Fade to Clear (Allen Choice Novel) [Hardcover]

Leonard Chang (Author)

Book Description

Series: Allen Choice Novel | Publication Date: May 1, 2004

In this new installment, Allen Choice, now a full partner at Baxter & Choice Investigations, finds his life in upheaval by the reappearance of his ex-lover Linda. Over the objections of his current girlfriend Serena, Allen reluctantly takes on the case of finding Linda's niece, who was abducted by her father in a bitter divorce battle.

Fade to Clear is Leonard Chang's most electrifying and riveting crime novel, following the critically-acclaimed successes of Underkill and Over the Shoulder.

As Allen delves deeper into the investigation, unearthing links to drug smuggling and money laundering, he becomes the target of larger, deadlier forces that strike a tragic blow. In the wake of personal loss, he compels himself forward in this perilous case and at the same time makes profound decisions that will reverberate throughout his life.

Once again, Chang weaves a masterful tale that is as much an edgy, fast-paced mystery as it is a deep look into the complex interior life of Allen Choice, a fallible and human character who is quickly becoming a truly memorable name in the world of noir.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Chang's third Allen Choice novel, the brooding, self-doubting Korean-American PI of Underkill (2003) and Over the Shoulder (2001) has found a new maturity that makes this outing the most satisfying yet. Now a full partner at B&C Investigations, Choice is contemplating moving out of his lonely San Francisco bachelor apartment and in with steady girlfriend Serena Yew, a Silicon Valley computer programmer who was introduced in Underkill. He may even be ready to meet Serena's parents, though he fears their disapproval since he's not as connected to his Korean roots as Serena is to hers. Then his ex-girlfriend Linda Maldonado asks Choice to find her missing niece, who's been abducted by her father, and to be prepared to use less-than-legal means to do so. What Linda doesn't reveal to him are the darker secrets surrounding the divorce of the niece's parents, or the dismal fate that has met the previous detective on the case. When faced with the dilemma of either solving the mystery o? preserving his new romance, Choice doesn't disappoint. With a spare, literary style that suits his reticent protagonist, Chang paints a quietly affectionate picture of Choice, his relationships and the Bay Area, while also delivering the thrilling twists and tragedies of classic noir fiction.
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From Booklist

Fans of contemplative crime fiction should enjoy the third outing of Korean American sleuth Allen Choice. In addition to nurturing a promising San Francisco PI partnership and an even more promising girlfriend, Choice is working out a philosophy of emotional engagement to replace his old theory of "removement." But then his icky ex, Linda, shows up with pitifully wicked stepsister Julie to arrest his development. They want him to retrieve Julie's daughter from her deadbeat dad, and even though Choice's instincts--along with current flame, Serena--warn him off the case, he can't turn his back on a kidnapped kid. Quicker than you can say "Calling Dr. Phil," the pushover PI lets Linda and Julie manipulate him into an investigative fiasco that may cost him Serena and his business, not to mention his life. Finding Julie's child is a thankless job, but he's still gotta do it--even after getting unfairly fired. Ultimately, Choice's decency, dedication, and dopey charm win readers over even as they long to shake some sense into him. Frank Sennett
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312308450
• ISBN-13: 978-0312308452
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,983,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Leonard Chang was born in New York City, and grew up on Long Island, where he attended the public schools in Merrick. After high school, Leonard studied at Dartmouth College, interned with the Peace Corps in Kingston, Jamaica, and continued his studies in Philosophy at Harvard University, where he graduated with honors. He attended the graduate creative writing program at the University of California at Irvine, and received his Master's of Fine Arts. His first novel, entitled The Fruit 'N Food, was published in 1996 and won the Black Heron Press Award for Social Fiction that year, and is now taught at universities around the world. His second novel, Dispatches from the Cold, won a San Francisco Bay Guardian Goldie Award for Literature. He is also the author of a popular and critically-acclaimed noir trilogy, which includes Over the Shoulder, Underkill, and Fade to Clear, a USA Today Summer Reading Pick and a finalist for the Shamus Award. His latest, Crossings, was published in 2009. His novels have been translated into French, Japanese and Korean, and are regularly studied in literature, sociology and theology courses throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. Recently the U.S. Consulate in Berlin sponsored his multi-city lecture/reading tour of Germany.

In addition to novels, he writes short stories, essays, and book reviews, and his work has appeared in numerous literary journals, including The Crescent Review, Prairie Schooner, Confluence, The Literary Review, Bamboo Ridge, and Lynx Eye. He was a Visiting Distinguished Writer at Mills College, and currently teaches at Antioch University's MFA Program.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Mystery Series, April 21, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Fade to Clear (Allen Choice Novel) (Hardcover)

I can't express how good this series is becoming. The first two Allen Choice mysteries were really good, but this third one blows them out of the water. It combines the best aspects of the other novels, like the philosophy in Over the Shoulder and the personal relationship themes in Underkill, and mixes them together at the same time pulling us along in the story. If you told me that I'd be learning about Kierkegaard in a mystery novel, I'd avoid the novel. If you told me I'd really care about a character like a good friend, I'd think you were crazy. But here it is. I feel like I know Allen Choice inside and out, and I think this is one of the best mysteries I've read in years.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterful Novel from Leonard Chang..., October 16, 2006

By 

sfarmer76 "sfarmer76" (Savannah, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fade to Clear (Allen Choice Novel) (Hardcover)

Fade To Clear, $23.95 US, was penned by Leonard Chang. Thomas Dunne Books published this title in 2004. This novel is the third entry in the Allen Choice Series. The two books preceding it are Over The Shoulder and Underkill. Allen Choice is a thirtysomething private investigator living in San Francisco, just trying to succeed in the world.

