Customer Reviews

Murder in China Red: A Chinaman Mystery

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Dean Barrett began his considerable Asian experiences as a Chinese linguist in the Army during the Vietnam War. He returned to the United States after the war and finished a Masters Degree in Asian Studies from the University of Hawaii. He has written four novels with an Asian theme. Several of his plays have been performed in New York, including Fragrant Harbour. Mr. Barrett is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the Dramatists Guild.

Liu Chiang-hsin is commonly known as the "Chinaman." He is a displaced victim of the Red Guard's attack, which killed his parents and have left him with severe emotional scars. One woman has managed to gain entry into his heart, and she has just been killed in what looks like a professional hit. Chinaman employs his considerable talents as a private detective, as well as calling in a few favors to exact vengeance for the murder of possibly the only woman he has ever loved. Unfortunately, two of the people he needs help from are his ex-wife and her cop father:

"Chinaman waited for the ominous silence to end while in the background ringing phones went unanswered at Manhattan Properties. When she spoke again, something new had crept into Mary Anne's voice. Something toxic. 'Let me get this straight. You put your other cases on hold to solve the death of the woman who destroyed our marriage and now you have the unmitigated nerve to call ME and ask for money? You want ME to loan you money?"

In spite of his propensity to innocently infuriate everyone around him, Chinaman is a lovable and tragic figure. He has much to teach us about East/West differences, and there is much about him that is honorable and noteworthy. Barrett writes a finely crafted mystery/suspense novel, with enough spy stuff to keep the reader rifling through the pages to see what is just around the corner. His denouement is excellent; set in Brooklyn's Red Hook area. What is most noteworthy about this tale, though, is the fact that ordinary, intelligent people are caught up in nefarious activities simply to make a living, and how easy it is to slip over the line into crime.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

This book really is refreshing in that besides being well written and well plotted, it really concentrates on the detective himself and the atmosphere in which he works. That is what Raymond Chandler did and even when his plots went just a bit weird or got away from him, Chandler's books are still great. Barrett also seems to have a natural gift of talent to create a detective we want to see involved in more cases. This Chinese detective from Beijing scraping by in Manhattan is a winner.

The story of this book is well plotted but it is the characterization that I like best, esp. of the main character. "Chinaman" as his friends call him is tough, sensitive, funny but never politically correct. He came from Beijing and doesn't quite fit in with American pop culture anymore than he buys into the complaints of American Chinese he meets (or has an affair with). The author obviously knows New York City like the back of his hand. This is supposed to be a series with Murder in Dominatrix Black next. That should be a corker! Chinaman is no Charlie Chan but he has some of the best traits of Charlie: integrity, honesty, brains.

The detective in this one is a real pro with a sense of humilty and a sense of humor. He is determined to track down the bad guys who killed a former lady of his. The author's knowledge of China is obvious so he is able to create a Chinese gumshoe in the streets of New York City. The humor is great so is the characterization. The plot ranges from unexpected twists and turns in the case to his seeking revenge for someone else. He doesn't talk much about 9/11 and its aftermath on NY but when he does it is quite moving.
A fine read.

I was riveted by Dean Barrett's portrayal of the tensions, and excitement, of the East-West interchange. Beautiful writing, and edge-of-the-seat suspense kept me anxious to the finsh.

Sujata Massey
author of The Bride's Kimono

Chinaman is a great character and he is what makes the book so interesting. Particularly, his Beijing background and his character. The New York setting is also very well done and the plot works well. The author obviously knows things Chinese as well as Manhattan, etc. A very well done detective novel.

A really well done mystery set in New York City by someone who obviously knows the place well. The detective is a Chinese who was smuggled into Hong Kong and then into New York after his father was murdered by China's Red Guards. He is damaged by his memories (his mother committed suicide) and hates crowds. When a woman he loves if found murdered in a New York hotel, he is determined to bring the murderer(s) to justice. Lots of twists, tension, humor and very good writing.

Chinamans real name was Liu Chiang-hsin, but his friends called him Chinaman. In fact, thats what he named his business, Chinaman Investigations. Business? If he didnt get some cash flow soon, there would be no business. In Chinese his name meant a mind sharp as a sword. Funny, he didnt feel very sharp right now. It seems all your clients no longer have any interest in paying you once youve solved the case. But when he puts all his active cases on hold because an old girl friend has been murdered, things get really tight.

Judy was more than just an old girl friend. He had known her long before he met and married his ex-wife. In fact, the ex-wife wouldnt be ex if she hadnt caught him in bed with the old girl friend. He never meant for it to happen but there was a connection between him and Judy that he couldnt explain. He had met Judy in another life, before he became a private detective, when he was teaching creative writing. She was one of his students. When her dream of becoming a world famous author didnt materialize, she somehow slipped into the role of high priced call girl. Judy was quite successful due to the fact that she was not only beautiful, but because she had also discovered a need to conquer men by sexual seduction.

Chinaman found out about Judys murder from his ex-father-in-law who called him to identify the body. Joseph Abrams was Manhattans Chief of Detectives and he hated Chinaman. It was bad enough that his daughter married a private detective, but when they divorced, he blamed Chinaman and rightly so.

Judy was murdered, along with her client in their room at The New York Palace Hotel. It appears that Judy was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. But was it that simple? Nothing is ever as simple as it appears. Chinamans investigation leads in many directions, all of which seem to go nowhere until something an amateur magician said to him put everything into perspective. Its all in the set-up. And if the setups right, when you think Im doing one thing, Im actually doing another. The success is in the diversion. Misdirection is the key.

This book is well written and contains all the elements that keep you reading page after page, when you really should put it down and go do something responsible. It calls you back again when you finally do manage to put it down for a while. Entertaining and well worth your time.

Chinaman is a great character as well as a good detective. I liked this book because people come to life, there are no stereotypes. Cindy-Mae really comes on to him and he handles her beautifully. I hope to see more of these.

In Chinaman, Dean Barrett has created a private eye as laconic and street-wise as anything from the pen of Raymond Chandler. His hero, Chinaman, is a Chinese American creative writing teacher turned private investigator, who roots through the seedy underbelly of the Big Apple on the trail of a murderer. With Murder in China Red, Barrett has spun a well-crafted murder mystery filled with characters that leap off the page.

Stephen Leather, author of The Tunnel Rats