The Sixth Man

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. (July)