Hark did not really want to come to San Francisco, but his wealthy white adopted father Mason Carroway has fallen ill and may never recover. As a desperate final gesture, Hark’s adoptive brother Frankie requested his help finding their father’s possible lost love, Ivy Chen. She had a rather complicated history with the Carroway family. In addition to her ambiguous relationship with their father, Frankie might have also carried a torch for her too, but not Hark. He had a thing for Frankie’s sister, Victoria. She was usually away at boarding schools and rarely at home during their youth, so it wasn’t so weird—at least that is what they told themselves.
Hark deliberately references Chang Apana, the Honolulu cop who was the real-life inspiration for Charlie Chan. However, the hardboiled family dynamics have more of a Big Sleep vibe, with the search for Ivy Chen replacing that for Sean Regan. Yet, the attitude towards just about all forms of American authority in 1936 is more in keeping with Polanski’s Chinatown, but with a far greater understanding of the real Chinatown.
Still, there is a lot of cool noir atmosphere and Pichetshote puts Hark into some extreme situations that will surprise readers. Tefenkgi, Loughridge, and the contributing cover artists stylishly evoke the sophisticated look of the era and the dark, nocturnal ambiance of the nightclubs and back alleys frequented by the characters. It is smart and visually dynamic, but the editing could have been a little tighter. Still easily recommended for fans of 1930s detective fiction, The Good Asian deluxe hardcover edition is now on-sale, wherever books and comics are sold.
