The country
Why Singapore?
We live in a world torn by ethnic, racial, and religious disputes, where corruption has become daily news. In the middle of it stands a tiny state that meets every condition for hosting all of these conflicts at once: four official languages, three major religions, Chinese, Malays, Indians, and expatriates from everywhere, pressed onto an island smaller than an average city, with no natural resources, not enough water, and no room to spare.
Singapore chose otherwise. It chose to make diversity a discipline rather than a fuse, and integrity an infrastructure rather than a slogan. It is a state that cannot afford corruption, because there is nowhere to retreat to if it fails: behind it lies nothing but the sea.
Such a place is the perfect setting for a novel where order is nearly complete, every crack becomes drama. And whoever tries to buy what is not for sale discovers that the smallest state in Southeast Asia has the longest reach.
