# Christopher G. Moore

Christopher G. Moore (born 8 July 1952) is a Canadian writer of twenty-seven novels, six works of non-fiction, editor of three anthologies, and author of four radio dramas. He is best known for his trilogy A Killing Smile (1991), A Bewitching Smile (1992) and A Haunting Smile (1993), a behind-the-smiles study of his adopted country, Thailand, and for his Vincent Calvino Private Eye series set in Bangkok.

## Background

While a law professor at the University of British Columbia, he had the chance to visit Japan in 1983 and from Tokyo at the invitation of a friend continued on to visit Thailand for the first time. His first book His Lordship's Arsenal was published in New York in 1985. A short documentary about Moore's writing life in Thailand is titled The Big Weird World of Christopher G. Moore.

## Vincent Calvino

Vincent Calvino is a fictional Bangkok-based private eye created by Christopher G. Moore in the Vincent Calvino Private Eye series. Vincent Calvino first appeared in 1992 in Spirit House, the first novel in the series. Spirit House was included on The top 100 Kindle books of all time. District #3, the 18th novel, the last in the series was published in November 2024. Moore's protagonist, Vincent Calvino, half-Jewish and half-Italian, is an ex-lawyer from New York, who, under ambiguous circumstances, gave up law practice and became a private eye in Bangkok. "Hewn from the hard-boiled Dashiell Hammett/Raymond Chandler model, Calvino is a tough, somewhat tarnished hero with a heart of gold."—Mark Schreiber, The Japan Times
"Thailand's finest expatriate crime-fiction novelist." —Paul Dorsey, The Nation
Chad A. Evans' Vincent Calvino's World, A Noir Guide to Southeast Asia explores the historical, social and cultural context of the 15 Calvino novels written over 25 years.

## Works
### Novels

* His Lordship's Arsenal, Freundlich Books (1985) ISBN 0-88191-033-3; Critics Choice (1988); Heaven Lake Press (1999); Subway Books (2003).
* Enemies of Memory, White Lotus (1990); reprinted as Tokyo Joe, Heaven Lake Press (2004) ISBN 974-92281-7-0.
* A Killing Smile, White Lotus (1991) ISBN 974-8495-48-5, second printing (1992), third and fourth printing BookSiam (1996); fifth and sixth printing Heaven Lake Press (2000); seventh printing (2004); Heaven Lake Press revised edition (2025)ISBN 978-616-7503-43-1.
* A Bewitching Smile, White Lotus (1992) ISBN 974-8495-57-4; Heaven Lake Press (2000); Heaven Lake Press revised edition (2025)ISBN 978-616-7503-46-2.
* Spirit House, White Lotus (1992), Heaven Lake Press (1999) ISBN 974-8495-58-2, reprinted (2004), Grove Press (2008).
* Asia Hand, White Lotus (1993) ISBN 974-8495-70-1, Heaven Lake Press (2000), Black Cat (2010).
* A Haunting Smile, White Lotus (1993) ISBN 974-8495-82-5, Heaven Lake Press (1999) reprinted (2004; Heaven Lake Press revised edition (2025)ISBN 978-616-7503-49-3.
* Cut Out, White Lotus (1994) ISBN 974-87116-3-3, Matichon, (1996), Heaven Lake Press (1999). Re-released under the title Zero Hour in Phnom Penh – ISBN 974-93035-9-8.
* Saint Anne, Asia Books (1994) reprinted as Red Sky Falling Heaven Lake Press (2005) ISBN 974-92385-7-5.
* Comfort Zone, White Lotus (1995), pocketbook edition (1997) ISBN 974-87754-9-6; Heaven Lake Press (2001).
* The Big Weird, bookSiam (1996), Heaven Lake Press (2008) ISBN 978-974-8418-42-1.
* God of Darkness, Asia Books (1998) ISBN 974-92281-7-0, Heaven Lake Press (1999) reprinted (2004).
* Cold Hit, Heaven Lake Press (1999) ISBN 974-92104-1-7; reprinted (2004). The German translation is titled Nana Plaza.
* Chairs, Heaven Lake Press (2000) ISBN 974-87691-9-4.
* Minor Wife, Heaven Lake Press (2002) ISBN 974-92126-5-7; reprinted (2004).
* Pattaya 24/7 (2004) ISBN 974-92066-6-5 Heaven Lake Press.
* Waiting for the Lady, Heaven Lake Press (2003) ISBN 974-92186-1-2, Subway Books (2004) Trade paperback edition Heaven Lake Press (2005).
* Gambling on Magic, Heaven Lake Press (2005) ISBN 974-92942-5-4.
* The Risk of Infidelity Index, Atlantic Monthly Press (2008) ISBN 978-974-88168-7-6. The Polish translation is titled Ulice Bangkoku.
* Paying Back Jack, Heaven Lake Press (2009) ISBN 978-974-312-920-9, Grove Press (2009).
* The Corruptionist, Heaven Lake Press (2010) ISBN 978-616-90393-3-4.
* 9 Gold Bullets, Heaven Lake Press (2011) ISBN 978-616-90393-7-2.
* The Wisdom of Beer, Heaven Lake Press (2012) ISBN 978-616-7503-11-0.
* Missing In Rangoon, Heaven Lake Press (2013) ISBN 978-616-7503-17-2.
* Reunion, Heaven Lake Press (2013) ISBN 978-616-7503-19-6.
* The Marriage Tree, Heaven Lake Press (2014) ISBN 978-616-7503-23-3.
* Crackdown, Heaven Lake Press (2015) ISBN 978-616-7503-32-5.
* Jumpers, Heaven Lake Press (2016) ISBN 978-616-7503-34-9.
* Dance Me to the End of Time, Heaven Lake Press (2020) ISBN 978-616-7503-39-4.
* District #3, Heaven Lake Press (2024) ISBN 978-616-7503-41-7.

