boyfriend Austin when he disappears. Later when his body is found, it looks like he has met with a tragic accident, but Alexis is not quite ready to believe that and hires a private investigator to look into the mystery. It appears Austin may have been lying all along.

Bohjalian has a knack for pulling the reader right into his story which he unfolds at the perfect pace. An interesting array of characters, some of whom are decent, intelligent and hard working, some utterly despicable, a beautiful foreign setting, and an all too plausible, if frightening scenario make for a real page turner of a thriller.

"Lotus flower has been regarded as Vietnam's national flower. Lotus symbolizes the beauty, commitment, health, honor and knowledge. Lotus flowers grow from the muddy pond but their seed grow toward the direction of the sun light, which represent the purity of spirit."

I just hope I don't have nightmares about rats now!

I received an arc of this thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity!