Over the Shoulder

Allen Choice #1

by Leonard Chang

Over the Shoulder offers a unique view of the American dream and what this means for Allen Choice, Korean American protagonist and reluctant investigator, shaken from the doldrums of his insulated life.
Choice and his partner, Paul Baumgartner, are security specialists for Silicon Valley executives. When Paul gets killed on the job, Choice and an inexperienced Bay Area reporter, Linda Maldonado, begin looking into the puzzling circumstances of the murder. As they work together to unravel the intricate threads of lies and half-truths, they discover that his death might be linked to an older, more personal one - the mysterious death of Allen's father some twenty years earlier.
With his self-described "philosophy of removement" as his frame of reference, Choice searches for the hidden, long-buried answers, only to be outmaneuvered at every juncture. Against this backdrop of violence and deception, Choice soon discovers secrets that alter his understanding of his father, of his family - secrets that lead him to a buried history of betrayal.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Novels, Mystery Thriller

400 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2001

Reviews

[Unbridled · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book with an uncommon narrator but I question whether the narrator is interesting because of who he is or what he is - namely, Korean-American. Not an easy thing to separate after all - the two things are not exclusive. Given this detail, the isolation and rootlessness of the narrator's condition is a nice touch. Chang as a writer is skilled, but there were ('literary') moments that I felt he was 'telegraphing his passes,' so to speak. What separates the great from the good (on the first read), is that you never notice the 'act' on the page; it is there and you are there and the thing happens and you piece through the consequences later. You might be shocked, you might be bored, you might be mesmerized, but you are not watching the mechanics - you are experiencing the results. That noted, the plot moves and finishes better than I feared at about the three-quarter point. I don't know if I'll continue the Allen Choice (narrator) series, but it was a fast, pleasant read.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how Leonard Chang weaves the Korean identity of the main character seamlessly, and in such a subtle manner. It's not being Korean-American that makes him interesting, it's his job and his personality. Great drama and suspense!

[Nessy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid 4.5. It took rather long until the storyline developed and really found its grip. But overall it was a very exciting read. I couldn't really put it away for like the final 20%. And I'm looking forward to the other two books of this series.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels a little bit slow to get started and was about 1/3 of the way in before I felt really engaged. Kind of fun to read a mystery / thriller from 2001 - clue finding the old fashioned way before internet and cell phones! Solid recommend for folks who enjoy thrillers.

[Susan Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alan Choice is a Korean American bodyguard who's partner is shot and killed while they are protecting an exec from a high tech firm. Finding out why his partner was killed turns into unraveling what he never knew about his own past. This is a great story with really interesting characters.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING: 3.25

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title might lead one to expect a spy novel, but this is the debut of Allen Choice, a Korean-American security specialist who becomes something of a reluctant private eye, as he investigates the drive-by slaying of his partner, Paul Baumgartner. Paul is killed in what at first looks like a hit on one of their corporate clients, but as Allen digs into the mystery, he begins to realize that Paul was doing a bit of moonlighting and that one of his clients might be behind the killing. Also, his investigation leads Allen to explore the events surrounding his own father's "accidental" death twenty years before.

This was a great book, with Allen's introspective, lonely thoughts at the forefront. There's a lot about what it means to be different or "other" in America, as well as Allen's personal alienation (he was brought up by an aunt who viewed him as a nuisance) and his own personal emptiness, which are at the heart of the book. Other than his job, he doesn't have much going on in his life and when his investigation threatens his employment, things don't look good for Allen.

Luckily, he has the help of an inexperienced lifestyles reporter for a local paper, Linda Maldonado, in unraveling the mystery. Besides offering a compelling mystery, this book also features a sweet, unexpected, slowly-developing romance between the two (the clueless Allen doesn't realize why Linda is going out her way, risking her life and career to help him, until almost the very end). An excellent mystery debut and I'm strongly looking forward to the second book in this series.

[Maggard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this, particularly as it is evidently the start of a series. Part of my problem is that I thought this was setting up an unreliable narrator/hidden issue type reveal, and without getting too spoilery, it wasn't. So, okay, that's my fault for expecting something that the book never promised to deliver. Putting that aside, however, I found the main character surprisingly flat - surprising because it is written in first person, which is usually a good built-in way to suck me in. I found his primary relationships unconvincing and the plot, frankly, incredible (and not in the good sense). This kills me to write, as Leonard Chang evidently writes for Justified.

[LJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Chang, Leonard-OVER THE SHOULDER-Sold
Not my thing; very noir

[Pam]

06/03/08 rec via bookmooch

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

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