### Non-fiction

* Heart Talk, White Lotus (1992), 2nd Ed. Heaven Lake Press (1998), 3rd Ed. Heaven Lake Press (2005) ISBN 974-92942-5-4.
* The Vincent Calvino Reader's Guide, Heaven Lake Press (2010) ISBN 978-616-90393-4-1.
* The Cultural Detective, Heaven Lake Press (2011) ISBN 978-616-90393-8-9.
* Faking It in Bangkok, Heaven Lake Press (2012) ISBN 978-616-7503-13-4.
* Fear and Loathing in Bangkok, Heaven Lake Press (2014) ISBN 978-616-7503-24-0.
* The Age of Dis-Consent, Heaven Lake Press (2015) ISBN 978-616-7503-31-8.
* Memory Manifesto: A Walking Meditation through Cambodia, Heaven Lake Press (2017) ISBN 978-616-7503-35-6.
* Rooms: On Human Domestication and Submission, Heaven Lake Press (2019) ISBN 978-616-7503-38-7.

### Anthology

* Bangkok Noir, Heaven Lake Press (2011) ISBN 978-616-7503-04-2. (Editor)
* Phnom Penh Noir, Heaven Lake Press (2012) ISBN 978-616-7503-15-8. (Editor)
* The Orwell Brigade, Heaven Lake Press (2012) ISBN 978-616-7503-16-5. (Editor)

### Radio drama

* View from Cambie Bridge (N.H.K. Japan) (1983)
* The Bamboo Pillar (C.B.C.) (1983)
* The Semi-Detached Barrister (C.B.C.) (1981)
* Sticks and Pucks (C.B.C.) (1980)

### Documentary

* The Impatient Artist (2017)

## Critical response

"Moore's flashy style successfully captures the dizzying contradictions in [Bangkok's] vertiginous landscape."—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times
"Think Dashiell Hammett in Bangkok. A hard-boiled, street-smart, often hilarious pursuit of a double murderer."—SFGate.
"Moore's noir thrillers and literary fiction—like Graham Greene, he alternates between 'entertainment' and serious novels—are subtle and compelling evocations of a part of the world rarely seen through our eyes."—Macleans.
"One of Moore's greatest strengths . . . is his knowledge of Southeast Asian history."—Newsweek, Joe Cochrane (November 10, 2003).
"Moore might be described as W. Somerset Maugham with a bit of Elmore Leonard and Mickey Spillane thrown in for good measure."—The Japan Times.
"Moore's work recalls the international 'entertainments' of Graham Greene or John le Carré, but the hard-bitten worldview and the cynical, bruised idealism of his battered hero is right out of Chandler. Intelligent and articulate, Moore offers a rich, passionate and original take on the private eye game, fans of the genre should definitely investigate, and fans of foreign intrigue will definitely appreciate."—KJ. Kingston Pierce, January Magazine

## Awards

* The German edition of Cut Out, titled Zero Hour in Phnom Penh, the third Calvino novel, won the German Critics Award for international crime fiction in 2004 and Premier Special Director Book Award Semana Negra, Spain in 2007.
* Asia Hand, the second Calvino novel, won the Shamus Award sponsored by the Private Eyes of America in 2011 in the Best Paperback Original category.
* Reunion, a novella, Finalist Arthur Ellis Award 2013, Best Novella.

## Philanthropy

Moore is the founder of the Christopher G. Moore Foundation, a charitable organization registered in London, UK. The foundation was established in 2015 to support and promote the values of human rights and literary excellence in fiction and non-fiction. An annual prize is awarded to the best book that advances awareness of human rights.
He is also the founder of Changing Climate, Changing Lives (CCCL) Film Festival 2020. CCCL Film Festival will feature short films by young Thai film makers showcasing ways of using local wisdom and experience to adapt to climate change in Thailand.