The Blue Dragon: A Peter Strand Mystery

By Ronald Tierney

A murder at the Blue Dragon, a small apartment building in San Francisco’s Chinatown, prompts the absentee owner to hire Chinese American Peter Strand to calm the anxious tenants. But Strand isn’t exactly what he appears to be. Neither are the tenants, who on the surface seem to be regular people going about their lives. Strand, a forensic accountant by trade, doesn’t intend to investigate the murder, but he soon realizes that this isn’t a gang-related killing, as the police believe. The murder was committed by one of the tenants. Finding out which one exposes the secrets of the Blue Dragon and brings Strand face-to-face with a few ghosts of his own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
• Release date: Sep 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781459809062

Ronald Tierney

Ronald Tierney has been nominated for the Private Eye Writers of America’s Shamus Award for Best First Novel, and Booklist describes his series featuring semi-retired private investigator “Deets” Shanahan as “packed with new angles and delights.” Before writing mysteries, Tierney was founding editor of NUVO, an Indianapolis alternative newspaper, and the editor of several other periodicals. Ronald lives in San Francisco, where he continues to write. For more information, visit www.ronaldtierney.com.

Book preview

pretend.

ONE

It wasn’t my assignment, I was told, to find the murderer. The police were working on it. My job was to calm the tenants of the Blue Dragon apartment building—particularly a Mr. Emmerich.

My client, Mr. Lehr, owner of the small, oddly named piece of real estate, was a rich Caucasian who thought that because I was Oriental, I would have more credibility with his mostly Asian tenants than he would.

He was likely wrong on that matter. My parents were Chinese, but they died before I knew them in any meaningful way. I was raised by a wealthy white family in Phoenix and went to a school dominated by children of wealthy white parents in Scottsdale. Though I was now in San Francisco, a city one-third Asian, many of them fresh off the boat, as some would say, I could not speak Chinese in any dialect. Another problem with the situation was that while I was an investigator, I did so in high-finance and accounting circles. I had no experience on the tough, sometimes murderous streets of San Francisco, let alone in Chinatown, an area of the city about which I knew little.

It was twilight. The neon signs were just beginning to glow above the brick streets. There was a trading company, displaying goods in a yellowed, smoke-coated window. There was a flower shop with its door open. There was activity inside the narrow space—big-leafed plants in big ceramic pots were being moved. Workers were chatting in a language that was, of course, Chinese, but as foreign to me as Swahili.

Another narrow street. Also quiet. This one was a bit more residential. Above me were apartment windows where I could see the bluish, quivering light of television sets. Voices. From other buildings came the sounds of mahjong, plastic cubes being rolled and gathered and rolled again amid a chorus of excited shouts.

I found my building. Four stories of plain brick facade painted a smoky blue. There were eight built-in mailboxes on one side of the recessed entry and eight buzzers on the other. In the middle was a huge iron gate, which protected a wood-framed glass door with numbers printed in gold leaf.

My client said I should buzz 1A. Mr. Leu, the manager, would help me with whatever I needed. A balding man about sixty answered the door.

Before I could say anything, he spoke. Sadly, for me it was all gibberish.

You here about 3B? he asked again, this time in choppy English.

3B?

Rent?

Rent? No. I’m Peter Strand. Mr. Lehr sent me over to talk with your tenants, to calm them down.

Oh. Not expect you so soon, Mr. Strand.

He spoke English like Chinese characters usually spoke in old American movies. At first I thought it was a joke. Was Mr. Leu mocking me? I was never able to settle that little debate in my mind.

He smiled.

You expected a white man? I asked.

He nodded, smiling. Then shrugged. He looked at me more closely. Come in, he said, moving to the open door near the entry. It was his apartment.

You want tea? Beer?

No. But thanks. The place was small, a studio, I guessed. My client said Ray Leu got the apartment free and received a small sum for watching over the property. My client had also given me some background on all the other tenants—how long each had lived there, what they paid in rent, the level of difficulty they presented to management.

Call me Ray, the man said. A cheerful man, he was no taller than I, but he seemed larger. It was his head, perhaps, bigger than usual. He wore work clothes—a blue cotton shirt that matched his grubby blue trousers. As we shook hands, I could feel the calluses. It wasn’t difficult to imagine him wrestling water heaters and steam pipes.

