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Author Ed Lin brings his reader along on an enjoyable investigative journey, deep into the heart of Chinatown along with Officer (and detective wannabe) Robert Chow. It's 1976 and locals are up in arms because the daughter of Chairman Mao is seeking asylum in the United States. When Chow's girlfriend Lonnie, a journalist, scores a big interview with the daughter's Chinese representative while in New York, things are looking up. It all starts to go south, however, when that same man is found the next day, bludgeoned to death in a park in Chinatown. There are any number of likely groups (including the government of Communist China) that would like to see the man dead, but the suspicions fall on Lonnie, who was the last person to see the man alive. Chow is working tirelessly to clear Lonnie's good name, but will he step over the line? Meanwhile, he's trying to earn his detective badge and taking risks to save his girlfriend could easily jeopardize his chances. Meanwhile, all of Chinatown have their eyes and ears open for any news about the case, and Chow's every careful movement seems to have been observed by someone. What Author Ed Lin brings best to this interesting police procedural is a wealth of insight into the behaviors and thinking of his Chinatown setting. His portrayal of precinct camaraderie is also extremely well done, and the jaded comments and survival tactics of the detectives on Chow's team make for a very entertaining side story. While this is another in a series of Robert Chow books, it never feels like that. Instead, it's fresh, funny, and speaks to not only the atmosphere of the Chinese community, but also to its 1976 Bicentennial setting. This is a thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery, and it's little surprise that Lin is the first to win three awards from the Asian American Literary Awards, but the good news is you don't have to be Asian or even a New Yorker to enjoy this great tale of the city. § Christine Zibas is a freelance writer and former director of publications for a Chicago nonprofit.
Reviewed by Christine Zibas, May 2012
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