A noir mystery set in San Francisco, The Chinese Jars follows Samuel Hamilton, an ad salesman for the local newspaper, as he investigate the suspicious death of a casual acquaintance. The unraveling evidence leads him through a maze of traffickers in Chinese antiquities to Mister Song's Many Chinese Herbs store. Mr. Song is a powerful man in his neighborhood, and his vessels are a safe place for Chinatown residents to deposit money and documents.
Review
Steeped in the colorful reality of 1960s Chinatown, not to mention a quintessentially 1960s bar called, appropriately, Camelot; graced with fine writing and a fascinating plot that stretches from Chinatown to China; populated by a wonderful mix of the poisonous, the villainous, the rascally, the kindhearted and the inscrutable, Chinese Jars has all the elements of a great mystery.
--Betsy Burton, owner of The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City
From the Back Cover
A noir mystery set in San Francisco in the early 1960s, The Chinese Jars follows Samuel Hamilton, an ad salesman for the local newspaper, as he investigates the suspicious death of a supposed millionaire and casual acquaintance from the Camelot bar. The unraveling evidence leads him through a maze of traffickers in Chinese art and antiquities, shady businessmen, and femme fatales to Mister Song's Many Chinese Herbs store. Mr. Song is a very powerful man in his neighborhood, and his vessels are a safe place for Chinatown residents to deposit money and documents.
ะฒะั... a tantalizing evocation of the San Francisco of yesteryear. A page turner of murder and suspense carried by a cast of memorable characters including Chinatown itself.ะฒะั
Amy Tan