REVIEW | ‘DRAGONFISH’

Part noir, part literary thriller, Vu Tran's debut novel 'Dragonfish” showcases the seedy underbelly of Las Vegas alongside the trappings of a broken marriage.

It's a unique take on an old story: a missing dame, a crime boss husband and a suitcase full of cash - the first twist being there actually are two husbands involved.

Robert Ruen, a white patrol cop from Oakland, is somewhat heartbroken but mostly haplessly confused when his eight-year marriage to Hong, a Vietnamese refugee, ends after a volatile fight turns physical. (Perhaps it also ended in part because he thought her name 'sounded a bit piggish the way American's pronounced it, so I suggested the name of my first girlfriend in high school” and took to calling her Suzy. But I digress.)

Hong moves to Las Vegas and marries Sonny, a fellow refugee and crime boss. When their relationship also turns physically abusive, she plans her escape.

Armed with a suitcase full of money and a secret or two of her own, she disappears without a trace.

Sonny knows Robert still loves Hong (and loves to play the hero), so he tracks him down and, in typically noir fashion, makes him an offer he can't refuse: Find Hong, and he gets to keep his own life.

It's noir, of course, so the chasms between men and women, the stilted dialogue, the endless cigarettes, are expected - and encouraged. But once Robert is stationed in Las Vegas, Tran throws in another twist: the novel takes a literary turn and the fate of Hong comes to us through a series of conversations, flashbacks and letters. There's still plenty of smoke, but now it's the brooding, poetic sort.

Enter long, beautifully written letters from Hong describing her life in the refugee camp. Enter surprisingly introspective passages from Robert about his love for Hong.

But here's the biggest surprise: It works. Most of the 'action” in Las Vegas is Robert on a stakeout, moving from place to place to hurry up and wait.

The literary bent provides depth and powerful movement so by the time punches are flying and buildings are going up in smoke in the final chapters, the ending feels satisfying, even though the novel largely ends where it began, with a missing woman and lots of questions.