Rune Sarasin is about to learn just how quickly the life of a jewel thief can spiral out of control.…

Seven days are all it takes for Rune Sarasin’s life to completely derail. It starts with a typical heist: lifting a pouch of rubies from the Bangkok hotel room of wealthy smuggler Charles Lemaire. Rune nearly gets caught and Lemaire’s goons give chase, but they are no match for the clever motorbike maneuvers of Rune and her boyfriend Kit. As the high of the chase wears off, Kit delivers some terrifying news: his teenage sister Madee has gone missing. They track her cell phone to the dangerous Khlong Toei slum, but the trail ends there. The night gets even worse when Rune realizes she lost the pouch of gems somewhere in the slum while searching for Madee.

Charles Lemaire is the wrong man to mess with. He is a perfectionist when it comes to both his attire and his crimes, and he isn’t afraid to kill to get what he wants. When he catches up to Rune and Kit, he gives Rune an ultimatum: return his rubies or she will never see her boyfriend again. Now Rune must race against time to either recover the lost gems or find something even more valuable with which to ransom Kit back from Lemaire. But she also still needs to find out what happened to Madee. As Rune investigates deeper into the shadows of the Khlong Toei slum, she uncovers a web of crime with consequences far more insidious than just one missing girl and a handful of stolen rubies.

Hurtling from the back alleys of Bangkok, Thailand, to the glamorous auction houses of New York City, Mailan Doquang’s heart-pounding debut will leave readers questioning just how far they would go for the ones they love.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Mysterious Press, May 2024

• Amazon Editors’ Pick: Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
• The Strand Mystery Pick of the Month
• Globe and Mail Best New Mysteries Summer 2024
• The Globe 100: Best Books of 2024
• Harlequin Book Club Selection

“This debut thriller heralds a series to watch; Rune Sarasin is an alluring antihero battling injustice at breakneck speed.”
―Booklist

“Doquang comes out with her guns blazing”
―Publishers Weekly

“Twisty cat-and-mouse thriller…a crisp caper”
―Kirkus Reviews

“Mailan Doquang has created a criminal to root for….With Rune at the novel’s center, Doquang launches into a fast-paced mystery filled with action and adventure.”
―Shelf Awareness

“This is a cleverly plotted and convincing novel where the characters are well-developed (Charles Lemaire gets a real star turn) and the setting is brilliant. Doquang is a writer to watch.”
―Globe and Mail

“Smart, edgy, and rocket-paced, BLOOD RUBIES is a thrill ride, packed with international intrigue, lushly drawn settings, and thrilling action. You’ll be breathless as whip-smart jewel thief Rune Sarasin steals a pouch of rubies, races her motorbike through the streets of Bangkok, then jets off to the glamorous auction houses of New York City to save the people she loves. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Don’t miss this fresh and exciting debut from newcomer Mailan Doquang — she’s a writer to watch.”
―Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of THE NEW COUPLE IN 5B

“Jewel thief turned reluctant investigator Rune Sarasin makes a winning protagonist in this captivating, page-turning debut. Mailan Doquang is a writer to watch.”
―Alafair Burke, NYT bestselling author 

“Blood Rubies is a young woman’s incredibly fast and frantic struggle to use her special skills―the good ones and the bad ones―in a global race to save the people she loves. Highly recommended.”
―Thomas Perry, bestselling author of thirty novels, including the critically acclaimed Jane Whitefield series, The Butcher’s Boy, and Metzer’s Dog 

“Mailan Doquang’s propulsive debut novel, starts off with a bang and the suspense never lets up.”
―Joanna Margaret, author of The Bequest

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Highbridge Audio

In this thrilling follow-up to Blood Rubies, plucky gem thief Rune Sarasin finds herself racing across Europe in pursuit of precious sapphires that might buy her freedom from a dangerous crime lord.

At a private showing in the Louvre, Napoleon Bonaparte’s great-great-grand niece Margot Steiner admires the painting of her famous ancestor while wearing a precious Ceylon sapphire necklace commissioned by the emperor himself. After getting caught in a commotion on the crowded staircase, however, Mrs. Steiner discovers that her necklace is gone and the suspicious young woman who started the commotion has melted away into the throng…

Rune Sarasin is new to Paris, but not new to stealing priceless jewels. She has spent the last few years plying her trade in the fast-paced city of Bangkok, but after unwittingly stealing from the ruthless smuggler Charles Lemaire, she now must hunt down the gems that he requests until she repays what she owes. But when Lemaire demands that she now steal sapphire earrings to match the necklace, Rune realizes that he will never willingly let her go.

Taking down a man with near unlimited resources is not a job for a young woman on her own, who now must hide in the shadows. With the help of an old friend and some new and unlikely alliances, Rune finds herself in a cat and mouse game around all of Europe, from Paris to Mallorca, to Marseille, to Amsterdam, and Berlin. Caught up in the world of smuggling, drug dealing, and shady businessmen, Rune fights to stay one step ahead of both the police and Lemaire.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Mysterious Press, June 2025

“A true delight! Ceylon Sapphires is what top-notch crime fiction is all about: a sharp, nonstop plot, richly drawn characters, good and bad, whose portrayals brim with richly observed insights, and exotic locations that come truly alive under the author’s deft touch. I read this fine novel in one sitting and I guarantee you’ll do the same.” Breathtaking!”
-Jeffery Deaver, NYT bestselling author and creator of Colter Shaw, from CBS’s Tracker

“I had such a blast reading this book! Ceylon Sapphires has a little of everything. It’s funny, fast paced, and packed with history from around the world. It also has a lot of heart. Mailan Doquang’s series has landed a place on my must-read list.”
-Samantha Downing, internationally bestselling author