The Red Lotus: A Novel

The Red Lotus: A Novel

  • Downloads：2921
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-01-08 04:20:52
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Chris Bohjalian
  • ISBN：9780525565963
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Editor Reviews

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR:
THE FREE LANCE-STAR • AMAZON • BOOKBUB

“Diabolical。 。 。 。 Propulsive。 。 。 。 Unexpectedly moving。 。 。 。 Bohjalian is a pleasure to read。” —Sarah Lyall， The New York Times Book Review

“A tense and timely thriller。” —People

“Full of surprises。 。 。 。 Unexpected revelations extend to the final sentence。” —Tom Nolan， The Wall Street Journal
 
“The perfect mystery。” —Fiona Davis， Travel + Leisure

“Both prescient and diverting。 Bohjalian specializes in well-researched， topical thrillers with complex plots and flawed but principled heroes。” —Suzanne Berne， The Washington Post
 
“A mesmerizing tale， a timely sociopolitical-business story with human frailties， illusions， disillusions， and strengths firmly at its center。” —Daneet Steffens， The Seattle Review of Books
 
“Ominous。 。 。 。 An edge-of-your-seat thriller。 。 。 。 Oh-so-timely。” —Amanda St。 Amand， St。 Louis Post-Dispatch
 
“This gripping mystery takes all kinds of thrilling twists and turns。 A great read。” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Bohjalian can always be counted on to deliver an engrossing plot and characters who keep you on the edge of your seat just as much。” —Wendy Midgal， The Free Lance-Star
 
“[Bohjalian] possesses one of the best-tuned antennas in contemporary fiction for absorbing the troubles， forces， terrors， fortunes， and， yes， plagues that turn the world。 。 。 。 Bohjalian’s plots race at the speed of a 747， but there’s no skimming in the complexity or depth of his subject matter [or] precision of his research。” —Chris Bollen， Interview
 
“A bio-horror tale à la The Andromeda Strain and The Hot Zone。” —Bookreporter。com
 
“You’ll keep flipping pages， discover new complex characters， see the mysterious situation from different points of view—and you’ll be surprised at each well-plotted turn。” —Katie Yee， Literary Hub
 
“A globe-spanning adventure， one that combines international intrigue with the high-adrenaline， high-pressure realm of the big city emergency room。 It’s a book that sets the healers against those who would do harm， the selfless against the selfish。” —Allen Adams， The Maine Edge
 
“With his usual strong plotting and well-conceived characters， Bohjalian’s story unfolds slowly and with terrific pacing。” —Alan Rosenberg， The Providence Journal
 
“A must-read global thriller。 。 。 。 Hits Bohjalian’s trademark notes of intricate plot， in-depth research， high tension， and unexpected turns—with a very timely dose of pathogens and biological weapons—in a twisting story of love and deceit。” —Mystery Tribune
 
“[An] intricately plotted thriller。 。 。 。 A diabolical plot。 。 。 。 Each character， including secondary players， is carefully drawn， and Bohjalian keeps the tension high all the way to the surprising finale。” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Tantalizing。 。 。 。 Bohjalian manages to keep us guessing and turning pages until the very end。” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“In this tightly drawn， steadily hair-raising thriller， Bohjalian once again demonstrates his keen affinity for strong， capable female protagonists。” —Carol Haggas， Booklist

From the Publisher

Reviews

Anita L ，

Fast paced and full of questions， I loved this book。 The medical side was equally fascinating and disgusting—rats！ This book does deal with disease and discussion of pandemics and plague， I’m sure Mr Bohjalian had not idea how close fiction would come to reality。 Don’t miss this book！

Claudette Germain ，

A chilling and slow burn book。 Story very relevant in today’s pandemic times。 I had few OMG moments。 Overall a good book with a sad ending。

Kornelis Keeshond ，

Amazingly timely but I know the author started his research several years ago。。and of course being chris bohjalian it was extremely well researched！Read it and see， no spoilers。。

Patricia ，

I really enjoy Chris Bohjalian's books - there's always a surprising element at the end。 I really enjoy Chris Bohjalian's books - there's always a surprising element at the end。 。。。more

Diane ，

A breathless thriller， the death of an American bicyclist in Vietnam sets off a race to avert further catastrophe！ A real page turner， with an unexpected plot。

