I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This is a interesting book that keeps you intrigued until the end.

Some books entertain, some books educate, and some books even manage to enthral. There are also books that inspire, and some even succeed in leaving a lifetime impression, that will linger with the reader long after the last page is turned. "Beasts of the Night", the debut novel from Matejs Kalns, is that rare book that accomplishes ALL those feats, in the confines of a single novel.

The premise of "Beasts of the Night" involves a poignant, highly complex, and grimy topic, that of the horrors of human trafficking. The brilliant author, Kalns, expertly leads the reader into this dark, shadowy world with impeccable finesse. The book is a perfectly-paced thriller, packed with suspense, heart-stopping scenes, unexpected turns, and unforgettable characters. All the while, Kalns, in a very objective, non-judgemental way, casts light on the moral issues surrounding the trafficking world. The reader never feels that "Beasts of the Night" is a morality tale, but one cannot help having their heart strings pulled at the plight of gutsy eight-year old Mei, one of the primary characters, and at the plight of the those others trafficked, who fall victim to terrors of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse.

The story's protagonist, Quinton Mills, is a security consultant, who is all too familiar with the modern-day slave trade. He first encounters Mei as a child, and then years later springs into action when he learns she has been kidnapped.

Quinn is desperately searching for twelve year-old Mei who has been taken by human traffickers. She could be anywhere in the world enduring any number of horrors, and the longer she's gone, the worse her odds. This book is told from Quinn's point of view, with snippets of letters Mei wrote to him giving insight to her personality and their bond. This book was well-written and sheds light on the sobering scope of trafficking and its horrors. The pace is a little slow which intensifies the feeling of running out of time. The subject is difficult but it's worth the read.

A thousand thanks to @matejs.kalns @netgalley and @friesenpress for this insanely outstanding book 🥂👌🏼

This debut novel, Beasts of the Night, is out of the world, insanely good, full of heart, tense and wonderfully addictive! Follows Quinton Mills, a security consultant, from America. Who is on the hunt to save a beloved eight year old girl named, Mei, who goes missing in the middle of the night. We tag along side Mills from the deep jungles of Cambodia to the dark alleys of Thailand and all the way to the corruption and political tension in Egypt, where we learn about the involvement of rich pedophiles, low life roughnecks and government operatives, proving that human trafficking is not specific to one group in society but to every part of society.

Kalns knows how to get his readers to eat out of his hands, with this action packed page turner novel, which is difficult to put down once you start reading it. The story is full of twists and turns, allowing to bring forward tough and difficult questions to the table about human trafficking around the world.

Character development 10 out of 10. Quinton meets a wide cast of characters who helps him along the way. Kalns developed such strong characters which heightens the drama to the next level.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a heart racing, action packed, heart warming read! The novel need to be on everyone’s read list. I can’t see to see what else Kalns brings to the table with his next book!

Outstanding work!

This book deals with the terrible practice of human kidnapping and trafficking, specifically children, for the enjoyment and use of inescrupulosos uber rich adults who as true beasts inflict inimaginable pain and suffering to innocents.

In the book we read about the huge network of human trafficking that spans from Cambodia, Thailand to Egypt and learn about the involvement of government operatives, rich pedophiles and low life ruffians, showing us that the tentacles of human trafficking isn't specific to one social strata but part of levels of society.

This book is a page turner, it won't disappoint the reader.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

(3.5 stars, rounded up) Beasts of the Night is the story of Quinton Mills, a security consultant, and his race against time to find Mei, a young Cambodian girl whom he had met years earlier at a children's orphanage after she had escaped from her aunt's attempt to sell her. Mei has disappeared from the orphanage, and Quinton fears the worst: that she has been taken to be sold into the modern slave trade. Using his various connections and his own critical thinking, Quinton's search takes him from the back alleys of Bangkok to Cairo, and deeper into the horrifying world of human trafficking.

