Arthur Ellis Award–winner Hamilton, in his solid 12th novel featuring diminutive but deadly Ava Lee (after The Goddess Yantai), centers the story on a gang war in Hong Kong, where once dominant Sammy Wing and his vicious nephew, Carter Wing, are trying to take back power now wielded by Xu, "Ava's closest male friend," who heads the triads in Shanghai. Xu himself is ill, and his Hong Kong deputy, Lop, was wounded in an assassination attempt, so it's up to Ava to coordinate the gang's response to the insurgents. She must be careful not to attract the attention of the police or the Communist government, but she also must defend the gang's honor as forcefully as necessary. As in The Godfather, strict professional decorum is mixed with cold brutality, as when Ava meets the Wings in an upscale restaurant to negotiate the release of kidnapped members of Xu's gang and is presented with a box of severed fingers. Hamilton provides a fascinating peek into a disturbingly glamorous world. (July)