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Detective Robert Chow #1
This Is a Bust
THIS IS A BUST, the second novel by award-winning author Ed Lin, turns the conventions of hard-boiled pulp stories on their head by exploring the unexotic and very real complexities of New York City's Chinatown, circa 1976, through the eyes of a Chinese-American cop. A Vietnam vet and an alcoholic, Robert Chow's troubles are compounded by the fact that he's basically community-relations window-dressing for the NYPD: he's the only Chinese American on the Chinatown beat, and the only police officer who can speak Cantonese, but he's never assigned anything more challenging than appearances at store openings or community events. Chow is willing to stuff down his feelings and hang tight for a promotion to the detective track, despite the community unrest that begins to roil around him. But when his superiors remain indifferent to an old Chinese woman's death, he is forced to take matters into his own hands. THIS IS A BUST is at once a murder mystery, a noir homage and a devastating, uniquely nuanced portrait of a neighborhood in flux, stuck between old rivalries and youthful idealism.
345 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2007
22 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Ed Lin
18 books104 followersEd Lin is a journalist by training and an all-around stand-up kinda guy. He's the author of several books: Waylaid, his literary debut, and his Robert Chow crime series, set in 1970s Manhattan Chinatown: This Is a Bust, Snakes Can't Run, and One Red Bastard. Lin, who is of Taiwanese and Chinese descent, is the first author to win three Asian American Literary Awards. Lin lives in New York with his wife, actress Cindy Cheung.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
February 12, 2015
I enjoyed this book. The 'murder mystery' aspect of the story was pretty secondary to just the story of the main character's daily life as a downtrodden Vietnam vet Chinese-American policeman. The most impressive part of the book is the setting - Lin does an incredible job of depicting 1976 Chinatown (NY). You can feel the political and racial tensions, taste the food, hear the tourists and the festivals, see the streetscapes and stores, etc. It was an original (to me) and interesting place to read about. The dialogue was also good and the other characters are funny and yet depressing. Lin is a talented writer and I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an entertaining and at times unusual read.
February 11, 2008
I stumbled across This Is a Bust, by Ed Lin, in my local library by accident—because the cool, funky cover art (pictured above) grabbed my attention. The interior of the book also had a somewhat funky design. There are no first line paragraph indents; instead, everything is flush left with an extra return between each paragraph. This was all very appealing to me as a book designer (yes, I do judge a book by its cover). OK, enough on the design.
The novel also appealed to me as a writer. The back cover text states "This Is a Bust explores the unexotic and very real complexities of New York City's Chinatown, circa 1976, through the eyes of a Chinese American cop. This Is a Bust is at once a murder mystery, a noir homage and a devastating, uniquely nuanced portrait of a neighborhood in flux, stuck between old rivalries and youthful idealism."
This is a good description, but it was the character of Robert Chow, the cop, who intrigued me more than the solution to the murder mystery itself. In fact, the mystery really isn't the focus of this book. The characterization of Chinatown as a whole, its culture (which was unknown to me), and all the individual characters who populate Lin's novel are the real story. There is Chow's former partner Vandyne, an African-American, who is on the fast track to making detective; the Midget, who hangs out in Columbus park and beats all opponents in every board game imaginable; Paul, a young, brilliant tough; Lonnie, a college student and bakery worker who has eyes for Chow; Barbara, an old love interest of Chow's who made it out of Chinatown, only to return; and Yip, an elderly man who may or may not have killed his wife.
All of this is set against the background of a 1976 Chinatown, an era before the internet, before cell phones, and before the U.S. opened up relations with communist China (but is putting out feelers). Policeman Chow wonders at one point why he fought against communism in Vietnam. Though only 25, he feels old, having seen both the big world (Vietnam), and the small world (Chinatown), and how it can wear a man down. He's lost, and alcoholic, and knows he is just a token in the police department, and will never be given the investigations he desires to become a detective.
