Year of the Dog (Jack Yu Series #2)

( 3 )

All Available Formats + Editions

——

$9.49

NOOK Book

——

$9.49

Year of the Dog (Jack Yu Series #2) (eBook) Pub. Date: 11/1/2008 Publisher: Soho Press, Incorporated
$0.01

$10.94

Paperback

$0.01

$10.94

Year of the Dog (Jack Yu Series #2) (Reprint) Pub. Date: 11/1/2009 Publisher: Soho Press, Incorporated
$0.01

$23.09

Hardcover

$0.01

$23.09

Year of the Dog (Jack Yu Series #2) Pub. Date: 11/1/2008 Publisher: Soho Press, Incorporated

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

Advertising

Overview

Praise for Chinatown Beat:

“A worthy debut. . . . Chang writes with stark power and authority, covering the territory as only an insider can. He evokes the spirit, sights, smells and language of his setting in compelling fashion.”—Chicago Sun-Times

“Yu is a fellow whose adventures should be worth following.”—The Washington Post Book World

“Should make the locals sit up and gasp.”—The New York Times Book Review

“It doesn’t get much better than this stunning novel.”—The Boston Globe

“A fascinating look at New York’s Chinese-American urban community and its subcultures.”—Publishers Weekly

“A great beginning to what should be a worthy series.”—Library Journal

“Very slick, very smart.”—Globe and Mail

“Classic noir. . . . A real discovery.”—Richard Price

He’s been transferred to a different precinct, but Detective Jack Yu cannot get away from Chinatown’s criminals—his old friends—who have hooked up with the Hong Kong-based triads in an elaborate nationwide credit card fraud. He also cannot escape the Chinese victims whose stories cry out for justice, like the teenage Chinese take-out delivery boy brutally murdered in the projects.

Henry Chang was born and raised in New York City’s Chinatown, where he still lives. His debut novel, Chinatown Beat, was hailed in several best of 2006 lists.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Less a conventional mystery than a study in Chinese-American culture, Chang's second novel (after 2006's Chinatown Beat) offers another tantalizing glimpse of precinct and street life in Manhattan's Chinatown. When a prosperous family of four dies in their apartment, NYPD Det. Jack Yu determines it is murder/suicide, probably an effort to save face. Saving face, a powerful motivator in Chinese culture, drives many characters, including Yu's boyhood friend, now gang boss, Tat "Lucky" Louie; young turk Koo Jai, who's trying to pull one over on Lucky; and Sai Go, a dying smalltime bookie who wants to keep his dignity. DA Alexandra Lee-Chow, in contrast, embodies the struggles of ordinary Chinese-Americans who are neither crooks nor celebrities. While some may feel there are too many specifics about Chinese takeout meals and the finale is a bit of a copout, Chang deftly keeps the action moving as he brings the Chinatown neighborhood alive in all its guises. (Nov.)

Kirkus Reviews

Detective Jack Yu finds that you can go home again but may not want to. Armed with his new gold shield, Jack Yu, out of the Fifth Precinct (Chinatown), has been redeployed to the Ninth (Manhattan South), where he's counting his blessings: fewer home-boy ties, less of the awkwardness of being the cheeky street kid turned law enforcement guy. Not that the Ninth is any picnic. It's still New York City, after all, and man's inhumanity to man, woman and child is still endemic. Within days of his arrival, Jack catches a multiple murder. That's followed by the brutal killing of a Chinese-American honor student, barely in his teens, beaten to death for sneaker money. But Jack's chosen a cop's life unblinkered, and though it sometimes depresses him, it can hardly surprise him-until suddenly Chinatown reaches out for him again. A bloody shootout that threatens to escalate into full-blown tong warfare has made upper NYPD echelons very anxious. As a result, Jack finds himself on familiar turf, asking questions, sifting clues and rediscovering just how deeply his one-time friends and neighbors distrust cops. As in Jack's debut (Chinatown Beat, 2006), Chinatown is the hero here. Better say antihero, because while the picture is vivid and often compelling, it's anything but pretty. Agent: Debbie Phillips and Dana Adkins/Adkins and Phillips Agency

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781569475157
Publisher: Soho Press, Incorporated
Publication date: 11/1/2008
Pages: 240
Series: Jack Yu Series , #2
Product dimensions: 5.28 (w) x 7.72 (h) x 0.91 (d)

Meet the Author

Henry Chang was born and raised in New York City's Chinatown where he now lives. He is a graduate of Pratt Institute and CCNY and is currently a Security Director. He is the author of CHINATOWN BEAT, the first mystery in the Detective Jack Yu series.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5

( 3 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

(2)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

harstan

Posted October 19, 2008

more from this reviewer

a police procedural

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

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted December 13, 2010

No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous

Posted March 8, 2011

No text was provided for this review.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble