What do readers think of Hunters in the Dark by Lawrence Osborne? Write your own review.

Lawrence Osborne did a wonderful job in keeping you guessing of who was going to be the next victim in this game of passing identities and bad karma. The author did an interesting job of incorporating the history of the territory into the story. Hunters in the Dark is a great title for this story in how it represents the emotions and the histories of the characters.

A combination mystery and tale of finding oneself in the lands of Cambodia and Laos, where ghosts and demons are an integral part of their everyday lives. A British citizen, who is a teacher who usually vacations over his off time finds himself wondering where should he be in life as he travels the country side in the far east. Meeting an American expatriate who convinces him what he needs to do is basically find himself. Complications arise, murders ensue, lust overwhelms our teacher as one is never sure of the outcome till the very end. The author's writing style is very deep full of exciting imagery, mixed metaphors, and quest to combine the modern world with the ancient of the far east. This book represents a very different approach to often banal novels where one tries to discover oneself. Cultures are examined through the eyes of people with varied experiences in life from the atrocities of Pol Pot and the Khmer rouge, communists, disaffected Americans, Buddhists, and a very staid Englishman. Have your dictionary near and Wikipedia available

A disturbing book. Leaves one with the feeling that there is little hope for future generations or, indeed, for any generation. At least in the part of the world depicted in Hunters in the Dark. Perhaps Southeast Asia is a magnet for the disenchanted but the lack of morality and rampant corruption make it a very dangerous destination. Especially for those barangs without purpose or awareness.

It is clear that the author is intimately familiar with Cambodia/Viet Nam and the people living and visiting in the countries. His way of writing the story makes it seem like the reader is there. He portrays the psyche and way of life as if he were a native, but with a distance that sees characters from both the Western and Asian perspectives.

It was a difficult book to put down. I wanted to know what devious twist would happen next. The main character was almost like the often mentioned 'ghosts' - floating from one situation to another and, somehow, coming out relatively unscathed.

"Karma swirled around all things, lending them destinies over which mere desire had no control. It made one's little calculations irrelevant."

Osborne's simplistic yet stunning prose slowly guides the peruser through an intricate narrative. Richly atmospheric, the humidity, culture, food along with traditions and people of Cambodia seep through the pages. Characters are slowly undressed as their paths intersect - greed, corruption, the quest to reinvent oneself, survival all palpable through our fully fleshed protagonists. The resigned pace highlights details otherwise unnoticed. As we voluntarily meander through our journey we reach our destination which quickly turns from shades of gray to the deepest of ebony. A smattering of noir mixed with intrigue, twists and the occult leave you adequately satisfied.

I'm sorry this novel is finished. When I first started HUNTERS IN THE DARK I didn't connect to the characters or the environment, and I seriously considered not continuing, but then Mr. Osbourne's magic with the written word hooked me. I found myself reading snippets whenever I could find the time. Though I still find myself less than enchanted with the core cast, I think my time well invested because the author is damned good. I will more than likely look up his other titles. By the way, that was a great cover choice.

I must admit it took a while to become engrossed in this book. The story is based in Southeast Asia, a part of the world I am not overly familiar with. At first the almost overly descriptive writing was wearing thin on me, but I became so interested in the story that I realized all of the description is a necessary part of the story

'Hunters in the Dark' is a very noir thriller that takes place primarily in Cambodia. Robert Grieve is an Englishman who is dissatisfied with his teaching career and his place in life. Simon goes to Thailand during his summer vacation and wins $2000 in a casino. He then travels to Cambodia and meets Simon, another Barang (white man). Despite a warning from his cab driver that Simon is not a good man, Robert spends the night at his house and, after carousing with opium and alcohol, finds himself on an outbound boat the next morning. His backpack containing the money is not with him and he is dressed in Simon's dapper clothes. Where is the ship headed and what will happen to Robert? The book explores these questions in a very character-driven and thrilling way.

This took a little bit of tenacity to get through the first 60-75 pages, but if you'll be patient you'll be handsomely rewarded! Highly reminiscent of Graham Greene novels, this book was a very different type of thriller. Once I got into the meat of the plot, I was hooked. The characters, many of whom only made brief appearances here and there, were well developed and the plot tied them together very nicely at the end. Not having visited that area myself, I found the infinite travel details a little distracting, but in the end, they contributed to the overall "feel" of the story. My only criticism would be, editorially, I would tighten up the first part of the book to make sure the reader is hooked earlier on. I can count on one hand the number of books I have not finished and this one was well on the way to being another of those if the plot hadn't kicked in when it did.