Shahrin ，

At first I did not like the book。 Around Chapter 10 is when I became more interested in the outcome of the main character Alexis。 This is because the author offers a more in-depth look into the main character’s perspective as a doctor， reveals how she puts together a diagnosis everyday and uses pattern recognition to her advantage to help her patients。 This same skill is applied to finding answers for her boyfriend。 I agree with the author’s choice to use a removed narrative and give the reader At first I did not like the book。 Around Chapter 10 is when I became more interested in the outcome of the main character Alexis。 This is because the author offers a more in-depth look into the main character’s perspective as a doctor， reveals how she puts together a diagnosis everyday and uses pattern recognition to her advantage to help her patients。 This same skill is applied to finding answers for her boyfriend。 I agree with the author’s choice to use a removed narrative and give the reader insights that Alexis does not know until towards the end of the book。 I also didn’t appreciate the science peppered throughout the book until well into the chapter 20-something in the book and how this built up the tempo and suspense in the book。 The chapters are also divided into multiple perspectives of Alexis， Douglas， Ken， Austin Harper， and his boss Gleason。 This was also done well。 I could see this being adapted into a movie quite well with very little changes in the screenplay。 Plot is strong development sound， and the science just reputable enough to hold water for a wide audience。 My only issue with the book was that it took me a long time to care about Alexis。 There was very little “pathos” or desire for me to be invested in her even with her back story involving her father。 It was a “slow burn” for that reason but otherwise I wish I had devoted a whole day or weekend to this book so that the suspense/thriller/mystery aspects could have hooked me sooner？ That’s all I’ll say so as not to spoil it for others。 。。。more

Joanne Repinecz ，

This is the 3rd book I have read by this author。 It’s my favorite so far - great book！ Would make a great movie！

Nicole Siemers ，

Would give more like 3。7 stars lol。 Hell of a scary concept and one I don't necessarily want to think about ever。 Very relevant read considering the pandemic we are in Would give more like 3。7 stars lol。 Hell of a scary concept and one I don't necessarily want to think about ever。 Very relevant read considering the pandemic we are in 。。。more

Karen ，

Alexis joins her boyfriend， Austin on a biking tour in VietNam。 Working in the ER she met him while treating a wound and they hit it off。 When they finish the tour and prepare to head back to the US， Austin goes on a solo ride and is long overdue in returning。 As the story unfolds， the author weaves the history， culture， and war into a fast-paced thriller。 Who exactly is Austin？ Did Alexis ever really know him？ Has he been hiding something from her？ These questions surface as an investigation be Alexis joins her boyfriend， Austin on a biking tour in VietNam。 Working in the ER she met him while treating a wound and they hit it off。 When they finish the tour and prepare to head back to the US， Austin goes on a solo ride and is long overdue in returning。 As the story unfolds， the author weaves the history， culture， and war into a fast-paced thriller。 Who exactly is Austin？ Did Alexis ever really know him？ Has he been hiding something from her？ These questions surface as an investigation begins。 As we have lived through the 2020 pandemic， this book seems less like fiction and more like real life。I listened to this on audiobook and engaged with the story。 Off to a great start with a thriller in my 2021 reading goals。 。。。more

Jorie Mark ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It is eerie that this book was published in mid-March， when the pandemic hit NYC with full force。 Great novel—beautiful， insightful， and terrifyingly prescient。

Mel Raschke ，

Once again this was a well written novel。 Characters are vivid and believable。

Andrianna ，

Oof。 First - this was a very compelling book！ I was drawn in quickly and stayed engaged。 But a quick word of caution - there's a pandemic storyline。 A year ago that wouldn't have phased me but reading this at the end of 2020 was a bit rough。 I still recommend it， but I think potential readers should be aware。 Also - there are some graphic descriptions of dead bodies （animal and human）。 It's not overly frequent but it does occur a few times。 Oof。 First - this was a very compelling book！ I was drawn in quickly and stayed engaged。 But a quick word of caution - there's a pandemic storyline。 A year ago that wouldn't have phased me but reading this at the end of 2020 was a bit rough。 I still recommend it， but I think potential readers should be aware。 Also - there are some graphic descriptions of dead bodies （animal and human）。 It's not overly frequent but it does occur a few times。 。。。more

