“I was riveted by Dean Barrett’s portrayal of the tensions, and excitement, of the East-West interchange. Beautiful writing, and edge-of-the-seat suspense kept me anxious to the fiinish.” - Sujata Massey, author of The Bride’s Kimono
“In Chinaman, Dean Barrett has created a private eye as laconic and street-wise as anything from the pen of Raymond Chandler. Barrett writes about New York as if he’s lived there his whole life. His hero, Chinaman, is a Chinese American creative writing teacher turned private investigator, who roots through the seedy underbelly of the Big Apple on the trail of a murderer. With Murder in China Red, Barrett has spun a well-crafted murder mystery filled with characters that leap off the page.” - Stephen Leather, author of The Tunnel Rats
"A highly focused plot, classy prose, and a complicated protagonist merit wide readership." - Library Journal
"Classically toned" - Publishers Weekly
"Asian specialist Barrett, who has used Bangkok, Hong Kong, Thailand and 1862 China as settings for earlier novels, knows his way around .357 magnums, 12-gauge short-barreled shotguns with pistol grips, 5-shot Smith & Wessons, and all the rest of the light artillery." - Kirkus Reviews
"Action lovers will enjoy a climatic scene in Manhattan's gloomy Red Hook district." - January Magazine - New & Noteworthy - Rap Sheet
"Barrett knows the metropolis (New York City) well, its neighborhoods and street people. I quite like Chinaman and hope this is the first of a series." - Bernard Trink Bangkok Post
"Murder in China Red tells a good story and keeps the reader wanting more....The graphic economy of the writing places the book with films of this genre and could easily become one. This is a superior book. The writing is good, with clever, useful and apt images." - Asian Review of Books
"Dean Barrett has packed everything he knows about Asia as well as the streets of his native New York, into a promising series debut, 'Murder in China Red'" - Chicago Tribune
"A great serial detective character. A strong character, one who you enjoy reading about....This book is very appealing, especially to anyone who loves an old time mystery. Instead of concentrating on the forensic aspects of the crime, we watch Chinaman do old style gumshoe work following leads and looking for clues and putting together pieces with his own mind, not a computer. I hope to see more adventures with him." - MostlyFiction.com
"This is not a novel for those who love computer-solved crimes or forensics. It is a Chandleresque-type mystery and I loved it." - AllReaders.com
"Clearly, Chinaman is no stereotyped private investigator. Barrett takes his hero through the Big Apple’s underworld — questioning informants, calling in favors owed to him by a variety of friends, borrowing money from his ex-wife, and uncovering what looks like an international plot in the course of his quest. The story is fast-paced, one-liners abound, and the mix of mayhem and humor is nicely balanced. Private-eye enthusiasts will put Chinaman at the top of their list. Even the reader who isn’t particularly caught up with the genre will find plenty of entertainment in this novel." Everybody Loves a Mystery Newsletter
"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." - Midwest Book Review
"Dean Barrett has written several very good mysteries taking place in Thailand, China and Hong Kong, but with Murder in China Red he introduces one of the most original and engrossing hardboiled detectives this side of Dashiell Hammett....Murder in China Red is an absolutely murderous delight!" - Laughing Bear Newsletter
"This book reads like a good solid Sam Spade mystery....The mystery is a good one, but the primary reason for reading Murder in China Red rests in the character of Chinaman. If Mr. Barrett can maintain the quality shown in Murder in China Red, this will be a good mystery series indeed." - Curled up with a Good Book
"Murder in China Red is an excellent
collection to anyone's fiction library. Dean Barrett is an excellent
author, adept at whatever he tries. From painting a landscape, to boiling
a detective, to offering exciting adventure, Barrett's pen is mightier than even
an femme fatale's Smith & Wesson 4506." - Dan
Abbott Bookosphere
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