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White Ginger #2
Black Karma: A White Ginger Novel
Bai Jiang—San Francisco’s best-known souxun (“people finder”)—is hired to track down the mysterious Daniel Chen. Police inspector Kelly suspects Chen of being involved in a botched drug heist that resulted in the death of an officer. Bai has her own suspicions. She thinks the police just want to see Chen dead.
Her investigation leads Bai into deadly intrigue as she finds herself caught between international intelligence agencies and merchants of war, who deal in death, drugs, and high-jacked information.
To make matters worse, she's thirty-something and dating again. It's not easy juggling a suitor with family connections, a brazen young man who finds her irresistible, and her ex--the father of her child.
World conflict and family strife explode as adversaries face off in San Francisco's Chinatown, a world away from the one we know.
Her investigation leads Bai into deadly intrigue as she finds herself caught between international intelligence agencies and merchants of war, who deal in death, drugs, and high-jacked information.
To make matters worse, she's thirty-something and dating again. It's not easy juggling a suitor with family connections, a brazen young man who finds her irresistible, and her ex--the father of her child.
World conflict and family strife explode as adversaries face off in San Francisco's Chinatown, a world away from the one we know.
247 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 2014
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330 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 11, 2015
“Black Karma” is an underbelly tale of life in the Chinatown underworld.
Read full review in the 2014/2015 Holiday issue of InD’tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2014/2015 Holiday issue of InD’tale Magazine.
January 23, 2019
I am intrigued by the character of Bai Jiang, and I'm curious where the author found inspiration for his knife-wielding people finder in the underbelly of San Francisco's Chinatown. There's just a hint of something otherworldly lurking in the shadows of this dusky landscape of mist and neon signs. On the off chance the author see this review, I think he's be pleased to know that Bai Jiang helped me overcome a bout of writer's block and find inspiration for my own character I'm developing for my next novel. Thatcher Robinson does a great job setting the mood and establishing a sense of place. Where his writing needs work is the dialogue. The issue is that the characters don't sound distinct. When they speak, they all sound like variations of a single speaker. I'd love to see more personality or quirks come through as part of their distinct voices. At times the dialogue prompts seem to convenient for storytelling purposes. For example when the character Elizabeth says "You mean, like the way you took care of yourself in Vancouver? I heard about your escapade with Jason and how he almost got you killed." It just comes off as the author showing his hand too much and making too transparent of an effort to show rather than tell. Outside of the dialogue, the writing is solid.
August 27, 2019
Wow!
This is a perfect book with too many actions and very good idea!
Bai Jaing is a good, maybe a little complicated, but still talented and hot ;)
This is a perfect book with too many actions and very good idea!
Bai Jaing is a good, maybe a little complicated, but still talented and hot ;)
March 9, 2020
Picked it on a whim, and I enjoyed the characters and the action. The plot wavered a little, but the pace pulled me through. Would certainly read more of the series.
May 4, 2017
Black Karma, A White Ginger Novel (the second in the series) centers on a Chinese-American ppeople finder, Bai Jong. She's smart, an excellent knife thrower, attractive, independent and rich. This makes for an interesting character that does not have to grovel as a private investigator (PI) for any case just to make ends meet. In fact, her independence gives her a range of choices she can make that most other literary PI's would not have the freedom to make. The first and most intriguing point is why is Bai a PI when she is so rich? The novel provides a good explanation.
What I liked especially about Bai and the story is it introduced the reader to aspects of Chinese modern life in San Francisco's Chinatown normally not encountered in mainstream PI novels. Robinson brings to life a truly contemporary Chinatown beyond the usual stereotypical views.
Also, Bai is a complicated woman who is morally strong and believes in her work as a "people finder." Bai is a good moral fence-post that other family members and friends lean on while, at the same time, she is dealing with a swirl of questionable and downright nasty characters. When Robinson throws in the inevitable tensions of traditional Chinese values versus a modern outlook on life, one appreciates the waters that Bai must navigate daily.
What I liked especially about Bai and the story is it introduced the reader to aspects of Chinese modern life in San Francisco's Chinatown normally not encountered in mainstream PI novels. Robinson brings to life a truly contemporary Chinatown beyond the usual stereotypical views.