Ray is my American name, he said. So you call me Ray.

All right. All I wanted was to get this over with. Have the interviews with the tenants. Tell them the owner was concerned. And that everything was all right.

You are a private detective. He smiled. A Chinese detective. But you don’t speak Chinese?

You can’t be sure of that, can you?

He laughed deeply. He was proud of himself.

No accent. The way you walk. You look uncomfortable outside waiting at the door. Clothes… He shook his head. Armani?

Not this one, I said. Maybe you should be the detective.

I would be a good detective, Mr. Strand. He looked around his small room, but he was pretending to see outside the walls. This is one crazy house, you know?

Not yet.

He laughed again, pounding his thigh. Mr. Strand, private eye. He laughed at what was apparent foolishness to him. It seemed good-natured nonetheless. I took no offense. You want me to show you where I found the body?

Please. The idea that I was looking at the scene of a murder was absolutely new and still unfathomable. I was a white-collar investigator, employed by CEOs and venture capitalists. I worked for anyone who wanted to invest in other people’s businesses and other people’s ideas. I did background checks in a process known as due diligence. My card did not say private investigator. It said consultant.

Even so, I did know a little about the crime. Mr. Lehr told me that a blow to the head had killed Ted Zheng, a tenant. The apartment manager had found the young man’s body in the cellar at 5:45 AM about two weeks ago.

The police investigated and determined that the death was gang related. Drugs had been found in Ted Zheng’s system. Police assumed he was a player. If they were right, finding the murderer would not be easy for the police. For me, it would be impossible. Yet the tenants were concerned.

This was to be a short assignment—drop in a few times, ask some questions. From my client’s point of view, it was public relations. As Ray and I went down the uneven stone steps into the darkness, the broad beam of his

Reviews for The Blue Dragon

[whitmelb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A new detective on the scene; Chinese American Peter Strand. Peter is a detective, true, but his skills lie in the forensics of accounting and high finance. Asked by a client, owner of The Blue Dragon apartment complex, to calm his mostly Asian tenants after a murder has them up in arms. Despite his oriental appearance, Peter is a thorough-going American, unable to speak any foreign language much less Chinese. He approaches his task with some trepidation but the client has offered a good fee and Peter feels he will be able to accomplish his task.As he delves into the situation it becomes apparent that the murder was not gang-related but rather had been committed by on of the tenants and Peter is caught up in trying to find out who. A good book for the teen-age reader with simple logic used to solve the mystery. Also explores other relationships in a straight-forward manner. Peter Strand will be a welcome addition to the younger readers collections.

[jim53_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Peter Strand is a forensic accountant in San Francisco. He is hired by the owner of an apartment building in Chinatown to calm the residents after one of them is murdered. Peter is of Chinese descent but is thoroughly American; for example, he does not speak any dialect of Chinese. He interviews each of the residents and unearths various details about the victim and about some of the residents. His persistence pays off as he discovers key details that lead to a confession by the murderer.This Rapid Read book is about 150 pages with a lot of white space; it is not a full novel, rather more like a novella. Thus there is very little room for developing Peter's character or for taking a more circuitous route to the solution. Readers who enjoy character development and solving a mystery along with the protagonist will find little to like. However, readers who for whatever reason prefer or require a shorter book are might find much to like in this one.

[readafew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was surprised how short this one was, but since it is published by 'Rapid Reads' it shouldn't have. Even though is was short it was still well written and given a decent story to work with. It was more a long short story than a novel, but there was enough of it to keep my interest to the end. Peter Strand is asked to look into the murder of a tenant in a building owned by a friend of his. To the police it looks like a drug deal gone bad, but the more Peter looks into it, the more he believes it was an inside job. The suspect list is pretty short and almost all the tenants had some kind of interaction with him. More than one had a possible motive against this bustling entrepreneur.

