The Red Lotus by bestselling author Chris Bohjalian is a thriller that is difficult to put down. Alexis Remnick, ER physician, and her boyfriend, Austin Harper, a researcher at the same hospital, are enjoying a wonderful biking trip in Vietnam. Austin goes off by himself to explore the areas his father and uncle had been years ago during the war while serving there. Unfortunately Austin doesn’t come back, and is later found dead, a victim of a hit and run. Alexis doesn’t buy it because there are circumstances that don’t add up, like a puncture wound in his hand that has broken bones and isn’t something that is consistent with the hit and run, and when Alexis gets home, she hires a private investigator to clear up the loose ends for her. As she also investigates, she becomes entrapped in a conspiracy that may prove deadly for all involved.

Bohjalian is an excellent storyteller, and the story flows in an organized way while suspense builds. He does a good job defining the characters, and they seem real and like people readers are familiar with. Things are not as they appear -with the story, and with the characters - and the dénouement is surprising and unexpected. Alexis is fairly pushy and Austin’s family is on the defensive, which makes it difficult to investigate Austin’s death. Austin lied about several things, including where his father and uncle were in Vietnam, and it is puzzling to Alexis as to the reason. Alexis suspects they made the trip to Vietnam for reasons other than the bike tour.

Readers who enjoy high suspense and a good plot will want to pick up this book. It will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I absolutely LOVED this book and could not put it down! I have read Bohjalian's work before, and this one is up there with one of his best, in my opinion.
It starts off with a missing person, and only gets more twisty and complex, bringing in rats, biological weapons, relationships and even a hint of espionage. It left me wanting more and thinking about what I read for days to come. I am so thankful for this advance reading copy, and highly recommend this book! Read it!

I struggled for a while on whether to give this book a three or four star rating. Ultimately, I felt that it was a three star book for me. I loved the story line and the concept, however, I found the book felt quite long in places. I didn't love the development of some of the characters, including the main character Alexis. But I did enjoy the thriller elements of how the story ended. Some of the book included major page turners, but the whole book didn't have that feeling. I've been excited to read some of Chris Bohjalian's books, but this one doesn't make me too excited to read more. It was overall an okay read.

I expected more —after all this is Bojalian. I really tried to like this but couldn’t stay interested as none of the main characters were appealing, especially the liar boyfriend who has everyone looking for him. The prologue intrigued me but went downhill from there. I’ve read several of This authors novels, each unique and immersive. This was unique in its theme, but unfortunately not immersive for this reader. I was bored most of the time and found myself skimming. Not a good sign. A 2+ is all I could manage to give this effort as a rating.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me a complimentary e-arc. All opinions are my own.

while I appreciated the the incredible writing skills of this book, I was having trouble staying engaged. It is definitely geared to those who are more interested in current world events, travel, and those who work in the medical industry (specifically in a hospital)

I decided to set this one down about 13% of the way through. However I do intend to pick up the flight attendant after this one!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. This review does not feature spoilers. I have read many books by Chris Bohjalian and am a big fan. The Red Lotus follows the story of Alexis, who is an ER doctor and Austin, who works in the same hospital, but in a different department. The meet one night when Austin is being treated by Alexis after suffering a gunshot wound he received in a bar. The two end up dating and seven months in to their relationship they take a trip to Vietnam. Austin is an avid cyclist and had always wanted to ride through Vietnam to visit the areas where his father and uncle served during the Vietnam war. During one day trip, which he took alone, he doesn’t return when he said he would. Alexis becomes worried and starts to search for him. I loved this book and I highly recommend it to Bohjalian fans and to those who may not have tried anything by him.

Another 5 star book from Chris Bohjalian.
I love love love all his books.
WOW!
I was never sure what was going to happen next and stayed up all night reading it.
Thank you so very much!
Lisa

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
Nothing is as it seems -
Alexis, a nurse meets Austin with a gunshot wound in the ER.
They begin a relationship and do a bike ride in Vietnam, he says to honor his father and uncle.
But then Austin vanishes, leaving only an energy gel on the road where he disappeared.
Alexis hires Ken to investigate and what she discovers will shock you - the reason for the trip, the lies, and the energy gel!

I liked The Flight Attendant, but this novel fell short for me.

