Little Saigon

by T. Jefferson Parker Narrated by David Colacci

Overview

In the aftermath of the war in Vietnam, thousands of desperate refugees fled the killing fields for new lives in Southern California. But for those who settled in "Little Saigon," the war never really ended. The latest victim of the continuing struggle is Li Frye, a popular singer whose songs of hope and home have made her a heroine to her people. Ripped from the stage by masked gunmen, she has vanished into the dark alleys of Little Saigon, where outsiders are met with suspicion and a stony silence as impenetrable as the steaming jungles of Vietnam.

Local surfing legend turned reporter Chuck Frye knows what it means to be an outsider. He's the black sheep of his wealthy family, but Li is his sister-in-law, and he cannot sit back and let them or the clueless police investigate the case alone. What Chuck cannot know is that he stands at the edge of a swirling vortex of corruption and violence that reaches to the highest levels of the United States intelligence community. As he comes closer to the truth, he draws nearer to a terrible secret that many would kill to keep.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This workmanlike suspense thriller by the author of Laguna Heat takes its name from the populous Vietnamese community in California's Orange County, an intriguing although largely unexplored backdrop for the action. Chuck Frye, a surf bum who has recently failed at journalism, business and marriage, lives in the shadow of his war-hero brother Bennett, and their father, a wealthy real-estate tycoon. Bennett's Vietnamese wife is a singer whose protest music has made her a heroine among anticommunists and Asian expatriates. When she is kidnapped during a performance, Chuck joins the search for her, hoping to end his estrangement from the Frye clan. But the more he learns about the crime's motivepolitics, gang warfare or revenge are all possibilitiesthe more intently his family tries to shut him out of the investigation. Meanwhile, the body count continues to mount. Parker's methodical story moves briskly but permits few surprises, and his novel could do without a silly subplot about Chuck's personal redemption, which apparently lies not only in finding his sister-in-law but also in regaining the courage to ride a big wave after a surfing accident. 125,000 first printing; $125,000 ad/promo. (September)

From the Publisher

"Thickly plotted...a tense thriller that builds to an astonishing payoff!"-Playboy

"Exotic...surprises turn up every five minutes."-New York Daily News

"Thoroughly satisfying...tension that builds wave on wave to a crashing climax!"

-Cincinnati Post

"Memorable...further proof that [Parker's] no flash in the pan, but a glowing fixture in the thriller firmament."-Kirkus Reviews

"Pulse-quickening and thought-provoking...with his second novel, T. Jefferson Parker confirms the talent demonstrated in his first."-San Diego Union

"His plotting and pacing are now essentially faultless."-Miami Herald

"A lesson in the seamless splicing of suspense and terror."-Booklist

"[Parker] is a potent and irresistible writer."—Los Angeles Times

OCTOBER 2008 - AudioFile

No, this title isn’t about the War in Vietnam. The plot takes place mostly in the present in California. Former champion surfer Chuck Frye must find his Vietnamese sister-in-law, who has been kidnapped. His search leads him through a Vietnamese ghetto in Orange County and to the realization that there is much more to the kidnapping than he first believed. Parker misses several opportunities to give dimension to his story. It's difficult to care much about his cast of characters. David Colacci does his best with the thin plotting and sparse characters, but even his basically first-rate performance seems to suffer a bit. He's not as enthusiastic as usual. Still, his voice changes, accents, and rhythms are top-notch. A.L.H. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169670929
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	07/29/2008
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	540,639

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