MURDER IN CHINA RED-PB [Paperback]

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 wouldnï¿t be ex if she hadnï¿t 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 couldnï¿t 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 didnï¿t 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 Judyï¿s murder from his ex-father-in-law who called him to identify the body. Joseph Abrams was Manhattanï¿s 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 ï¿clientï¿ 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. Chinamanï¿s investigation leads in many directions, all of which seem to go nowhere until something an amateur magician said to him put everything into perspective. ï¿Itï¿s all in the set-up. And if the setupï¿s right, when you think Iï¿m doing one thing, Iï¿m actually doing another. The success is in the diversion. Misdirection is the key.ï¿

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 ï¿responsibleï¿. It calls you back again when you finally do manage to put it down for a while. Entertaining and well worth your time.

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