Bahau, the Elephant & the Ham
The Japanese Occupation of Singapore during the Second World War saw the lack of food on the island reach critical levels. This prompted the Japanese military administration to encourage civilians - mainly Chinese and Catholic Eurasians to start farming communes deep in the unforgiving Malayan jungle.
Largely inept at working the land, many Eurasians fell to disease and malnutrition. Others, unable to cope with the primitive living conditions, simply gave up the fight to survive. Bahau, the Elephant & the Ham charts with stark vividness and a touch of humour the day-to-day struggles of one family to endure against the odds. 
This is a true story of a young police inspector who finds himself out of a job during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore during World War II. He begins to fight back in his own way and is soon lured into joining an Allied spy ring.
Working in disguise, 22-year-old Halford Boudewyn is tasked to smuggle classified documents out from a POW camp which could prevent another major invasion planned by the Imperial Japanese Army. This book was written based to a large extent on a collection of notes Boudewyn left behind shortly before his death. Now for the first time, his complete story can be told.
REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
It was therefore with a sense of intrigue, pride and shame when I read about the exploits of Halford Boudewyn and the immense risks he undertook to liberate Singapore from the Japanese. Shame that I have never even heard of him prior to the book, pride at the heroism displayed by a local and intrigue as the war and the toil it had finally came to life for me – an effect that our emotionless textbooks which lacked any human element never aroused. The book also recounted the war from a Eurasian perspective – something that is clearly under represented in our historical accounts. – by Ghui, The Online Citizen  | |||
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From the deadly attacks on US embassies in Africa to the Bali bombings to 9-11 – these have left the world reeling in shock and fear. Horrific as these bloody terrorist operations were, they were in essence nothing more than just random strikes without any real long-term agenda.
But what if lurking in the shadows now was an even more sinister force – one intent on world domination at any cost. Following a script almost as old as time itself, it would put religion and politics on an inevitable collision course blurring forever the lines of good and evil.
From Washington, to Jerusalem’s sacred Temple Mount to the hallowed halls of the Vatican, the final struggle for global conquest has been set in motion – the advent to Judgement Day is upon us.
REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
This is certainly one of the more interesting thrillers I've come across recently. It had a good and engaging plot which left me guessing how it would evolve. - Jason on Good Reads.com
Advent is a gem of a novel - it has an intriguing plot which develops quickly without the distracting fluff so common in many modern day thrillers - Khalid Yusoff on Good Reads.com
This is a thrilling book. A must read. Very cleverly written and the use of Biblical references relevant to the unfolding plot which keeps you in suspense right up to the end. - Karen on Amazon.co.uk
| YEAR OF THE TIGER | |||
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During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army under General Tomoyuki Yamashita looted untold amounts of gold and other valuables from across its occupied colonies in Southeast Asia to finance the empire’s ongoing military expansion. But when the tide of war turned against Japan in 1943, much of this treasure had to be buried in secret. Over the decades, the search for the legendary Yamashita’s Gold had been in vain until now ...
A group of foreign workers digging a tunnel under the Padang in present-day Singapore stumbled across one treasure vault and inadvertently triggered a biological booby trap. An unknown strain of anthrax was released threatening a global holocaust. It is now up to a special team of investigators in Singapore to decipher a cryptic clue left behind with the loot to halt this deadly plague.
YEAR OF THE TIGER released in August 2012, has remained on the Top 10 International Bestsellers List at Kinokuniya Singapore for one year between December 31, 2012 and December 29, 2013
REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
As someone who has history flowing through his veins so to speak, I found that this unusual take on what happened to Yamashita's Treasure to be both plausible and somewhat frightening. - John Thomas, London, UK
One the best action thriller novels that I have come across in recent years. Even though it is a work a fiction, the book shows an enormous amount of research weaved into the story and clearly presented for the reader to digest. - Scott Thomson, USA
I have never read anything pertaining to this subject matter about Singapore or it's history. The story also delves into the frightening world of biological warfare and this is a very current issue we all are concerned about. - Linda E, USA
A fantastic journey through time and history. A fictional tale of cryptic messages, political intrigue and bio-terrorism makes for a phenomenal read. - Lynn Luckey, Illinois,USA
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I hope there are more books written that are based in Singapore. Year of the Tiger was thoroughly entertaining.- Violet Crush, Singapore
On the surface, it seems to be nothing more than just a bio-terrorism thriller. However the book explores many deep-seated issues that plague Singapore and it captures the different facets of Singapore society. - Suffian Hakim, Singapore, as reported in The New Paper (March 18 2014)
One thing for certain, this is fast-paced page-turner. I’d say this comes pretty close to what I think can be THE Singapore relic thriller. - Lovelyloey, Singapore
Click here to read these and other reviews.
One thing for certain, this is fast-paced page-turner. I’d say this comes pretty close to what I think can be THE Singapore relic thriller. - Lovelyloey, Singapore
Click here to read these and other reviews.