Debbie Swanson ，

A perfect thriller to read in the midst of a global pandemic。 Classic Bojalian。

Ichiban186 ，

Couldn’t finish。 Intriguing premise， but felt that author was being paid by the word。 Repetitive- yes we know Austin lied; how many hundreds of times must that be relayed？ Tedious， repetitive descriptions that enhanced nothing。 Redundant。 The plot was lost in all the superfluous minutiae。 What a shame。

Susan ，

Finally， a mystery/thriller that didn't involve sexual assault or manipulation of teen and young adult girls！ The setting of Vietnam and biohazards was a change of pace and very interesting。 I am not completely sure of the ending and who was on whose side。 （view spoiler）[ What was the deal with Austin's boss and the dart player？ Whose side was she on， and what was her goal？ Also， I thought the epilogue would be hopeful， so was disappointed with the very negative ending， but maybe that's just me Finally， a mystery/thriller that didn't involve sexual assault or manipulation of teen and young adult girls！ The setting of Vietnam and biohazards was a change of pace and very interesting。 I am not completely sure of the ending and who was on whose side。 （view spoiler）[ What was the deal with Austin's boss and the dart player？ Whose side was she on， and what was her goal？ Also， I thought the epilogue would be hopeful， so was disappointed with the very negative ending， but maybe that's just me in 2020。 （hide spoiler）]Warning: If you don't want to read anything that may remind you of the 2020 pandemic， stay away from this book！ 。。。more

Penny ，

Scary how relaxant the story line is to today’s pandemic。 Alexis is a nurse who treats a gun shot would in the ER。 She gets involved with Austin and he takes her to Vietnam， ostensibly to visit where his uncle died and father was “wounded” during the Vietnam war。 He is killed and a plot to create a viral pandemic is uncovered。 It was a very easy read and kept my attention throughout although after awhile， the surprise factor diminished and it was a little too predictable。

Jane ，

Excellent。 Well written。 There is a spoiler here。 The main character is interestingly flawed。 Solves mystery through her brain power。 Vietnamese characters are well rounded， speak good English， and are intelligent。 The first bad guy is unexpected but revelations reveal his character， the worse bad guy has no redeeming traits which to me makes him not as well written as the other characters。

Michele Perkins ，

3。5 for me。 I liked parts of this book and I didn't care for other parts。 So much lies and deceit。 I remember reading a few other books by Bohjalian and I loved them and this one I thought was different。 Interesting how this was published in March 2020 on the beginning of a global pandemic。 Good story and kept me involved but not my favorite Bohjalian novel ever written。 3。5 for me。 I liked parts of this book and I didn't care for other parts。 So much lies and deceit。 I remember reading a few other books by Bohjalian and I loved them and this one I thought was different。 Interesting how this was published in March 2020 on the beginning of a global pandemic。 Good story and kept me involved but not my favorite Bohjalian novel ever written。 。。。more

Charlotte Rau ，

3。75

Lenoire ，

When Alexis met her boyfriend， Austin， it was on a Saturday night。 They didn't meet at a bar but， in an emergency room where Alexis treated a bullet wound in Austin's arm。 Six months later， the pair decided to travel to Vietnam on a bike tour。 Alexis feels that Austin might be the one and decides to accompany Austin to Vietnam。 Austin wanted to pay his respects to the place where his father and uncle fought in the war。 Alexis is back at their hotel room waiting for him to return from his solo ri When Alexis met her boyfriend， Austin， it was on a Saturday night。 They didn't meet at a bar but， in an emergency room where Alexis treated a bullet wound in Austin's arm。 Six months later， the pair decided to travel to Vietnam on a bike tour。 Alexis feels that Austin might be the one and decides to accompany Austin to Vietnam。 Austin wanted to pay his respects to the place where his father and uncle fought in the war。 Alexis is back at their hotel room waiting for him to return from his solo ride。 She becomes worried as the night progresses and she hears nothing from Austin。 The police arrive to the hotel and tells Alexis that Austin has disappeared。 The only thing they have found is a yellow energy gel pack that he dropped on the side of the road。 As Alexis tries to deal with her loss， she faces new uncertainties while dealing with the FBI， Austin's parents， and his colleagues at work。 She uncovers a strange series of seemingly benign lies that forces her to wonder if she even knew Austin at all。I usually read books during my lunch break and I found this book to be quite disgusting and off putting。 One of the characters was obsessed with rats and went into too much detail than I felt was necessary。 I found the plot to be boring， slow moving， and predictable while， the characters to be very dull。 This was my first book by the author and probably the last。 。。。more