Chow is drawn to the murder mystery, though, because he understands the Chinatown culture, more so than his friend Vandyne, who is leading the investigation. He wants to prove to himself and his boss that he is more than just a patrolman walking a beat, more than just a token face for photo ops. He's warned off the case by his boss, but it nags at him, and clues occasionally fall into his lap whether he wants them to or not. As Chow puts the pieces of the mystery together, he also sorts out his own personal life.
This Is a Bust is anything but a bust. It's first-rate. Check it out.
The novel also appealed to me as a writer. The back cover text states "This Is a Bust explores the unexotic and very real complexities of New York City's Chinatown, circa 1976, through the eyes of a Chinese American cop. This Is a Bust is at once a murder mystery, a noir homage and a devastating, uniquely nuanced portrait of a neighborhood in flux, stuck between old rivalries and youthful idealism."
This is a good description, but it was the character of Robert Chow, the cop, who intrigued me more than the solution to the murder mystery itself. In fact, the mystery really isn't the focus of this book. The characterization of Chinatown as a whole, its culture (which was unknown to me), and all the individual characters who populate Lin's novel are the real story. There is Chow's former partner Vandyne, an African-American, who is on the fast track to making detective; the Midget, who hangs out in Columbus park and beats all opponents in every board game imaginable; Paul, a young, brilliant tough; Lonnie, a college student and bakery worker who has eyes for Chow; Barbara, an old love interest of Chow's who made it out of Chinatown, only to return; and Yip, an elderly man who may or may not have killed his wife.
All of this is set against the background of a 1976 Chinatown, an era before the internet, before cell phones, and before the U.S. opened up relations with communist China (but is putting out feelers). Policeman Chow wonders at one point why he fought against communism in Vietnam. Though only 25, he feels old, having seen both the big world (Vietnam), and the small world (Chinatown), and how it can wear a man down. He's lost, and alcoholic, and knows he is just a token in the police department, and will never be given the investigations he desires to become a detective.
Chow is drawn to the murder mystery, though, because he understands the Chinatown culture, more so than his friend Vandyne, who is leading the investigation. He wants to prove to himself and his boss that he is more than just a patrolman walking a beat, more than just a token face for photo ops. He's warned off the case by his boss, but it nags at him, and clues occasionally fall into his lap whether he wants them to or not. As Chow puts the pieces of the mystery together, he also sorts out his own personal life.
This Is a Bust is anything but a bust. It's first-rate. Check it out.
January 10, 2011
Oh my God, I don't know why I love this book so much. So New York, so vivid, so *not* produced by an MFA. Read it.
May 20, 2022
One of the joys of reading is discovering a new author that you like and want to explore more into their catalog. I found that with Ed Lin. Wow what a book.
This is one I’ve had on my shelf for a while that I decided to finally tackle. And I loved it. Yes in some sense it is a mystery but the mystery is only part of the story. The real story is Robert Chow, Chinese-American, Chinatown product, Vietnam washout, tokenized NYPD patrolman. Through his eyes, the reader gets a clear look at Manhattan’s Chinatown via 1976. The characters feel real, their problems real, the dilemma of being an immigrant and having connections to a country in serious change is presented in painful detail. And along the lines, Robert has to navigate the boundaries of policing the old neighborhood, living with his expectations, and trying to escape it while not really escaping it.
Robert is not a likable character; in fact, he’s a bit of a misanthrope. But I think that’s what makes the story compelling. He’s having a hard time putting his life together due to circumstances outside of his control and even when he does something “right,” like getting a good, steady job, he still can’t rise on his merits. He struggles with alcoholism, internalized bigotry, and just general angst but the reader can sympathize to a degree. He’s seen as a pawn both by the people in his neighborhood and the department, making it tough for him to break out and become something new.
His journey is the real story. Yes there’s a mystery but if you’re reading this for the whodunnit, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want to get a good, well-developed picture of a neighborhood in its time, check this out. You’ll be glad you did.
