From the bestselling author of Midwives and The Flight Attendant comes a twisted and timely new mystery/thriller. In The Red Lotus (Doubleday), Chris Bohjalian presents a blossoming love sprinkled with lies — one that causes us to ask ourselves how well we know the people we care about.
Alexis, an ER doctor in a New York City hospital, and Austin, a hospital worker, travel together to Vietnam for an adventurous vacation. The young couple tours the rural countryside together before Austin heads off on his bike, all alone, to visit the location where he says his father and uncle served in the war. He doesn’t return. Alexis, shocked and worried, is left asking a lot of questions about her boyfriend’s untimely disappearance. What looked like a bike accident may not be what it seems, and she is determined to find him and understand the truth.
Details that don’t add up, dead bodies and tampered evidence push Alexis to follow her intuition and use deductive reasoning. The evidence leads to the discovery of secrets regarding experimental rats used for scientific testing in the New York City hospital basement and a deadly pathogen that threatens the population of Manhattan.
The Red Lotus is a fast-paced, engaging novel, representative of Chris Bohjalian’s expertise, and all the more terrifying due to its coincidentally timely release! Check out the video teaser here.
Author Q & A
I was privileged to obtain access to an online conversation between Chris Bohjalian and other authors, his friends and fans in the private Great Thoughts, Great Readers Facebook Group. Here are some select excerpts.
Q: Can you tell me a bit about your new book, The Red Lotus?
A: The Red Lotus is the story of an ER doctor who goes on a bike tour of Vietnam with her new boyfriend, and he disappears. In his absence, she realizes that so much he had told her was a lie and she may be in spectacular amounts of danger — from, among other things, a deadly pathogen. I had the best time interviewing ER doctors, Vietnam veterans, and scientists who research viruses and vaccines for the book.
Q: What inspired you to write about a pathogen?
A: I saw two articles in the spring of 2018 about antibiotic resistant pathogens common in NYC. I interviewed a pandemic expert quoted in one and he told me how worried he was about NYC as a nexus for disease. And I was off and running.
Q: Can you tell me about your writing process?
A: I start each day around 6:00 with an 8.4 oz can of Sugar Free Red Bull. I look up words in the dictionary. I watch three or four TV series or movie trailers because they are designed to hit emotional chords. Then, by 6:15, I am writing. I write until lunch. My goal is a 1,000 words a day. I do not always get there. But that’s the goal. I write every day, even on holidays.
Q: The Flight Attendant, published in 2018, is coming to the screen. What can we expect?
A: The Flight Attendant will be an 8-hour limited series on HBO Max. SO excited about the cast. Kaley Cuoco is astonishing as Cassie Bowden. She is a force of nature. It should be airing this summer or (depending on Covid-19) the autumn.
Q: I heard you recently got a new pup. How’s it going?
A: Jesse is a love! She sleeps beside me when I write, gets along with the cats, and runs like the wind through the woods.
Q: You have written so many great books; what are your favorites?
A: Skeletons at the Feast, The Sandcastle Girls, The Flight Attendant, The Red Lotus and The Guest Room.
Q: What types of books do you like to read and what can you recommend?
A: I read a wide variety of literary fiction, historical fiction and thrillers. I also love history. Here are some books to consider that have just come out and I would hate for you to miss: Writers & Lovers, Long Bright River, and Darling Rose Gold.
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About Chris Bohjalian:
Chris Bohjalian is the critically acclaimedd, award-winning and number-one New York Times bestselling author of 20 books. His work has been translated into 35 languages and three times become movies. He is also a playwright and screenwriter and has written articles for a wide variety of major magazines and newspapers. He lives in Vermont with his wife, the photographer Victoria Blewer.