Melissa ，

3。5 I mostly really liked this， but there was a really stupid （unrealistic） part that lingered through the whole book。 It didn't spoil the book， though it was used for the final climactic scene at the end。 3。5 I mostly really liked this， but there was a really stupid （unrealistic） part that lingered through the whole book。 It didn't spoil the book， though it was used for the final climactic scene at the end。 。。。more

Sis3 ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Fast and furious read。 Set in Vietnam on a bike tour trip。 The boyfriend is found murdered and the girlfriend has to figure out why and how。 Thriller！ I love the way it dovetailed into the pharma wars and pandemics and rat study。。。perfect timing to read this while COVID is going on。 Questions about morality and study of vaccines and pathogens for overall good vs。 bad。 I loved it！

Marge Cree ，

I think it was a little too long。 The plot was interesting。

Barbara （The Bibliophage） ，

Originally published on my book blog， TheBibliophage。com。3。5 stars rounded upThe Red Lotus is another strong entry in the mystery / thriller genre from Chris Bohjalian。 And this time， he chose an oddly prescient topic for a 2020 release。 The story centers around Alexis Remnick， a New York City ER doctor。 She’s on a bicycling trip to Vietnam with her boyfriend of six months， Austin Harper。 He works in the same hospital as Alexis， but in the “development” area， which is better known as fundraising Originally published on my book blog， TheBibliophage。com。3。5 stars rounded upThe Red Lotus is another strong entry in the mystery / thriller genre from Chris Bohjalian。 And this time， he chose an oddly prescient topic for a 2020 release。 The story centers around Alexis Remnick， a New York City ER doctor。 She’s on a bicycling trip to Vietnam with her boyfriend of six months， Austin Harper。 He works in the same hospital as Alexis， but in the “development” area， which is better known as fundraising。 He’s known as a sales guy who can convince anyone to buy。 As we join the story， she waits poolside for Austin while he takes a solo ride to pay tribute to his dad and uncle who served in Vietnam。 Alexis waits and waits。 And he never returns。Although the authorities consider his death an accident on the road， Alexis just can’t let go。 Her medical training and persistent personality push her deeper into the possibilities。 And Bohjalian tells parts of the story from her perspective。 But we also learn other aspects of what happened from different characters。 Bohjalian combines aspects of science， medicine， and good old-fashioned gumshoe detective work。 As a result， he doles out the whodunit component in The Red Lotus more quickly than the “why-dun-it” plot line。 And it’s here that the book becomes most chilling in 2020。My conclusionsAfter watching a variety of Anthony Bourdain shows about the culture and food in Vietnam， I admit it sounds like an amazing place to visit。 And Bohjalian makes it even more attractive。 Well， mostly。 There’s just this one thing that’s a holdover from war-era Agent Orange and napalm。 And now in The Red Lotus’s world， evil people try to use the learned science for ill rather than for good。At a busy time of year， I still carved out plenty of time to read this book。 It pulled me in quickly。 I found the twists legitimate and the characters compelling。 I really only have one complaint—I thought some of the ER / hospital scenes and timelines were unrealistic。 But overall， this story moves like a bicycle careening down a steep hill。 You just have to hold tight to the handlebars and hope you don’t hit a rock， which would send you end over end。Pair with another creative Bohjalian book， like The Flight Attendant。 （BTW， we thought the HBO Max adaptation of this one was pretty good。） Or venture into something more about refugees from the Vietnam War， like The Sympathizer。 。。。more

Sarah ，

4。5 starsReally interesting plot （though even I， the worst mystery solver ever， figured out a few twists before they were revealed in the book）。 Timely。

Kathy Carr ，

The Red Lotus was a compelling， unputdownable listen！ If you enjoy mystery， thriller， romance & medical biological warfare， you will enjoy this book！ The author also created a haunting sense of impending disaster & the listener will remember for some time！

Michelle ，

4/5

Betsy ，

Enjoyable suspense novel。

Sally ，

A pretty good thriller， and a satisfying read。 I'd give it 3。5。 A pretty good thriller， and a satisfying read。 I'd give it 3。5。 。。。more

Penny Mills ，

Not my favorite by this author but still a good read！

Hannah ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 accidentally starting a book about a pandemic was not the reprieve from the pandemic I needed。 would not recommend。