It's an all-too-familiar story in Asian soccer: the foreign import who never quite made it in his own country becomes a superstar in an exotic, faraway location before being sucked into a world of sex, drugs and corruption.
Match Fixer is a cautionary tale of Chris Osbourne, a former West Ham United apprentice striker who starts a new life in Singapore before running foul of illegal bookmakers with disastrous consequences.
It's fiction, not fact, but British author Neil Humphreys paints such a convincing picture that you swear you're reading about a real-life scenario played out by familiar characters whom you feel sure you know.
Humphreys wrote his sixth book based on observations and experiences garnered over a decade working as a sports journalist in Asia. Was this rollicking ride of celebrity parties, clandestine meetings and shady ultimatums away from the stadiums over the top? If anything, he says, it doesn't go far enough.
'Perhaps I was naive, but I was shocked by the corruption and extent of match-fixing in some parts of Asia,' Humphreys said. 'And since Match Fixer came out, I've been doing additional research for a TV documentary which shows that match-fixing is more rampant and more widespread than I could possibly have imagined.'
Following the old adage that you should always write about what you know best, Match Fixer starts in east London where Humphreys grew up, on the training pitches of his favourite club, West Ham. Failing to cut it as a professional with the Hammers, Osbourne is given one last throw of the dice and reluctantly accepts a contract with Singapore club Raffles Rangers.