Alexis is an ER doc who follows her boyfriend of six months to Viet Nam, where his uncle was killed and his father shot. Austin is huge into cycling, so they go to Nam via a bike trip. One day Austin goes alone—and doesn’t come back. Everyone says he died in a hit and run, but Alexis has found clues that his death wasn’t accidental. The search for the truth about Austin’s death is compelling since we readers know what happen, and the characters in the novel don’t. However, I never felt pulled into this story or its characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES MARCH 17, 2020.

Reading this really makes me want to visit Vietnam- but just on a nice, tourist trip, not to sell anything illicit! Overall, I enjoyed this book, even though it was a bit hard to get into in the beginning. Once the story got going, it kept me guessing until the end.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I really liked some of Chris Bohjalian's earlier novels, but then there was a long stretch where I just found his books overwrought and annoying. This one felt much more like the earlier books to me. It was a bit predictable/heavy-handed at times, but overall the story really drew me in and I flew through it. The basic premise is that a young ER doc goes on a cycling vacation in Vietnam with her boyfriend, only to have him disappear without a trace during a ride. After his disappearance, she finds out he's been lying to her about some pretty fundamental stuff, and things spiral outward from there. The story was exciting and fast-paced, and the biological warfare aspect of the book was, well, frighteningly timely considering the state of the world these days. I definitely recommend this one. Note: I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher, but the views expressed here are wholly my own.

I felt this book was just average and didn't enjoy it as much as The Flight Attendant. It wasn't bad, just not really compelling either. I figured out the bad guys pretty quickly.

Bohjalian has become an established international thriller author with The Red Lotus. Very readable and interesting, populated with compelling characters in tricky circumstances. I hope he continues in this vein of writing.

As always this author has written an excellent book. His detailed research always shines through in every novel he has written and this one is no exception. While the subject matter wasn't very interesting to me I still managed to enjoy the thrill of the chase as I turned the pages.

Bohjalian is one of my favorite authors and does not disappoint with The Red Lotus. It is fascinating and suspenseful. A young ER doctor’s hospital fundraiser boyfriend is killed while they are on a bicycling trip to Vietnam. But what is the real reason he has gone there and who is he...really?

I loved Chris Bohjalian's Midwives, was disappointed by The Law of Similars but had high hopes for The Red Lotus after reading the publisher's blurb.

"... a twisting story of love and deceit: an American man vanishes on a rural road in Vietnam, and his girlfriend, an emergency room doctor trained to ask questions, follows a path that leads her home to the very hospital where they met."

The Vietnam setting was original and interesting, and I would have liked more of it. After Austin vanishes on the rural road in Vietnam, his girlfriend Alexis eventually returns home to New York City, and the novel becomes a collection of conspiracies, biologic warfare, rats, and questions Alexis asks.

"Alexis uncovers a series of strange lies that force her to wonder: Where did Austin go? Why did he really bring her to Vietnam? And how much danger has he left her in?"

The questions are answered a little too slowly for me, with some very uneven writing from an author that I think is capable of better. The ending, however, is quite good and made wading through the rest of the novel worthwhile.

Thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book.

E.R. doctor Alexis and her boyfriend Austin are on a bike tour vacation in Vietnam. When Austin fails to return from a solo ride to honor his father and uncle who fought in Vietnam Alexis is worried something has happened to him. As she tries to find out what happened she discovers that he had been lying to her about his family's time in Vietnam. But why? The more questions she asks, the more confused she becomes, the more she realizes that she didn't really know Austin, and the more dangerous it becomes. How well do you really know a person and will what you don't know kill you?

Alexis and Austin are dating and decide to visit Vietnam. While there, Austin disappears. Alexis is trying to find out why. This to me was a very slow moving book. I had to make myself continue reading instead of not being able to put it down. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Ohhh this was so good. Definitely surprised me in a lot of ways and the ending really had me on the edge of my seat. Stayed up all night to finish it. Excellent!!

This novel has firmly entrenched Chris Bohjalian in the suspense/mystery genre.
His description of Vietnam, is so vivid the reader can truly experience the sights and smells of the country.
A simple bicycle trip there for Austin with his fiancée is not what it seems. After his disappearance she uncovers the deadly truth behind their visit.
I’ve read everything by this author, and this novel does not disappoint. Great read!