[madlibrarian · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I am familiar with the Rapid Reads imprint of Orca so I was not expecting a densely written, intricately plotted mystery. I did expect to find an engaging story and an interesting protagonist. Instead I was found a superficial tale with a blank where the main character should be. I was also left with a number of questions.1. Why didn't the owners of the building hire a crisis counselor to calm the residents down instead of assigning perhaps their sole ethnic Chinese employee to take on a task for which he had no training or experience?2 Why did Peter Strand take on the assignment if he was a forensic accountant and had no experience, contacts or relationship to Chinatown? He did a poor job on his "assignment". From the beginning he seemed to be conducting a very clumsy murder investigation, not alleviating the concerns of the suspects/residents.3. Why should I care about any of the characters in this story? There are too many people in this short tale and thus are presented in the broadest stereotypes. None of them are particularly pleasant (save for one) so not only did I not care about which of them was the murderer was, I didn't really care if the murderer was revealed.4. Where were the police? In most mysteries featuring an amateur detective, the amateur in constantly coming up against officialdom and being warned against interfering.Perhaps future entries in the Peter Strand series will see the character of Peter further fleshed out and the mysteries tightened up. It is an interesting premise and setting.

[johntgriffin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was a surprise. When it arrived I thought the number of pages was about a third of a normal book and the print was larger. When I sat down and read the book I was finished in no time at all. I was thinking how strange to write such a quick read. Then I saw on the back Rapid Reads. This book was that. Do not think that because it was a rapid read it was not a good book. The story was well developed, the characters stood on their own and there was even a side story about the primary character that made you want to learn more. The ending was a great twist that made this very short read well worth the read. Just be prepared for it is not the Great American Novel but still a Rapid Read

[brianewilliams · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An investigator, Peter Strand, is hired to look into the death of a tenant in a client's apartment building in San Francisco's Chinatown. While he is of Chinese ethnicity, Peter was orphaned at an early age and raised by white Americans. He therefore feels he is neither American nor Chinese. In his investigation he interviews the tenants of the building and finds each has secrets, some harmless, some less so. In the end he finds the killer and comes closer to finding who he is.It's great short story, hopefully the first of a Peter Strand private investigation series.

[rgaryrasmussen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First in a projected series of "Rapid Reads" mysteries featuring Peter Strand, a forensic accountant, this story is notable mainly for the quality of the prose and the vivid description of San Francisco's Chinatown. The weak plot is interesting but, in all fairness, there was not much room for its development. With small pages, and ample white space, this story is more a novella than a novel.Supposedly, Mr. Stand was hired by a building owner to calm the anxious tenants when one of them was murdered. But, with a dogged persistence that, sadly, the police department did not show, he followed the clues and ultimately unmasked the killer.As far as I could tell, though, he didn't spend much time calming the other tenants.

[bill_11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I too was surprised at how rapid a Rapid Read could be. I tend to get lost in mysteries when I travel, a good way to shorten a long plane flight. The Blue Dragon is well written and an engaging mystery. I just prefer something with more depth and a longer story.

[corduroy7-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an incredible beginning to a new mystery series by Ronald Tierney. Peter Strand’s business card says “consultant” not “investigator.” Peter’s “day job” is as an investigator in the field of high-finance and accounting circles and he is generally employed by CEO’s and venture capitalists. But this time, Peter is hired to calm the tenants of an apartment building in Chinatown known as “The Blue Dragon.” Peter speaks not a word of Chinese in any dialect but it is assumed that his Asian/Oriental appearance will be enough to help calm the tenants following a murder in the building. As a reader, walking into “The Blue Dragon” with Peter Stand is not for the faint of heart. A review of “The Blue Dragon” would be incomplete without mention of the topics revealed through conversations as the private consultant or investigator pursues answers to his questioning of the apartment building tenants. It is a blend of murder, recreational drug use, exhibitionism, a cheating spouse, homosexuality and possibly even blackmail. The topics are not revealed to label the story or to prevent a reader from the discovery and exploration of this story and series but to contribute to the understanding that the diversity of topics is not used for the purposes of eroticism but to contribute to the reader’s true experience and empathy of the characters within this absorbing and unforgettable plot. Cover art by Jenn Playford also deserves special mention! First, I am always delighted to see the font size of the title in a larger font with more stunning and creative impact than the author’s name. This cover art also provides a capsule view of the multi-dimensions of the novella and becomes more meaningful as the reader progresses through each chapter. It also unmasks the beginning of our glimpse into who Peter Strand is and clears the veil of mystery of Ted Zheng’s murder.Reading of “The Blue Dragon” was also my first introduction to “Rapid Reads” and I am enthralled not only by the individual title selection experience but also for the incredible discovery of this reading series. As a former librarian and experience that included service to the community in a public library of a county seat, I know how varied the tastes and needs of providing the right book to the right reader at the right time. “Rapid Reads are short books for adult readers focusing first & foremost on strong writing & storytelling by bestselling authors. The stories are intended for a diverse audience, including ESL students, reluctant readers, & adults who struggle with literacy. The plots are contemporary and entertaining, with adult language and themes. Each novel in the Rapid Reads series is written between a 2.0 & 6.0 reading level.” I heartily welcome this reading series to the fiction arena. Without a doubt, it fills a long-standing void. I also highly recommend “The Blue Dragon” as I believe it could open a rich dialogue during a book club discussion on diversity in neighborhood communities and an interesting discussion on how each person’s individual background sets the tone for their life journey. Series of this depth will also become a bridge to more challenging novels as readers progress in the development of their reading skills and grow in the discovery of the joy of reading.I was lucky enough to receive an Advance Reading Copy of this title as an “Early Reviewer” from Library Thing.

