Meet Ava Lee -- the smartest, most stylish heroine in crime fiction since Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salandar -- in the first installment of the wildly popular Ava Lee novels.

Ava Lee is a young Chinese-Canadian forensic accountant, who specializes in recovering massive debts and works for an elderly Hong Kong-based "Uncle," who may or may not have ties to the triads. At 115 lbs., she hardly seems a threat. But her razor-sharp intelligence and unorthodox rules of engagements allow her to succeed where traditional methods have failed.

In The Water Rat of WanchaiAva is persuaded to help an old friend of Uncle's, whose nephew is owed $5 million from a seafood company that was producing cooked shrimp for a major U.S. retailer. The deal went sideways. The money disappeared.

On a journey that takes her to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Guyana, and the British Virgin Islands, Ava encounters everything from the Thai katoey culture to corrupt but helpful law enforcers. But it's in Guyana where she meets her match: Captain Robbins, a godfather-like figure who controls the police, politicians, and criminals alike. In exchange for his help, Robbins decides he wants a piece of Ava's $5 million action and will do whatever it takes to get his fair share...