Amazon.com has a place for reviewer comments. And reviewers are entitled to make their views known. I respect and indeed encourage this.
For the Vincent Calvino title Cut Out a reviewer named J.K Langlois wrote:
“Overall a good read of the Calvino series, BUT BEWARE, Moore deceptively has re-released this book under a new heading "ZERO HOUR IN PHNOM PENH." I mistakenly purchased this new book and discovered the name scam. I later emailed Moore about the deception and he characteristically ignored my email inquiring as to why I was duped into buying the same book under a different title. Again beware!! Do not buy the same book twice!!”
I’ve been trying without success to post this reply on amazon.com
When the German language publisher brought out Cut Out under the title of Zero Hour in Phnom Penh, my publisher thought the German’s had a better title. When Zero Hour won a German Critic Crime Fiction award in 2004 (Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River had won the same prize the previous year), they reissued an English reprint titled: Zero Hour in Phnom Penh. I warned them that the title change could cause trouble. They said, no worries, the publisher’s page disclosed the book was previously titled Cut Out. This disclosure, they promised me, made it idiot proof. I didn’t buy it. I suggested a notice in newspapers worldwide to be on the safe side. They said that would cost millions. So they declined what I thought was wise and sound advice.
Obviously I was right; they were wrong.
I thank J.K. Langlois for drawing to my attention to what can only be described as a hidden agenda. I had no idea that the title change really was an Enron like scheme to defraud legions of readers. I can’t say if the Thai/American extradition treaty covers this crime, but my lawyers are looking into it.
Also beware: Cold Hit was released by the crafty Germans under the title: Nana Plaza. More than one native English language reader has bought Nana Plaza, and after getting home, stretching out for a good read, opened it for the first time to discover it is in German. Not just one page, mind you, but the entire book was printed in German. So far I have won the battle to retain the title of Cold Hit against the appeasement like behavior of the Thai publisher who insist a reprint with the name of Nana Plaza is part of their boiler room plans to clean up. The bastards know no shame. Again, my lawyers are looking into the matter. I can’t say without further investigation whether the Germans and Thais publishers are in this literary ponzi scheme together. But personally I smell a larger conspiracy.
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