The Road to Rangoon

In 1980s Burma, the British ambassador's son goes missing.

Discovered in the north of the country, Michael Atwood is in imminent danger, trapped between sides fighting a bitter civil war and with no way of getting back to Rangoon. His best hope of salvation is to trust Thuza, a ruby smuggler who offers to help him escape.

Beautiful and deeply scarred, Thuza has spent her entire life in a frontier town between rebel and government forces, never choosing a side but trying to make a living from both. For Thuza, the ambassador's son is her ticket out of poverty. For Than, an ambitious military officer, exploiting those caught up in the war offers an opportunity for promotion and distinction.

But as all three learn to their cost, in this exotic, enigmatic and savage country, everyone has a price.

This is a tale of ambition, salvation and hope that confirms Lucy Cruickshanks as a master storyteller.

“Set in a very difficult period of Burma's history, this novel brings the rawness and uncertainty of the times to life in the later 20th Century. There are very carefully observed mannerisms amongst the local people, and the oppressive times in which the people of Burma were living are acutely portrayed. It cleverly sets the historical for anyone who is going to visit in the 21st Century who wants to gain a sense of the country of Myanmar today-- Trip Fiction”

Lucy Cruickshanks' writing is powerful, pacy, vivid and involving

Pleasingly ingenious . . . Full of effective surprises . . . There is a raw energy - Praise for The Trader of Saigon

Beautifully written, immensely atmospheric, the characters are unforgettable . . . This is a compelling story that will touch your heart - Praise for The Trader of Saigon

Authentic, beautiful and highly accomplished . . . all novels should aspire to be this good - Praise for The Trader of Saigon

The Trader of Saigon has tremendous resonance for Vietnam today - Praise for The Trader of Saigon

A beautifully atmospheric novel... I feel like I've visited Vietnam, walked the dirty and dusty streets, wandered through the endless rice fields and can even describe the smells lingering in the humid air - Praise for The Trader of Saigon

Vivid, startling and absorbing - Praise for The Trader of Saigon

Lucy Cruickshanks' love of travel inspires her writing. A great fan of the underdog, she's drawn to countries with troubled recent histories, writing about periods of time when societies are at their most precarious and fraught with risk. She's fascinated by their uniqueness and moral ambiguity, and in capturing the people who must navigate them.

Her debut novel, The Trader of Saigon, began life after she sat beside a man on a flight who made his fortune selling women. It was shortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and the Guardian Not The Booker Prize, longlisted for the Waverton Goodread Award and named a Top Ten Book of 2013 by The Bookbag.

Lucy was born in 1984 and raised in Cornwall, UK. She holds a BA in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Warwick and an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University. She lives on the south coast of England and divides her time between writing and caring for her young family.

In 1980s Burma, the British ambassador's son goes missing.Discovered in the north of the country, Michael Atwood is in imminent danger, trapped between sides fighting a bitter civil war and with no way of getting back to Rangoon. His best hope of salvation is to trust Thuza, a ruby smuggler who offers to help him escape.Beautiful and deeply scarred, Thuza has spent her entire life in a frontier town between rebel and government forces, never choosing a side but trying to make a living from both. For Thuza, the ambassador's son is her ticket out of poverty. For Than, an ambitious military officer, exploiting those caught up in the war offers an opportunity for promotion and distinction.But as all three learn to their cost, in this exotic, enigmatic and savage country, everyone has a price.This is a tale of ambition, salvation and hope that confirms Lucy Cruickshanks as a master storyteller.

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