This is one I’ve had on my shelf for a while that I decided to finally tackle. And I loved it. Yes in some sense it is a mystery but the mystery is only part of the story. The real story is Robert Chow, Chinese-American, Chinatown product, Vietnam washout, tokenized NYPD patrolman. Through his eyes, the reader gets a clear look at Manhattan’s Chinatown via 1976. The characters feel real, their problems real, the dilemma of being an immigrant and having connections to a country in serious change is presented in painful detail. And along the lines, Robert has to navigate the boundaries of policing the old neighborhood, living with his expectations, and trying to escape it while not really escaping it.
Robert is not a likable character; in fact, he’s a bit of a misanthrope. But I think that’s what makes the story compelling. He’s having a hard time putting his life together due to circumstances outside of his control and even when he does something “right,” like getting a good, steady job, he still can’t rise on his merits. He struggles with alcoholism, internalized bigotry, and just general angst but the reader can sympathize to a degree. He’s seen as a pawn both by the people in his neighborhood and the department, making it tough for him to break out and become something new.
His journey is the real story. Yes there’s a mystery but if you’re reading this for the whodunnit, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want to get a good, well-developed picture of a neighborhood in its time, check this out. You’ll be glad you did.
September 25, 2020
This is a mystery but it is really about seeing the world from the point of view of a Chinese American, Vietnam War veteran who is suffering to with the aftereffects of his war service and struggling to become a detective in the NYPD.
He meets a lot of interesting characters and shows us Chinatown from his own unique perspective.
I've read a few Ed Lin stories and he has an easy, interesting style. You can't go wrong with his books.
He meets a lot of interesting characters and shows us Chinatown from his own unique perspective.
I've read a few Ed Lin stories and he has an easy, interesting style. You can't go wrong with his books.
November 28, 2016
3.5*
Let me be honest: there is very little Ed Lin can do wrong in writing a book about Chinese-Americans, with Chinese-American protagonists, because this the playing field is so limited to begin with. Also, I'm predisposed to like him because we share a last name, and I get overly excited whenever I can find media created by People Who Have My Last Name. The last book I read of Lin's, Ghost Month, was, dare I say, not very good. However - limited playing field. Despite the previous book of his being a bust, nothing would dissuade me from picking up his other work and getting another all-too-rare chance to read a novel about fellow Chinese-Americans. Plus, this book is set in the 1970s, and the only thing rarer than novels about Chinese-American communities are novels about Chinese-American communities in the past.
I liked this book well enough. The murder mystery is, as other reviewers have noted, rather more secondary to the scenery and the characters, and although it was more of a sideline to the book, I enjoyed the unraveling of that particular plot line. The characters took a while to grow on me, and while I could never entirely begin to care about the apathetic, alcoholic Officer Chow, the secondary characters were more interesting and I genuinely wanted to see what their trajectories would be (good thing there are sequels?) It's hard for me to judge a book that I started off really wanting to like - even if the book is a bit sparse and dour and not quite about my community of Asian-Americans, this is about all I have.
Also, I really wanted hot dog buns the whole time I was reading this book. I think this is my cue to pay a visit to Chinatown and stock up on all the delicious pastries I day dreamed about while reading this.
Let me be honest: there is very little Ed Lin can do wrong in writing a book about Chinese-Americans, with Chinese-American protagonists, because this the playing field is so limited to begin with. Also, I'm predisposed to like him because we share a last name, and I get overly excited whenever I can find media created by People Who Have My Last Name. The last book I read of Lin's, Ghost Month, was, dare I say, not very good. However - limited playing field. Despite the previous book of his being a bust, nothing would dissuade me from picking up his other work and getting another all-too-rare chance to read a novel about fellow Chinese-Americans. Plus, this book is set in the 1970s, and the only thing rarer than novels about Chinese-American communities are novels about Chinese-American communities in the past.
