Caught dead

the long version

"Mary Le Vu, wife of a poor grocery-store owner, is gunned down in a drive-by. Her twin sister insists dutiful Mary 'wouldn't be caught dead' in that drug-infested zone. The police rule it an unlucky accident. Skeptics hire private eye Rick Van Lam to get to the truth. Amerasian Rick--his father an unknown US soldier--is one of the Bui Doi, children of the dust, so often rejected by Vietnamese culture. But his young sidekick, Hank Nguyen, a pureblood Vietnamese, can help Rick navigate the closed world of Little Saigon"--Dust jacket flap. Hartford, Connecticut's small Vietnamese community is stunned when Mary Le Vu, wife of a poor grocery-store owner, is gunned down in a drive-by. Her twin sister insists dutiful Mary 'wouldn't be caught dead' in that drug-infested zone. The police rule it an unlucky accident. Private eye Rick Van Lam is hired to get to the truth. Amerasian Rick-- his father an unknown US soldier-- is one of the Bui Doi, children of the dust, so often rejected by Vietnamese culture. But his young sidekick, Hank Nguyen, a pureblood Vietnamese, can help Rick navigate the closed world of Little Saigon.