Customer Reviews

Fade to Clear (Allen Choice Novel)

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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.

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.


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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

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?

What is really interesting about this novel and the others by Leonard Chang is how they are not just about solving a crime. These novels are about a lonely man trying to figure out his relationships and his place in the world. He just happens to be a PI now. It's not as hardboiled as I usually like my crime novels, but it's deeper and more thoughtful than pretty much any other crime series out there. Smilla's Sense of Snow is similar. Henning Mankell's series are close. I also like these novels are about a Korean-American guy, but not overdoing the race issue. He's Everyman.

Two years ago, then San Jose Sentinel reporter Linda Maldonado worked with private investigator Allen Choice on a case (see UNDERKILL). They became lovers, but eventually she ended their romance without explanation. Saddened he moved on professionally and personally.

Linda comes to Oakland where Allen is a partner in Baxter & Choice, a private investigation firm because her niece has been abducted by her nasty abusive father. She wants to hire Allen to rescue nine-year-old Nora from Frank Staunton, who snatched the child because he loathes his former wife and will do anything to hurt her. Allen's current girlfriend Serena Yew would prefer he not accept the case because of his previous affair with the client that he may not have gotten over. Allen himself knows how dangerous the rescue would be as the target is mean and cruel, but a pussy cat next to the guy's killing machine brother. Though facing Hobson's choice, Allen accepts the challenge in which law enforcement at all levels have failed.

FADE TO CLEAR is a terrific private investigative urban noir story starring a delightful protagonist, who is a hodgepodge of conflicting emotions that make him endearing to the audience (don't tell Choice what I called him). The story line is action-packed yet at times quite humorous as the bewildered Allen often leads with his chin in spots that could prove deadly when the case turns out even more dangerous than dealing with the lunatic Staunton siblings.

Harriet Klausner

The third Allen Choice mystery is the best yet. I'm so glad I discovered these books and gave them a try. If you haven't read these yet, you've got some pleasant reading waiting for you.

Choice is a great character, easy to identify with. You want the best for him, even when it looks like things can't possibly work out. He knows he should be paying more attention to his current girlfriend, Serena, but can't help himself when former girlfriend, Linda, featured in the previous two novels, comes looking for his help in finding her niece, kidnapped by her estranged father during a custody dispute. Linda seems to have some sort of hold over him, yet the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes how much he loves Serena and that he wants to be with her.

Allen is an introspective, lonely guy who is quietly becoming something of a success in his chosen profession of private detective. Yet he still finds it hard to fathom other people and he hasn't quite figured out why Serena keeps getting so mad at him during his investigation. There's a philosophical undercurrent running through things, too, as Allen keeps coming back to the Kierkegaard he's been reading and trying to fit it into his everyday life.

There are some dangerous bad guys at work, and bad things happen to the people he cares about, but Allen is ultimately able to solve the mystery and make a real step forward in his relationship with Serena. Here's hoping this series lasts a long and satisfying time. Highly recommended!