I liked this book well enough. The murder mystery is, as other reviewers have noted, rather more secondary to the scenery and the characters, and although it was more of a sideline to the book, I enjoyed the unraveling of that particular plot line. The characters took a while to grow on me, and while I could never entirely begin to care about the apathetic, alcoholic Officer Chow, the secondary characters were more interesting and I genuinely wanted to see what their trajectories would be (good thing there are sequels?) It's hard for me to judge a book that I started off really wanting to like - even if the book is a bit sparse and dour and not quite about my community of Asian-Americans, this is about all I have.
Also, I really wanted hot dog buns the whole time I was reading this book. I think this is my cue to pay a visit to Chinatown and stock up on all the delicious pastries I day dreamed about while reading this.
February 27, 2015
There's a detective story in here somewhere, but it's totally secondary to a great picture of NYC's Chinatown in the 70s. The narrator Robert Chow is a police officer and Vietnam vet. He's alienated from the Chinese community because he is a police officer and isn't truly accepted by the other police officers. Through Chow's disaffected eyes we see the contradictions and complications of the Chinese community. For the majority of the book Lin's flat sardonic style sets the perfect tone, but at times when describing some emotional outburst it seems incongruous. I read "This Is A Bust" after reading Lin's coming of age story "Waylaid" while the subject matter is very different Lin has a very distinctive and enjoyable style.
April 9, 2009
I really liked Waylaid, but this book didn't do it for me nearly as much. I don't think Lin's writing style fits the subject matter here. Everyone kind of speaks in the same voice, which may be a nod to noir writing, and I think the alcoholism theme is dealt with a little too lightly.
That being said, I count myself as a Lin fan and look forward to reading more of his novels.
That being said, I count myself as a Lin fan and look forward to reading more of his novels.
February 12, 2017
This book is very well written and has a great flow but was definitely not what I was expecting. His description of the constant criticism and quirks that the Chinese have of them selves is interesting. You can honestly feel how old school NY Chinatown was the good, the bad and the ugly.
May 11, 2018
Moody, beautiful detective novel about an alcoholic Viet Nam vet who is the token Chinese cop in Chinatown in the 70s. Lots of cultural detail. Fascinating.
August 1, 2025
the NYPD IS A BUST
August 4, 2025
Honestly this was fire!!!
The description of place and the delicately nuanced social politics of Chinatown (during the 70s) was done so spectacularly! I’m hooked!
The description of place and the delicately nuanced social politics of Chinatown (during the 70s) was done so spectacularly! I’m hooked!
October 29, 2017
This is the first in a trilogy of novels by Ed Lin featuring American/Chinese N.Y.P.D. Police Officer Robert Chow. The year is 1976 and Vietnam veteran and alcoholic Chow is assigned a foot patrol beat in New York's Chinatown where he lives. Chow is the N.Y.P.D.'s Chinese poster boy and is actively encouraged not to participate in any investigative work, his main duty is being present at local community events and making sure he gets his photograph in the press at these events. When a local waitress at the Jade Palace restaurant dies, from an apparent poisoning, Chow gets drawn into the investigation, against orders, with the widower and local Chinese community preferring to confide in him, as opposed to his 'white' colleagues.
The novel is more a social commentary of life in seventies Chinatown, than it is a mystery, as the poisoning seems to take a back seat compared to the other events going on in the community at the time. Chow describes the difficulties of being a Chinese Officer in Chinatown, where he too lives and works and also of the complexities of Chinese national politics which are reflected in the local community. He describes also the poor working and living conditions of the community during this period. However, despite this, it is done with great humour as Chow has a very downbeat, sarcastic view of life which maybe down to his drinking, his character and also his personal life experiences. There are also a great bunch of eccentric characters with whom Chow is acquainted with, including his Police ex-partner and black cop Vandyne, the 'midget', a Chinese character who can beat all comers at any board game, Lonnie and Dora, the shop assistants at the local coffee shop and Willie Gee, restaurant owner and 'gangster'. One of the funniest episodes in the novel is the charity ice hockey match between the Police and the Fire Service in which Chow 'stars' !!!
