Snakes Can't Run: A Mystery (Thomas Dunne Books) [Hardcover]

Ed Lin (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 30, 2010 | Series: Thomas Dunne Books (Book 2)

An epic of New York Chinatown noir in the vein of George Pelecanos and Richard Price, this is the riveting sequel to the highly acclaimed This Is a Bust

 

It’s a hot summer in New York’s Chinatown in 1976 and Robert Chow, the Chinese-American detective son of an illegal immigrant, takes on a new breed of ruthless human smugglers— snakeheads—when two bodies of smuggled Chinese are found dead under the Brooklyn Bridge underpass. But as Robert comes closer to finding some answers, he discovers a dark secret in his own family’s past...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Set in New York City in 1976, Lin's accomplished second novel to feature NYPD detective Robert Chow (after 2007's This Is a Bust) finds the Chinese-American cop, who's still haunted by memories of his service in the Vietnam War, relegated to undercover work posing as a Con Ed worker. Meanwhile, other officers in Chow's precinct are focused on apprehending the FALN terrorists who set off a bomb right outside police headquarters. The murders of two Asian men, who are shot and dumped under the Manhattan Bridge, take Chow away from the drudgery of his undercover assignment and onto the trail of the head of a ring of human smugglers known as snakeheads. Lin portrays the police, including his lead, warts and all, and paints a convincing picture of Manhattan's Chinatown. Readers interested in the integration of Asian-Americans into American society, as well as those who like gritty procedurals, will be well rewarded. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

Robert Chow may be about to escape his assignment as Chinatown’s token Chinese cop. Despite a superior officer who disapproves of him, Chow may be on the fast track for promotion—thanks mainly to his scoring two goals for NYPD in a hockey game against the fire department. So, when two bodies are found under the approach to the Brooklyn Bridge, Chow must find the “snakeheads”( human traffickers) responsible; standing in his way are money, fear, and the customs and mores of Chinatown. Like Lin’s first Chow novel, This Is a Bust (2007), this one is, quoting Ray Olson’s earlier Booklist review, a “murder mystery, sorta.” Despite frequent vows to take down the snakeheads, Chow doesn’t seem to do much detecting. He eats and he talks, and the dialogue is naturalistic, which is to say, interaction between two people paying little attention to the subject under discussion. But the chief virtue of Snakes Can’t Run is its vivid portrait of tiny, teeming, complex, fearful, ambitious, politicized, corrupt Chinatown, circa 1976. --Thomas Gaughan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1 edition (March 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312569882
• ISBN-13: 978-0312569884
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,704,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like smart, wry detective fiction this book is for you March 31, 2010

By Bookbin

Format:Hardcover

Ed Lin is like that little band you discover that no one else seems to know about . . . you feel special recognizing how great they are. Your taste is vindicated by the praise from critics everywhere, and yet they never seem to blow up.

But I suspect that with Snakes Can't Run, Lin's third novel and in my opinion his best, this secret is about to see the light of day. Once again there's the dry, side-of-mouth wise cracking Det. Chow and his partner - fellow vet Vandyne, the perfect complement. Together they shake down the head of an immigrant smuggling ring - the snakehead. As with Lin's prequel, the book is like a great meal: The familiar is made new with smile inducing surprises along the way, the act of consumption is so enjoyable in itself that you don't want it to end; but when it does, you lean back, run your tongue over the remnants stuck between your teeth, and meditate on that rare feeling of full satisfaction.

If you're feeling hungry for a good story, get this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual for a mystery . . . . . November 5, 2010

By Patrick J. Callahan

Format:Hardcover

I very much enjoyed this novel. It is unusual, in that detective trappings are very thin, but character and dialogue come to the fore.

The characters in the novel take front stage. Considerable effort is made to sketch in the background -- Chinatown in NY, with a temporal setting of about 1975.

The book settles into an analysis of half a dozen possible suspects -- potential criminals called "snakeheads" who smuggle Chinese illegal immigrants into NY. Many of the illegal women become prostitutes, and many of the men work themselves to death in menial jobs at marginal pay.

The protagonist remembers his father, who was a "snake" -- a victim of the snakeheads. He has a very intense motivation to take down the leaders of the snakehead operation, even though threatened by his fellow police for daring to rock the boat.

Interesting side narratives involve his lovely Chinese girlfriend, and the fate of school classmates who have gotten into the tongs or gangs.

From the viewpoint of a conventional mystery, the book moves very slowly -- almost boringly. However, the other dimensions of character and background tend to supply an increasing interest as the book proceeds.

A praise should also be extended for exceptional wit in the dialog. Every few pages I would either smile or chuckle at the tropes and metaphors, or sheer wit, the author summons.

Recommended.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent historical police procedural April 1, 2010

By Harriet Klausner #1 HALL OF FAME

Format:Hardcover

In 1976 in New York City, NYPD Chinese-American detective Robert Chow remains deeply troubled by his time in Vietnam. However, he tries to insure his nightmares do not impact his performance as a cop. His current assignment along with his partner Vandyne is going undercover as a Con Ed worker following up a report by tourists of hearing gunshots in Chinatown as the department is on a terrorist alert.

At the same time much of the rest of the precinct is preoccupied with the FALN terrorists who brazenly ignite a bomb near police headquarters. When two Asian males are murdered with the bodies dumped under the Manhattan Bridge, Chow investigates as no one else is available. He soon follows clues of a human smuggling ring the Snakeheads.

The latest Chow historical police procedural is a timely reminder with the roadblocks on the bridges that terrorism is not a 9/11 phenomena. The city comes across dirty and gritty, but even with the FALN attacks it still beating strong. With insight into the assimilation of Asians into America and a deep look at Manhattan's Chinatown, Ed Lin once again provides a strong investigative thriller (see This Is a Bust) as Snakes Can't Run but they can hide.

Harriet Klausner