Smoking Hero

Ayutthaya, 1633. Beneath the glittering wealth of one of Asia's greatest trading capitals, two great martial sects are locked in a struggle for power-the Brahma Pavilion, guardian of the royal court, and the Freedom Manor, commanding the southern and coastal trade routes with deep ties to foreign communities. Between them, three hundred thousand souls live and die by whichever faction's shadow falls over their street that day-a rivalry entangled with the real political currents of the era, from the intrigues of the Ayutthaya court to the ambitions of foreign powers reaching far beyond Siam's shores. Into this storm walks Mek, hunting the man who murdered his master. But the killer he seeks answers to forces far larger than one man's vengeance, and every step toward the truth drags Mek deeper into a conspiracy neither faction will let him walk away from-one bound as much to old love and betrayal as to blood and power. A wuxia epic that trades the Central Plains for Siamese soil, Smoking Hero blends real Ayutthaya-era history with sword, poison, romance, and political intrigue-the capital's most opulent restaurants and lucrative trade concessions, a courtesan's quiet devotion behind the walls of the brothel, loyalty bought and betrayal repaid in kind. Two volumes. One reckoning.