Looking forward to reading the two further books in the series and also hoping that the large cast of characters resurfaces again in the future novels.
The novel is more a social commentary of life in seventies Chinatown, than it is a mystery, as the poisoning seems to take a back seat compared to the other events going on in the community at the time. Chow describes the difficulties of being a Chinese Officer in Chinatown, where he too lives and works and also of the complexities of Chinese national politics which are reflected in the local community. He describes also the poor working and living conditions of the community during this period. However, despite this, it is done with great humour as Chow has a very downbeat, sarcastic view of life which maybe down to his drinking, his character and also his personal life experiences. There are also a great bunch of eccentric characters with whom Chow is acquainted with, including his Police ex-partner and black cop Vandyne, the 'midget', a Chinese character who can beat all comers at any board game, Lonnie and Dora, the shop assistants at the local coffee shop and Willie Gee, restaurant owner and 'gangster'. One of the funniest episodes in the novel is the charity ice hockey match between the Police and the Fire Service in which Chow 'stars' !!!
Looking forward to reading the two further books in the series and also hoping that the large cast of characters resurfaces again in the future novels.
May 26, 2022
I read multiple glowing reviews of this book, so maybe I am in the minority, but I really did not enjoy this book at all. Robert Chow is a token Chinese beat cop in Chinatown in New York in 1976. Robert is alcoholic. He is sullen, angry, and disappointing. He is the only Chinese cop and is used only as a face for NYPD publicity promoting the fiction that the NYPD is diversified. He is a Vietnam vet and is deeply scarred by the experience. Taiwan and Hong Kong and the failure of stopping Communism in Vietnam are themes throughout the book. Robert is disillusioned by all that failure. He feels used by the NYPD because he is. He has no hope of promotion. He feels disdain from the very community of Chinese he is supposed identify with. He drinks to wake up, to get him through his dismal day, to go to sleep. I would find all that compelling if the book didn't belabor the themes to death. I finally started skimming large sections of chapters because it was endless small stories all intended to illustrate the depressive state of Robert Chow. The murder mystery part of the book is so slow developing to be a footnote. An elderly Chinese woman is found dead in her apartment. Her husband Yip seems distraught, but is a suspect when it is determined she died of lead poisoning. Yip follows Robert around trying to get him to help, but Robert gets called on the carpet when he asks questions that he is not authorized to ask. It seems Robert always is in trouble, even though his "investigation" is halfhearted at best. I found the narrative long and tedious. Robert's alcoholism is tragic, his rage at his lot in life is tragic, but none of it makes him a hero or an anti-hero. He is not likeable. He is not brilliant. He is just sad.
September 26, 2008
This book was phenomenal. I admit I am biased because I related so much to the characters, the setting and time. I grew up in Jersey in the 70s and this book was about a Chinese American cop in NYC's Chinatown in the 70s. Ed Lin makes it look easy with spare writing. The story flows and the characters all come to life. The dialogue is great, and Lin really captures the mood and personalities of the time. The book's first few pages start off shaky with writing that isn't as strong and clean Lin's capable of, so I was a bit wary at first. But once the story gets going, and Robert Chow's character and voice starts hitting its stride, there's no stopping it. Ed Lin makes me proud. Not only is he writing about Chinese Americans in an unsentimental, light-handed, totally un-Amy-Tanesque way, but he portrays his characters in ways that we never get to see Chinese Americans. Basically as themselves, damaged, struggling, nuanced every day folk who incidentally, yes, have sex within one another. Lin could write a whole series about the, now, Detective Chow. I'd read each one.
May 21, 2008
At a reading I recently attended (Ed does VOICES at his readings, make it a point to check him out!), Lin named pulp fiction and punk rock as his influences, punk rock because of its ease with being direct about outrage. Lin has a truly unique, direct, to-the-nuts voice, and he addresses crucial elements of the urban chinese american experience in an unprecedented way. No lush bamboo flutes and spiritualist exotica here, no tales of grandiose sacrifice and emotional discovery. The book could be better plotted.
