Eating Smoke by Chris Thrall
The Blurb:
‘WAS THIS THE WORK OF THE TRIADS OR THE DRUGS? BECAUSE IT SEEMED EVERYTHING IN WAN CHAI, INDEED EVEN HONG KONG, HAD A SECRET SET OF PULLEYS, CABLES AND MOTORS LINKING IT ALL UP LIKE AN ENORMOUS PINBALL MACHINE OR A CITY-SIZED VERSION OF THE GHOST HOUSE AT THE FAIR.’
Chris Thrall left the Royal Marine Commandos to find fortune in Hong Kong, but following a bizarre series of jobs ended up homeless and in psychosis from crystal meth addiction.
He began working for the 14K, a notorious crime syndicate, as a nightclub doorman in the Wan Chai red-light district, where he uncovered a vast global conspiracy and the ‘Foreign Triad’ – a secretive expat clique in cahoots with the Chinese gangs.
Alone and confused in the neon glare of Hong Kong’s seedy backstreets, Chris was forced to survive in the world’s most unforgiving city, hooked on the world’s most dangerous drug.
Engaging, honest and full of Chris’s irrepressible humour, this remarkable memoir combines gripping storytelling with brooding menace as the Triads begin to cast their shadow over him. The result is a truly psychotic urban nightmare.
‘A COLOURFUL CAST FROM THE SEWERS OF HONG KONG’ – Loaded
I have recently finished reading Eating Smoke by Chris Thrall and I can confidently say I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
The book is written from Chris’s personal perspective of leaving the Royal Marine Commandos to pursue fortune in Hong Kong but slips into a deep and dark world controlled by the Triads.
The book is written in a weird and trippy way which expresses just how addicted to crystal meth Chris really was.
I believe the book would make an incredibly dark and gritty film, so I hope that one day this will come to be.