Siam at the turn of the 19th century. Four families in the southern peninsula are tied together by ambition, revenge, love and tragedy. A young Malay imprisoned for rape reinvents himself as a Siamese aristocrat in royal service. A beautiful young Thai woman seizes control of the family casino and defies the king’s ban on gambling to form an underground criminal operation. A guilt-ridden Thai-Chinese sailor seeks enlightenment and purpose as a wandering Buddhist monk. A former slave fights to escape the domination of a Chinese secret society gangster and rises in the increasingly powerful police force. A recreation of life in southern Siam at a time of wrenching change, Beads on a String weaves together these stories and others, immersing readers in a gripping epic, full of intrigue and insight. “This family saga of ambition, identity and love in turn-of-the-century Siam is spellbinding” – Suzanne Fisher Staples, author “Profound, sensitive and attuned to cultural gravitas, Beads on a String captures a sense of historical urgency during a momentous period in Siam and the southern peninsula.” – Kong Rithdee, author and translator