Year of the Dog

“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.

No matter how hard he tries, NYPD Detective Jack Yu can't escape his Chinatown roots.

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.)

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.