Also, Bai is a complicated woman who is morally strong and believes in her work as a "people finder." Bai is a good moral fence-post that other family members and friends lean on while, at the same time, she is dealing with a swirl of questionable and downright nasty characters. When Robinson throws in the inevitable tensions of traditional Chinese values versus a modern outlook on life, one appreciates the waters that Bai must navigate daily.
February 15, 2016
In the follow up novel to "White Ginger," Author Thatcher Robinson takes us back to San Francisco's Chinatown and Souxon ("people finder") Bai Jiang. She and her partner Lee receive a visit from a dodgy San Francisco police detective, who wants to hire Bai to find Daniel Chen, a foreign national who is believed to have been the source of a drug heist gone wrong that led to the death of a cop.
Meanwhile, on the home front, Bai's surrogate mother is encouraging her to find a husband, and the prime candidate is a textile magnate with a dominating mother. That the family has shady ties to drugs and gambling as well isn't nearly as much a worry as the ongoing family feud among the extended clan.
In searching for the mysterious Daniel Chen, things begin to go terribly wrong. Bai crosses path with a Latin gang and another mysterious figure, who seems to be working with the police detective that hired Bai. Nothing seems to be adding up as Bai and her partner Lee begin to become the target of attacks from all sides.
Unfortunately, this story is not as promising as Author Robinson's first book, although his characters are likable and the story's setting is always interesting and well integrated into the plot. However, the book's ending requires some real piecing together in a rushed few pages and is likely to leave fans feeling less than satisfied with the story's resolution.
This review first appeared in ReviewingtheEvidence.com.
Meanwhile, on the home front, Bai's surrogate mother is encouraging her to find a husband, and the prime candidate is a textile magnate with a dominating mother. That the family has shady ties to drugs and gambling as well isn't nearly as much a worry as the ongoing family feud among the extended clan.
In searching for the mysterious Daniel Chen, things begin to go terribly wrong. Bai crosses path with a Latin gang and another mysterious figure, who seems to be working with the police detective that hired Bai. Nothing seems to be adding up as Bai and her partner Lee begin to become the target of attacks from all sides.
Unfortunately, this story is not as promising as Author Robinson's first book, although his characters are likable and the story's setting is always interesting and well integrated into the plot. However, the book's ending requires some real piecing together in a rushed few pages and is likely to leave fans feeling less than satisfied with the story's resolution.
This review first appeared in ReviewingtheEvidence.com.
February 2, 2015
Very similar to the Ava Lee series, even down to the lifestyle porn, the hard-boiledness, the intricate extended family, and the flatness of every character that isn't the protagonist. And the titles that do nothing to help me remember the actual story. I started with #2 and am about to read #1.
One moment that resonated with me was Bai's light-disguising herself in a business suit in order to resemble every other woman who works in downtown San Francisco... which made it jarring when the text referred to ¨the Business District.¨ We actually call it the Financial District.
One moment that resonated with me was Bai's light-disguising herself in a business suit in order to resemble every other woman who works in downtown San Francisco... which made it jarring when the text referred to ¨the Business District.¨ We actually call it the Financial District.
January 30, 2015
After the great first novel, I found myself disappointed with this follow up. Call it a sophomore slump, I guess.
The first novel was fun, but this one was just dreary. The mystery wasn't much, and the journey to the solution didn't even make a whole lot of sense, and didn't tie up all of the loose ends. It seemed like Robinson was trying to make some sort of point, but never quite got to it. He seemed to keep getting in his own way.
The first novel was fun, but this one was just dreary. The mystery wasn't much, and the journey to the solution didn't even make a whole lot of sense, and didn't tie up all of the loose ends. It seemed like Robinson was trying to make some sort of point, but never quite got to it. He seemed to keep getting in his own way.
January 4, 2015
Reviewed for RT Book Reviews November 2014 issue: http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/black-karma
January 19, 2015
Not quite as topical as White Ginger (no cameo appearances by pseudonymous state politicians). Nevertheless, a gripping read. Perfect for a plane flight or a beach afternoon.
February 24, 2015
not bad
July 12, 2015
Another great read by Robinson. Looking forward to #3.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews