Damon Rose, former Saikunger, was a recent (November) finalist in the International Proverse Prize for new authors in Hong Kong. His first book, called The Handover Murders, features Sai Kung, where a lot of the fictional action takes place. The prize itself was for unpublished new authors of fiction and Damon got to the last four, with the prize being that his book was published.
The main events of The Handover Murders are set against the volatile political situation in 1997 Hong Kong, immediately before, the same day as and shortly after the handover of sovereignty of the British colony to the Peoples’ Republic of China. Intertwined with this, a story from the past unrolls against a changing backdrop: the Japanese invasion and occupation of Hong Kong during WWII, the influx of refugees from mainland China, and 1960s and 1970s corruption in the Hong Kong Civil Service.
The book is Damon Rose’s first novel and draws on his twenty years as a professional diver and thirteen years working in Hong Kong including around the time of the handover, an event which shaped the history of Hong Kong, and his own life.
Damon was born in Belper, Derbyshire, England in 1971. He currently resides in Alicante, Spain, with his wife Ieva and his two children Adam and Lucy, He enjoys history, travel and Spanish studies. He and his wife are expecting another baby very soon.
The book is available at Kidnapped in town, or on Amazon.
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