The Sixth Man

August 15, 2016
Capt. Chyang Fang, the narrator of this violent, downbeat thriller set in contemporary Vietnam, is the chief homicide inspector in Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon). The authorities tolerate Fang even though he's half Chinese, thanks to his success rate in solving murders. Behind his back, people refer to Fang as "gookinese." A pair of killers, American Frank Morgan (aka the Night Snake) and Montagnard Luong, last seen in Lealos's Don't Mean Nuthin', are bent on avenging the slaughter of the villagers of Dac Sun during the Vietnam War. They're believed to be behind the recent assassinations of two politburo members and a former security chief. A photograph left with the bodies suggests that at least two more powerful men are targeted, and Fang knows the sordid story behind the photo. Fang is under constant threat and has to choose a careful path if he's to survive. The constant use of ethnic slurs by all the characters, and the bleak picture Lealos paints of Vietnam and its people, detract from this macho adventure.

The specter of the Communist regime and the ghost of the Vietnam War loom large over this murder mystery set in present-day Vietnam. Police Capt. Chyang Fang narrates his journey through political and cultural minefields as he searches for answers regarding multiple killings. He encounters identical clues at two gory crime scenes that point to someone exacting revenge against victims sharing an ugly past. Aided by his confidants, including the disfigured, ill-tempered medical examiner, Ngo, and the simple but loyal Sgt. Phan, Fang follows his instincts down a dangerous path. All of the victims rose to positions of authority in the government-constructed "communist fairyland," in which, Fang says, "Poor students often don't survive." Fang's dark cynicism not only fuels his off-color humor, but also provides a necessary outlet for a homicide detective working under a repressive system--one that's reluctant to even acknowledge the existence of foul crimes in what he sarcastically calls the "people's Eden" of Vietnam: "Few Sai Gon inhabitants...would dare call our leaders 'pus buckets' even when alone," he notes. "For me, it was the one way I could battle the socialist machine." His fellow citizens, as portrayed here, are far less cowed in their blunt discrimination against Fang due to his mixed Vietnamese-Chinese heritage. This inherent racism and ethnic mistrust are at the heart of a plot that unearths Vietnam's violent past in a city that harbors dark secrets. One of the book's strengths is how Lealos (Don't Mean Nuthin': A Military Trailer, 2015, etc.) uses Ho Chi Minh City as a lively story element rather than as a static backdrop. His descriptions of the former Saigon are vivid, featuring fruit proffered from carts in hot streets and dog meat masquerading as beef in four-star restaurants, and it's all seasoned with very salty language; the mellifluous Vietnamese language, too, spices up the English dialogue. A fresh, enjoyable crime novel that mixes its characters' base, murderous motivations with a twist of intrigue and history. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.