As we enter this new installment, we find Allen Choice is now a full partner in Baxter & Choice Investigations. The story launches in an Oakland warehouse chock full of stolen computers and peripherals, where Allen and his partner Larry Baxter are being held at gunpoint by a fast-talking Jamaican gangster. Maybe breaking in here wasn't such a bright idea?

Despite being surprised by the thug, Allen and Larry outsmart him long enough to get away before even more armed criminals arrive. B&C bring the police in on the multimillion-dollar fencing operation after fleeing the warehouse. However, Allen isn't enjoying this work very much. His employment seems tenuous at best; he's also unsure where he stands with his girlfriend Serena.

Enterprising though he may be, Allen is actually overly introspective compared to protagonist in other series fiction I've read. He's fixated on the works of Kierkegaard and other philosophers -- when he isn't working as a P.I. -- and he's also obsessed with long-distance running. Oh, did I mention? He's Korean-American, but speaks no Korean, and feels guilty about this.

These identity paradoxes intrigue me and I find Chang's writing fascinating. Allen's father died while he was young, so he was raised outside Korea by Aunt Insook. He's Korean but he doesn't feel Korean. He feels American. It bothers him when people bring up ethnicity. Serena is Korean. Ex-girlfriend Linda wasn't. He seems conflicted about his race -- fitting in.

Of course, I can't recall any other character in series fiction that's been assimilated into another culture. Can you? Broadcast and newspaper coverage about immigration seems abundant in 2006. Present-day immigrants (legal or otherwise) typically don't assimilate; they reside in `language enclaves' and resist learning any English. Allen Choice represents the antithesis of these trends; ergo Chang's novel feels sophisticated.

Complications arise for Allen when Linda Maldonado reappears in his life. Needless to say, Serena doesn't like it when Allen agrees to take on a case regarding ex-girlfriend Linda's abducted niece Nora. Allen's ambivalence about the case is tempered by the urgent need to locate Nora; she's merely a little girl caught in the crossfire of a bitter divorce battle.

Looking into Nora's abduction requires Allen to scrutinize Linda's former brother-in-law Frank. This guy was rich -- he was going to lose a fortune in any divorce -- so when Linda's sister Julie started playing hardball in the custody case, Frank decided to liquefy his assets, grab Nora, and flee to Mammoth Lakes with the help of his family and business associates.

Eventually Allen realizes Frank Staunton is a bad seed. He's involved in drug smuggling and money laundering through shell corporations. Frank's got a nasty brother (named Rick) that's running interference for him when Allen sniffs around and his sister (Deirdre) and parents in Seattle (Doug and Marilyn) aren't much help to B&C either. Allen ultimately locates Nora by investigating Staunton family contacts.

As you might know, excellent writers like Chang assign characters at least one major problem they must solve before the end of the book. Chang wisely hinders Allen Choice with two major obstacles. The first involves an arson fire that destroys his office (foreshadowing) during the abduction investigation; the second involves the unexpected death of a beloved friend. I won't divulge whom.

Readers will find that Leonard Chang pens dark crime novels that defy the conventional. If you're studious, you'll realize this nuanced novel has mass-market appeal. My one recommendation to Leonard would be that he may want to double or triple his chapter count, and concentrate on writing shorter chapters. More `action' and `less literary' would signify the ideal way forward.


______________________________________________________________________


The Book:
Fade To Clear,
Thomas Dunne Books

ISBN:
0312308450 or
9780312308452

Pages:
322 Pages

Rating:
5 Stars

Chapters:
29 Numbered Chapters

If You Like Fade To Clear, you might enjoy:
Choke Point
Country of Origin
Little Girl Lost
The Interpreter
The Wake-Up

Recommended:
Yes

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chang just gets better and better, May 5, 2005

By 

D. Lippman (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fade to Clear (Allen Choice Novel) (Hardcover)

All of Chang's books are worth reading. This one, the third in the Allen Choice series, is no exception. The plot is well crafted, the characters well-rounded and believable, and the suspense written perfectly. I'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better contemporary crime novel. To top all of this off, Chang's use of voice, and the change of point of view in this novel (third person here, first in the previous two), make for an interesting literary read as well as for a page-turning crime yarn.

The sad part? The rumors are that this is the last in the series for a while. Maybe the publisher deserves some emails?