A Killing Smile begins the Land of Smiles trilogy. Lawrence Baring, a successful Los Angeles attorney, had lost his wife, Sarah. He discovers after her suicide that Sarah had maintained a long-distance affair with Robert Tuttle. Baring travels to Bangkok for a showdown with Tuttle who has become a long-time resident of the Bangkok underworld.

In this cult classic tale of betrayal and exploitation, Baring and Tuttle circle each other inside Thai culture where language and way of life deliver multidimensional surprises. In his quest for revenge, Baring learns true meaning of friendship and the secrets behind the smile.

"[A Killing Smile] set the standard of an artistic movement: Bangkok Noir ... Brilliant observations on the Bangkok nightlife ... A creative triumph."

—James Newman Fiction

"The whole effect is very real— particularly the revelation of those razor teeth back of the Smile."

—Gore Vidal