Year of the Dog

This was better than his first book. I can't wait for the next in the series.

Year of the Dog This is NY Chinatown noir but it is much more than that. First, it is a good mystery. But it is far more a book that draws you into a mysterious world that is real but still quite fantastic. No moralizing but a lot of insight into unlikey but real characters. Everything rings completely true. This one builds up slowly and just when you are starting to wonder - boom, a life changer. Mr. Chang can really write and he's getting even better. Can hardly wait for his next book.

The New York City Chinatown that tourists never see, whether from a bus or in one of the myriad restaurants, is the real subject of this second novel in the Jack Wu series. In his debut, "Chinatown Beat," Wu was a police officer in the 05 precinct in Chinatown where he returned to tend to his dying father. In this follow-up, part of a trilogy, he is now a second-grade detective assigned to the 09 precinct, a little further north, after making a major contribution toward solving crime in Chinatown. The novels are less of a police procedural or mystery, although crime, gangs and murder all play their part (after all this is New York City and Chinatown), than studies and vignettes of the people, culture and the neighborhood. And well-told and penetratingly they are depicted. Many of the tales are remembrances of similar instances in the author's early years of growing up in the area. The noir stories are fascinating, and while there are examples of Wu plying his detective trade, insights into the gang mentality, brothels, gambling dens and secret societies predominate, as well as the interplay of the various waves of immigrants, from original Cantonese to more recent Fukienese, and their relationship with mainland China and Hong Kong tongs. Highly recommended.

Henry Chang's novel is set in New York during the Holiday Season of 1994-95. There's a clever theme involving Chinese attitudes about the period from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. Chang captures the gritty, mean streets of Chinatown and the surrounding area. The central character is Jack Wu, an NYPD detective who used to work the Chinatown beat, but has been shifted to the Nineteenth Precinct, which includes the East Village. Wu still has strong ties to Chinatown. Chang skillfully weaves elements of Chinese immigrant culture into his tale. Key players are mainly a mix of honest, hard-working Chinese immigrants and hard-core gangsters. The gangsters are involved in a turf war; new Fukienese thugs want some pie. One of the gangsters is Lucky, Jack Wu's childhood friend. Chang gives the reader some insight into the criminal activities of the triad: stealing and selling genuine and fake designer merchandise, credit-card fraud, and smuggling illegal immigrants into the country. Bo, an illegal immigrant, was smuggled into the country by "snakeheads." These snakeheads extort heavy payments from her, so she must work a variety of jobs to pay them and save money to rescue her mother and daughter who remain in China. Bo befriends Sai Go, an aging bookie with a good heart who is dying of cancer. There's also the tragic story of Hong, a high-school student, who makes bicycle deliveries for his parents' "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of the lesser characters. A good editor would have spotted some writing errors/poor phrasing. But it's a very solid read. I could imagine myself on those wintry streets.

In Lower Manhattan in a condominium in a luxurious high rise, four Chinese-Americans are dead due to eight times the normal level of CO in the apartment; two of the deceased are young elementary school age children. NYPD Detective Jack Yu is shook though he hides it as a family wiped out. He concludes a triple murder-suicide occurred with the motive being saving face; something he understands as being an extremely powerful driver amidst the Chinese even third generation American. Jack is concerned with his friends' connections to Hong King mobsters. He understands no good can come of that in the long run, but he vows to be there for them as best he can. His childhood pal Tat "Lucky" Louie now runs the local mob while a rookie Koo Jai tries to foolishly pull a stunt on the gang leader. Bookie Sai Go knows he is dying, but his only request is to die with self-respect and not with someone else changing his diapers. To Jack this is his Chinatown. Not really a police procedural although there are some elements of that sub-genre in the plot, YEAR OF THE DOG is more a culture study of the Manhattan Chinese-American lifestyle. The story line goes extremely deep into the "DNA: of the NYC Chinese-American especially the "save face" driver that has led to murder and suicide. Although the ending is a let down, fans will enjoy Jack's CHINATOWN BEAT as Henry Chang provides an appealing tale. Harriet Klausner