Chinatown Beat

Another book from the South Pasadena Library new book mystery shelf. The book Chinatown Beat by Henry Chang. Los Angeles has a Chinatown but this story starts in New York City's Chinatown and is about the crime and the police there. Detective Jack Yu works the Fifth Precinct there. Many years ago I worked in New York City but stayed in Jersey crossing over by car to the RAND Corporation office. RAND was trying to help the city with the traffic flow and fire department response. Never really learned the streets there so I can't really comment on the streets of Chinatown but I am aware of Mott Street
.And tell me what street

Compares with Mott Street
In July?
Sweet pushcarts gently gliding by.
The great big city's a wondrous toy
Just made for a girl and boy.
We'll turn Manhattan
Into an isle of joy. 

What would a mystery be without firearms? And why just leave it with plain guns and normal bullets? Something technical that sounds like a NRA member at a swap meet needs to be said. There is the Cyborg Bullpup shot gun, Titan .25 caliber with a silencer, .38 Blackhawk, Python Revolver,Tokarev M213, a Ruger, 9mm silvertip hollow points, Parabellum, 6 shot, 13 shot magazine and of course a Glock.

All that makes me want to go out and buy A Guns and Ammo magazine or go shopping at Turner's.

What would have been nice in this book and very helpful would have been a glossary of the Chinese expression or foods mentioned.

say gow ----forty-nine
fung sup----arthritis
hak yun-----blacks
gow say-----twice a dead dog
dav fov------bean curd
lop cheung--pork sausage
hom yee-----salted fish

There are many more throughout the book.

Foo Dogs

Bijiu

Never had heard about this Chinese fire water before.

East to West
Page 184, Jack arrives at LAX then "He punched up San Francisco Bell on his cell phone and identified himself ,requested a phone location. Then he caught a return limo back to LAX." The two largest phone companies are AT&T or Verzion. There used to be a Pacific Telephone and there still is a San Francisco Belle.

Page 163, "The Holiday Inn was a mile from the Greyhound Terminal in Los Angeles, the last stop, just outside of Chinatown." Johnny has ended his cross country bus trip. The closest Holiday Inn is in Westlake and it really not outside of Chinatown. Again on page 173 "The Holiday Inn near Chinatown".
 Page 180, "The Holiday Inn in Chinatown".

Maybe someday I will find Mona and all of her Panda gold coins while she is driving around San Marino. In the story the author points out in great detail the difference within the Chinese community. Being a common paddy I can't understand all the subtle difference that exist here in Los Angeles County between the Chinese in Chinatown on Broadway or the muy rico in San Marino and the Arcadia Tea Houses.