Henry Chang (1) (1951–)

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

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.

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.

In this bland sequel to Red Jade the body of a young Asian man is discovered in frigid waters of the Harlem River between northern Manhattan and the Bronx. Chinese Detective Jack Yu, whose precinct is in southern Manhattan’s Chinatown, is called on the case, the simplistic implication being he is the only Asian policeman in the NYPD. Initially no wounds are seen, suggesting a bridge jumping suicide; however the autopsy reveals a thin, expertly placed knife wound and murder. Yu immediately show more thinks Chinatown connections and consults his friend Billy Bow, a Chinatown restaurant owner, and Ah Por, an ancient psychic whose prophesies have multiple meanings. Yu’s investigation brings him to the illicit gambling dens in Chinatown and the Bronx frequented by Chinese immigrants and highlights Chinese tong rivalry.
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In the three days of the story there is little action of interest; a lot of traveling within Manhattan and the Bronx. Yu’s love interest, portrayed primarily through his muses about her body, adds nothing. Chang’s repetition of events as Yu mulls over clues is unnecessary. The use of italics to represent thoughts and Chinese words is distracting. The ending, although plausible, comes out of nowhere. Pass on this. show less