Dragonfish - A Novel

Robert, a rugged Oakland cop, still can t let go of Suzy, the mysterious Vietnamese wife who left him. Now she s disappeared from her new husband, Sonny, a violent Vietnamese smuggler and gambler who blackmails Robert into finding her for him. Pursuing Suzy through the glitzy, sleazy gambling dens of Las Vegas, Robert finds himself chasing the past that haunts Suzy one that extends back to a refugee camp in Malaysia after the fall of Saigon. Her daughter, abandoned long ago, is now a steely professional poker player. The dangerous legacy of Suzy s guilt threatens to immolate them all, including Happy, her best friend. Taut, cinematic storytelling, vivid dialogue, and mesmerizing atmosphere combine here with beautiful, original prose. Based on his work chosen for The Best American Mystery Stories, Vu Tran s debut is a noir page-turner resonant with the lasting reverberations of lives lost and lives remade a generation ago."