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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
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.
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.
From the Back Cover
Praise for Underkill
"Underkill is a very fine novel and Leonard Chang grows more impressive with each book. I thought Over the Shoulder was a stand out and now Allen Choice is back in a story even more stirring and absorbing. The key is character. Chang works like a painter, carefully brushing strokes of truth and depth on all of his characters. This portrait is a winner."
- Michael Connelly
"Chang writes beautifully about the wounds of his characters and the wounds of society as a whole. Putting one in mind of Steve Hamilton, S. J. Rozan and Dennis Lehane, he may well be the next big name in crime fiction."
- James Sallis, author of the Lew Griffin novels
"Chang has given the reader, in the character of Allen Choice, a fully-developed yet fallible hero [whose] complex adventures will absorb the reader and--one hopes--ensure yet another tale of this caliber in the future, and another, and another."
-Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler's List
"Chang weaves a multi-layered yarn, energized by Choice's wrestling with his own uncertainties and self-doubts."
-Providence Journal
"[An] exciting novel . . . There is a certain grit and amusement here." - Miami Herald
"Plenty of excitement." - San Jose Mercury News
"It's a treat, with a protagonist who really grows on you. It's impossible not to root for Choice."
- Booklist
"[Sets] the stage for a startling surprise and a high-caliber climax." - Kirkus Reviews
"Underkill is a very fine novel and Leonard Chang grows more impressive with each book. I thought Over the Shoulder was a stand out and now Allen Choice is back in a story even more stirring and absorbing. The key is character. Chang works like a painter, carefully brushing strokes of truth and depth on all of his characters. This portrait is a winner."
- Michael Connelly
"Chang writes beautifully about the wounds of his characters and the wounds of society as a whole. Putting one in mind of Steve Hamilton, S. J. Rozan and Dennis Lehane, he may well be the next big name in crime fiction."
- James Sallis, author of the Lew Griffin novels
"Chang has given the reader, in the character of Allen Choice, a fully-developed yet fallible hero [whose] complex adventures will absorb the reader and--one hopes--ensure yet another tale of this caliber in the future, and another, and another."
-Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler's List
"Chang weaves a multi-layered yarn, energized by Choice's wrestling with his own uncertainties and self-doubts."
-Providence Journal
"[An] exciting novel . . . There is a certain grit and amusement here." - Miami Herald
"Plenty of excitement." - San Jose Mercury News
"It's a treat, with a protagonist who really grows on you. It's impossible not to root for Choice."
- Booklist
"[Sets] the stage for a startling surprise and a high-caliber climax." - Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Leonard Chang was born in New York City and studied philosophy at Dartmouth College and Harvard University. He received his MFA from the University of California at Irvine, and is the author of four previous novels: The Fruit 'N Food, Dispatches from the Cold, Over the Shoulder, and Underkill. He was recently the Distinguished Visiting Writer at Mills College and is on the faculty at Antioch University's MFA Program in Los Angeles. His short stories have been published in literary journals such as Prairie Schooner and Confluence. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is working on a new Allen Choice novel.
