It's fiction, set in Malaysia, mostly Kuala Lumpur if I remember rightly. My memory of the characters is almost non-existant but I think there were two Western women visiting for an extended length of time. There was also a local man who was a main character; I think he could have been described as somewhat 'greasy', large, and I think he owned a shop in Chinatown? The main thread of the story may have been connected to tracing/locating or buying a book.
If anyone can solve or shed some light on this mystery, I would be delighted and very impressed by your detective skills!! Fingers crossed!