(pic: Morris West, the author):
4.5 out of 5. I stumbled upon this gem in my own collection when I was desperate to get my hands around a good book, and just ran out of all options to find one. 'The Concubine' is an old book, out of publication for a few decades now. The yellow pages and rotting edges caught my attention, and I am glad they did, for it turned out to be a brilliant book. A perfect action thriller set in a strange land. The hero is a fearless Irish guy with a sharp mind (going by how deeply I love Ireland and the Irish, it is possible that I might be getting a little biased here).
All the main characters are bound together with the obsession of making millions, but each one is baying for each other's blood, as they want all the money for themselves. All of them hold information against each other that can well prove to be the knife that can stab the others to death. The author, Morris West, maintains a perfect deadlock until the last page. The concubine in the story is the love interest of the lead character and the story is about how he wins her, defeats his opponents, and earn the millions. The main charm is the style in which the author dealt with the subject. 'Taking risk' is the soul behind the book rather than the plots themselves.The only low moment for me was the very dramatic, and a little unrealistic end. The end was good, but too many nice things happen that diluted the satisfaction of a perfect ending for me.
Also, you won't find the book in India. So, if you know me personally, let me know if you are interested in reading this book and I would be happy to lend it to you. Highly recommended reading. I wonder why no one made a movie out of this.