May 12, 2018
I’m trying to read more books written by or featuring people different from me. I figured This is a Bust—a book written by a Chinese American man about a Chinese American cop in NYC—was a good start for me.
If you’re looking for a plot-driven, thrilling mystery, look elsewhere. This is readable literary fiction with a mystery garnish. I’m baffled that it was shelved with the mysteries at my local library. Regardless, I enjoyed it and learned a lot about Chinese American culture (at least in the mid-seventies, when the book is set).
If you’re looking for a plot-driven, thrilling mystery, look elsewhere. This is readable literary fiction with a mystery garnish. I’m baffled that it was shelved with the mysteries at my local library. Regardless, I enjoyed it and learned a lot about Chinese American culture (at least in the mid-seventies, when the book is set).
March 27, 2013
Ed Lin did a great job on character development in this book. I enjoyed the fact that his description of Chinatown helped me imagine what it would feel like to actually be there. The story does not have a strong plot but it kept me entertained because I genuinely became interested in the day to day life of the main character. The book has a very nice flow to it from beginning to end and I finished it rather quickly. It is a great light read, I recommend it!
June 25, 2011
Definitely one of the best books that I have read so far this year. Not a false note from front to back and just a really great read. I look forward to more from Ed Lin.
I had to go all the way to (indie bookstore)Longfellow's in Portland, ME to find this book! I think it was a staff recommendation-now I give it a reader recommendation.
I had to go all the way to (indie bookstore)Longfellow's in Portland, ME to find this book! I think it was a staff recommendation-now I give it a reader recommendation.
June 24, 2016
1970's NYC Chinatown, cops and a sweet examination of in-/out-group identification in the Chinese community.
Very enjoyable, straight ahead detective story set in a well described place ans space in time.
This was a happy accident read, just saw it laying around the library, cover and first chapter got me hooked.
Very enjoyable, straight ahead detective story set in a well described place ans space in time.
This was a happy accident read, just saw it laying around the library, cover and first chapter got me hooked.
September 30, 2008
Not bad. A friend dropped this book in my lap (literally) a couple of weeks ago. I was hesitant to read it, but it turned out to be a bit of a pleasant surprise. Interesting period piece on New York's Chinatown (circa 1976) and the struggles of being Chinese American.
December 12, 2008
I think I enjoyed it more of a 3.5 or 3.7 star rating, I'm not sure. What I liked about it is the authentic sense of what it would be like to be an Asian cop in Chinatown, New York in the 1970s...I am always a sucker for reading about other people's cultural experiences.
July 29, 2011
Interesting read about being a minority within a minority and struggling to belong with so many cultural expectations (both American, Chinese, and Chinese American). Crime and addiction help keep the story moving. A nice snapshot of one type of American life in the 1970s.
May 26, 2019
While there’s a slight murder-mystery going on in the background, the main focus of the book deals with more serious themes such as racism and alcoholism. Not exactly a light read, but definitely educational and still entertaining enough.
March 30, 2008
In some ways, this isn't the typical detective novel in that it concentrates more on the life of the detective rather than a preoccupation with the mystery.
June 28, 2008
Not a bad book it took me a little while to get into it but once I did I enjoyed the characters and the change and growth in them.
July 16, 2014
A great book. Wonderful 70s Chinatown atmosphere. Looking forward to his new one, Snakes Can't Run, in March.
November 27, 2010
Set in NYC's Chinatown during the Bicentennial, "This is a Bust" is about a Chinese-America cop dissatisfaction with his job -and his life.
May 2, 2011
Not a bad read. Some parts were a little convenient, even given the genre, but I held a lot of appreciation for the pressures faced by the main character.
December 9, 2017
Lots of recently-written books claim to be hard-boiled or noir. This is the real deal. Bonus points for vivid evocation of time-place and wrenchingly deadpan depiction of the sequelae of trauma.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews