NEON PANIC book signing

Charles Philipp Martin • Photo Courtesy of NEON PANIC’s Facebook Page

On Friday, December 9th, THE MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP hosted a meet and greet with west coast-based author Charles Philipp Martin, in celebration of his new debut novel NEON PANIC.

The quaint MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP–located in downtown Manhattan–was the perfect setting on a cold winter night for the small but lively crowd who, while munching on personalized NEON PANIC fortune cookies provided, came prepared with their burning questions for the author. Such queries included the characters in the book, the author’s writing process, and Martin’s experience in Hong Kong. According to Martin, many of the characters were in fact inspired by actual people he met during his 17 year stay in the city (talk about doing your homework!). Martin claims to be a big advocate for having a structured outline, half joking that he wrote his first draft “before I knew what I was doing”. The both “mysterious” and”radiant” aspects of Hong Kong helped to inspire Martin in writing the novel–specifically, Hong Kong’s police force and the city’s penchant for crime–both in which Martin had first-hand experiences with during his stay.

Recently hailed by the SEATTLE TIMES as “ENGROSSING … evokes the fizzy chaos of modern Hong Kong,” NEON PANIC is a smart, suspenseful and ultimately shocking murder mystery centered around the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra. With a setting this corrupt and a mystery this complex…everyone is a suspect and no one is safe.

If you’re still in need of a great novel of suspense to cozy up with this winter season, check out the NEON PANIC website for more information on how to order your own copy.