Product Description

A favourite Thomas novel on a hard list to choose from, Chinamans Chance, often considered Thomas' best, introduces the characters of Quincy Durant and Arthur Wu, pretender to the throne of the emperor of China. An accident involving a dead pelican sets Wu and Durant on a path to find a missing woman and retrieve treasure buried in Saigon left by fleeing U.S. Marines. Along the way, of course, they encounter all manner of corrupt government and underworld figures-just the sorts of characters one would expect in a novel by Ross Thomas.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #690459 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Customer Reviews

Refreshing and quite 'infectious'!
This book is now somewhat dated (originally published in 1978) and Ross Thomas, the author, is no longer with us. Many of Thomas' books, however, are now being published again and a friend suggested this one would be a good start. And how right he was!

I must confess to being quite intimidated when I read the rear cover - I thought the references to a dead pelican and a man who is a pretender to the Imperial throne of China would make this more a tongue-in-cheek novel than a mystery. Although both do feature as plot elements, neither topic overwhelms what is basically a good story though.

It is difficult to isolate any one ingredient which made this book a stand-out for me - the two main characters are both unusual and very likeable - perhaps even pleasantly shady, if that's possible; the writing is good and contains some great lines, and the story is one which just drags you right in. The cores of the plot are the possibility that a large sum of money remains hidden in Vietnam and the disappearance of a famous singer. But there is a lot more too, all delivered in a very free-flowing and interesting manner.

This was a very good effort so I will chase more of Thomas' books - of that, I'm sure. 9/10

Enter Artie Wu, Pretender to the throne of China
A Congressman is killed, the apparent victim of a jealous wife who immediately commits suicide. The Congressman's girl friend is Silk Armitage, a famous singer. Silk goes into hiding in Pelican Bay disguised as a gypsy fortune-teller. Artie Wu and his partner Quincy Durant are hired to find her. This book introduces Artie Wu, Pretender to the throne of China. Wu claims to be the illegitimate son of the illigitimate daughter of the Boy-Emperor, who is also remembered as P'u Yi. Wu and Durant are always entertaining.