When Kingmakers Speak

About the Book

"When Kingmakers Speak is a well written thriller that builds up gripping suspense, yet reveals enough to keep us deeply engaged and anxious to know what is going to happen next. Set in the early sixties, the novel reflects some of the fundamental but hidden issues besetting Singapore. Not yet fully independent, not yet a nation, it was a period when the island was caught between a British colonial world not quite withdrawn, and a national one not quite born, when the Communists remained a serious urban threat and gangsters had considerable influence. The main plot turns around a planned assasination and is linked to a sub-plot involving Sato, a Japanese soldier-samurai who had remained in hiding after Japan surrendered, and whose values and actions are guided by a combination of Bushido and Christianty." — Edwin Thumboo, Professor Emeritus, National University of Singapore It’s 1961 in Singapore—a nation on the verge of independence. Someone has slipped into Changi Air Base during a party with one goal in mind—revenge. Suddenly the lights go out and an hour later, two dead bodies are found. Someone has committed murder in the shadow of the night and no one knows why. The investigation takes an unexpected turn when the duty officer, Captain Jenkins, is suspected. Meanwhile, MI5, the communists, the triads and a lone ninja, hiding in the jungle, are embroiled in a plot known only as Beethoven 96. Each party seeks its own resolution, but none are aware that they are being manipulated by a greater secret organization, the Kingmakers. Only the tenacity and prowess of Captain Jenkins and Inspector Prem can avert one of the biggest disasters in Singapore's history.

About the Author

Nathan Veerasamy was born and educated in Singapore before moving to the U.K. in 1982. He is a retired physics teacher and lives with his family in London. This is his first novel.