Henry Chang (1) (1951–)

I wanted to like this more than I did. I written that a lot lately... This was a free kindle download of a debut novel and the author's inexperience shows, with uneven pacing and plotting.

It's certainly evocative, you get a sense of the emptiness and loneliness of these men's lives, either trying to go straight or falling in with the tong. Chinatown in New York is an area I know well enough, I live in walking distance from it, and like wandering around, but it is another country, plenty of show more people there don't speak a word of English and this was a glimpse into their lives, I was just sad that their lives were so bleak. (well it's a noir novel, what did I expect?) the mystery held no energy, I didn't care, and the book definitely bogged down in the middle. I wanted the killer to get away with it. I didn't care about most of the other characters. The most vibrant character was Chinatown itself and she was well described. show less

In the fine tradition of Chester Himes and his Harlem novels, The Year of the Dog is an excellent hard-boiled slice of life from Henry Chang. A rollercoaster ride filled with varying characters and incidents from the underworld of New York's Chinatown and nearby neighborhoods, this well-written crime novel held my attention throughout. Each character came vividly to life for me. This book should appeal to fans of both Himes and pulp fiction.

I guess I'd sum this up by saying that it shows promise but didn't quite hit the mark for me. The setting is great: Chinatown is alive and vibrant, seedy and jaded (no pun intended). However, the plot was a bit uneven but lacking in drive. The main character is reasonably well drawn but I never got a real sense of what made him tick. Chang seemed to set us up to root for the murderer, but then turned him/her into someone that left a bad taste in the mouth. Still, the promise was there and I show more might try #2 someday to see if Chang grows into his work. show less

Lucky survives one assassination attempt by the gangs in New York's Chinatown. But he disregards his childhood friend, Detective Jack Yu, who advises him to get out of the criminal life. While Yu struggles with his own problems: love life, guild about neglecting his father, hostile co-workers, Lucky puts together a crew to fight his way back into the Chinese underworld. More of a caper novel in some ways than a mystery, this book is a fast-paced plunge into a foreign culture.