From the height of the British Empire's rule in the early 1800s up until its waning years preceding WWII, the Pearl of the Orient trilogy is an epic historical feast centered around the dramatic rise of Singapore.
Beginning with the original Pearl of the Orient, the series opens in the early 1800s with Teng Lee, an opportunity seeking merchant who harbours dreams of leaving China and settling down in paradise. With the might of the British Empire standing in the way of his dream, Teng Lee's bravery and ingenuity are tested to the limit in this superb tapestry of romance and intrigue around the glowing dawn of the great city of Singapore.
Later in the century in Dragon's Blood, Irish desperado Michael Harrington has just made a lucky escape from certain death at the hands of imperial officials and seems destined to spend the rest of his life on the run. But when a local family in Singapore give him refuge, Michael makes another attempt at making it to China with the family's daughter as his guide in this fearless, epic, no holds barred account of 25 years of one man’s unconventional life in the midst of bloodshed and terror.
Dark Sun, the third and final book of the trilogy, follows twenty-year-old Larry Cairns as he, brimming with ambition and optimism, boards the Empress of India, bound for Singapore, an island filled with promise and opportunity in the early 1900s. For Larry, it is the chance to join the renowned trading house of Hammond and Teng and build a career for himself. But the threat of Japanese invasion and die-hard colonial snobbery ensure Cairns' journey is not smooth-sailing in the series finale.