I would like to introduce you to the Author Garrett Hutson who has written three series–Death in Shanghai, Tales of the Bohemian Resistance, and Spy Catcher. I’d like to share the information on his book because will be reviewing one of the books The Jade Dragon soon. If you’ve read any of the books listed please leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of the book. Inside this post are my affiliate links if you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the items you purchase.
The Death in Shanghai series are murder mysteries set in 1930s Shanghai. The “Paris of the Orient” was the place to be, with glittering nightlife, bustling business, and a diverse international community. But it was also rife with corruption, where drug lords had ties to the highest levels of government. The stories revolve around Doug Bainbridge, an American expat fluent in multiple Chinese languages, and his freewheeling and fun-loving friends.
There are currently four novels in the series:
- The Jade Dragon – Douglas Bainbridge, Office of Navel Intelligence, is beginning a two-year immersion in 1935 Shanghai when he runs into Tim McIntyre, a childhood friend from San Francisco who is now a reporter. While enjoying a show at The Jade Dragon, Tim never returns from intermission, and Doug finds Tim’s body in an alley. The police dismiss it as a robbery gone bad, but Doug knows there was more to it. He soon learns that in Shanghai, danger lurks around every dark corner.
- Assassin’s Hood – a series of assassinations of Japanese nationals has rocked 1936 Shanghai, and Doug finds himself in the middle of it when he is unwittingly pulled into intrigue by a Chinese friend. Can he figure out who is really behind these murders, or will tensions continue to escalate to armed conflict? And can he save Wong Mei-ling from execution for a murder she didn’t commit?
- No Accidental Death – when war breaks out between China and Japan in 1937, Doug is assigned to observe maneuvers of the Japanese marines in Shanghai. But when one of the seamen from Doug’s ship is found murdered at the edge of the battleground, Doug is reassigned to find Nick Bonadio’s killer. Nick wasn’t a popular fellow, and several people had reasons to want him dead. Can Doug solve Nick’s murder before the killer comes for him?
- The Pink Lotus – A man is thrown from a third-story window while Doug and his friends are enjoying the entertainment at a glitzy all-night cabaret and gambling hall in the “Shanghai Badlands.” When Stuart is found next to the body moments after arguing with the victim, he becomes the prime suspect. To clear him, Doug has to find the real killer. But while the Japanese occupation has rid Shanghai of its notorious criminal gangs, dangerous new operatives have filled the vacuum in the new “Badlands.” Doug must tread carefully if he and his friends are to survive in the new Shanghai.
The Spy Catcher series are old-fashioned thriller novels (more suspense than explosions and car chases) that follow the exploits of Martin Schuller, a principled and cerebral American spy-catcher working against Nazi plots during World War 2. This was a period when the U.S. was just beginning to build a functioning intelligence operation, so men like Martin had to make a lot of stuff up as they went along. Martin is a complicated anti-hero with a lot of personal baggage, but a strong moral compass, and a determination to prevent Nazism from taking over the world.
There are currently three novels in the series:
- Hidden Among Us – set in the eastern U.S. in 1939, Martin must locate a Nazi spy ring hiding in plain sight, to stop their poisonous propaganda and prevent them from stealing military secrets. Martin is set on a collision course with FBI Special Agent Reginald Sloan, who interferes with Martin’s investigation at every turn. Meanwhile, Martin’s marriage is falling apart. Can he keep the career he loves without losing his family, or being pushed aside by the FBI? As war looms on the horizon, can Martin identify Der Skilaufer before he compromises a secret American military project?
- Spy Tango – Argentina, 1940. After disobeying an order from the Chief Special Agent, Martin has been exiled to the American Embassy in Buenos Aires, where he has to work with his FBI nemesis, Reginald Sloan. When Martin discovers a smuggling operation sneaking war materiel from Argentine mines to the Third Reich in violation of the Americas Security Zone, he gets back to pursuing Nazi spies. When the world teeters on the brink of Nazi domination, stopping the smugglers takes on new urgency. Can he help save the world without getting caught in dangerous local entanglements? And can he keep his children out of the middle of it?
- The Swiss Conspiracy – someone is assassinating Swiss colonels and blaming the communists. The U.S. government suspects a deeper plot, and Martin is sent to Switzerland to go undercover and find out. But Switzerland in 1941 is not all it appears. Delving beneath the serene exterior, Martin finds a secretive world of right-wing organizations, idealistic student activists, banks full of Nazi gold, and competing foreign agents. Can he stop the conspirators from taking down the Swiss government in one bold stroke?
Fans of the Spy Catcher series should also check out the Tales of the Bohemian Resistance series. Set in WW2 France, it shares characters with the Spy Catcher stories: one of the major characters is mentioned in Hidden Among Us, and one of the minor characters plays a significant role in The Swiss Conspiracy. The series chronicles the adventures of Oliver Carmichael and his bohemian friends as they resist the fascist forces ruling France, and work clandestinely to aid the Allied cause. This series is my most thoroughly LGBT story line, and I really love it.
There are currently two books in the series:
- Gray Paree – American musician Oliver Carmichael loves the freedom and intellectual stimuation of Paris and his eclectic group of bohemian friends. But when the Germans march into Paris in 1940, and several of his friends join the resistance, his life is turned upside down. Then an officer from the American embassy asks Oliver to keep them informed of his friends’ resistance activities, and he is torn. Once in, there is no way out. As the Gestapo and their allies in the French police close in, can Oliver save his friends without losing his own life or freedom?
- Each Hidden Passage – In 1942 France, the unoccupied “Zone Libre” is anything but free. Oliver has settled in Lyon after his hurried escape from occupied Paris and owns his own cabaret; but his destiny is not his own when a French bureaucrat uses Oliver’s past to coerce him into meeting with an agent of the Free French. Frank Dryden enlists Oliver in the “secret war” against the Vichy regime, and Oliver teams up with his friends in the Resistance to prepare France for liberation from the Fascist forces allied with Hitler. But a fanatical captain of the paramilitary SOL is determined to stop them at any cost.
The Author has stated he will continue to add books to these series, and he is also working on some standalone historical novels set in other eras–so follow along in my monthly newsletters for progress updates, cover reveals, and release dates.
This information was brought to us by Garrett Hutson
Meet the Author: Garrett Hutson
Garrett Hutson writes upmarket mysteries and historical spy fiction, driven by characters who are moving and unforgettable. He lives in Indianapolis with his husband, three adorable dogs, one odd-ball cat, and more fish than you can count. You can usually find him reading about history, and day-dreaming about being there. This is where his stories are born, and he hopes they transport you the way his imagination transports him.
Look for him on Twitter (@GarrettBHutson) and Facebook (Garrett Hutson Author). You can contact him or sign up for his monthly newsletter on his website
The best place to find more information is at my website. I also have a Contact option there, so you can drop me a line with any questions, and I’ll get back with you as soon as possible.
You can find my books in your preferred formats (print, ebook, audio) almost anywhere you buy books (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play Books, Smashwords, through your local independent bookstore, etc.), or at your local library.
You can follow me on Amazon and/or Bookbub, and they’ll send you New Release alerts and Pre-Order alerts whenever I have a new book listed.
I’m not super active on social media, but I do have a presence on Facebook and Twitter. From time-to-time, I’ll post historical photographs on my Facebook page that are relevant to my stories. I post them there because it’s not easy to send photos via email without getting relegated to the Junk/Spam folder, and we wouldn’t want that.
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
Thank you,