This debut novel is engaging, tense, and full of heart. Kalns was able to take a difficult and dense subject and make it a manageable story for the reader to take in and follow. Quinton is for the most part, a normal individual, and does not have any particular set of special skills that makes him qualified for this rescue endeavor. As a result, Quinton undertaking this task and actually making progress in it seems slightly unrealistic, but could also be viewed as the power of pure will and love.

Kalns' writing is extremely descriptive and successfully places the reader right in the middle of the scene he is setting. It includes a significant amount of explanation, exposition, and inner dialogue, which I liked because I do not know much about those areas of the world or the underworld of human trafficking. It also provided helpful insight into Quinton's thought process and motivation, which is important because that is the sole driving force behind the narrative. Even though we only met Mei briefly at the start of the book, Kalns fully fleshed out her spirit and Quinton's paternal love for her. Even with all narration, the story is fast-paced and exciting, and I became fully invested in Quinton's journey and Mei's fate.

Quinton meets a wide cast of characters who help him along the way and I found them enjoyable. Even if they were only minor roles, they each had a major impact on Quinton and you could tell Kalns was deliberate in his writing of these characters. A secondary character I particularly liked was Maha, as she was a smart and driven woman. She also gives a great lesson on Hatshepsut, and I'm always a sucker for a shout-out to one of my favorite Ancient Egyptian queens.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an intense, exciting, and heart-wrenching read. Although I caution that it handles very difficult subjects involving child sex trafficking and political unrest. Yet, even with this intense topic, Kalns is able to inject hope into this story that shines through the despondency.

In a world where so many terrible things happen, how do we balance cynicism and hope? Can one person really make a difference? What about when working in the international humanitarian field that's embroiled in bureaucracy?

This book, a story of child trafficking, raises these questions...and doesn't offer easy answers. It follows Quinn, an American, whose work in diplomatic circles has left him beaten down and drowning his sorrows in booze. The one light in his life is a Cambodian girl named Mei. When Mei goes missing, he journeys to the bright and dark corners of Cambodia, Thailand and Egypt to try to find her and to uncover a ring of sex traffickers.

Two of his women colleagues--Noi and Maha--provide balance to Quinn's point of view. They are both strong, savvy women, unforgettable characters.

Part mystery, part dark travelogue, the book has a noir vibe and a social conscience. It moves slowly at times, but the pacing fit the frustrations of the search. I couldn't put it down.

I read an advanced review copy; the book comes out December 1.

I really enjoyed going on this mystery with Quinton, I felt really bad for him and wanted him to succeed. This was a really good read with interesting characters.

This book narrates the story of a young girl, Mei who somehow escapes being sold to a stranger by her aunt. And then, goes missing years later.

Quinton Mills, a grouchy security consultant first met Mei when she was first rescued. He was captivated by her fighting spirit and became a part of life.

So, when she went missing, he knew he had to comb through several travel barriers, political issues and a network of corrupt connections to solve the mystery of her disappearance.

This took me a while to finish, mostly because it was very emotional and I had to pause multiple times to recover from the all the tension.

A definite MUST READ! Human trafficking is a huge business that affects not only the victims but everyone linked to them. It is a horror that just keeps growing - and many think it doesn't exist, or it exists someplace else. This book delves into a huge network of human trafficking involving Thailand, Cambodia, and ultimately Egypt, but linked to other countries as well. Very detailed and tense, the main character flawed yet driven, very human. Ultimately, that's what the book is about - the essence of humanity and lack thereof. and how people are affected by it. Many books are called "page turners" and this one really is.

Worth reading for the topic, and the writing is decent. I was interested in the descriptions of the various humanitarian problems, even though there was a lot of infodump rather than being incorporated into the story. The main character spent a lot of the book wandering around drunk and disoriented, or chatting with various people, which didn't make sense to me, since he was supposedly completely driven to find the girl. Restructuring would make it a lot more solid. That said, I did finish it, and I don't always. Worth a try if you're on the fence. Three stars for "average/fine," not great, not outstanding, but not too bad.