[zmagic69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent little mystery. 150 pages so it is a very short read, but reminded me of an old Agatha Christie or Charlie Chan mystery, where each of the characters have something to hide and a motive to be the killer. I can't wait for the next in the series.

[crazybatcow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Okay. Make sure you're clear upfront: this is a novella (Rapid Reads is not a misnomer.) It is intended for only a handful of reader types: learners of English, and people who want a quick and easy story they can pick up and finish in a single sitting (for example, while waiting for a flight). If you are not in one of those groups, then don't be complaining that the story is too short, or the reading too simple. It's supposed to be like that.As a learner of a second language, I wish such a book line existed in a language other than English because it's complex enough a story that an adult can enjoy it (usually books "easy" enough for a novice to read are written for children), but not so complex that you'd get lost if English wasn't your strong suit.The story is decent, the plotting decent, the characters as well-developed as could be in such a short space. Don't be expecting War and Peace and you won't be disappointed.

[mamzel_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This mystery takes place in Chinatown and features a character who is of Chinese descent but grew up away from any cultural influences. Consequently he flounders while trying to investigate the death in an apartment building. When interviewing the other tenants, he sees the residents as stereotypical Chinese. For example, he admits he doesn't speak Chinese, not even acknowledging that there are many different languages spoken in China.His questioning of the tenants seems wooden in a Sgt. Friday style. "Just the facts, ma'am. Just the facts." The only benefit of his being Oriental is being able to hang out in the street watching the tenants come and go without drawing attention. I realize that this book is written for adults with low reading skills but I'm afraid it wouldn't inspire them to read more.

[hardboiled-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Blue Dragon by Ronald Tierney is truly a short novel. True, it's short in length but it's not the length that's at the heart of its problems. It's "short" in so many other ways that it does not offer the reader much of a chance to become actively engaged in either the characters or what is going on around them. There is a loosely defined series of actions linked by murder but there is no development of those actions which lead to a viable conclusion. All the characters from Peter Strand to the inhabitants of the Blue Dragon are one dimensional. As a reader I become engrossed in whatever I'm reading by being able to learn new things about at least the main characters as they interact. You never get that chance to experience these revelations here because, sad to say, there are none. If there is any ray of sunshine in the book it's Tierney's phrasing and descriptions of Chinatown and the Blue Dragon. I don't look at the length of this work as one of its shortcomings. It's not the length that makes a novel, or in this case a novella, it's what the author does within that length which defines its quality. Sadly, there is just not enough within the covers of this work to make my experience that satisfying.

[pw0327 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a Early Reviewer that piqued my interest because of its setting in San Francisco's Chinatown.When the book arrived I was slightly disappointed as I expected something heftier, as it turned out the story was the perfect size. The idea behind this series is to revisit the dime store detective novels of yesteryear, before mystery writers all turned into bloviating literary wannabes.This isn't quite up to the level of detail that an Ellery Queen or Rex Stour novel but it was a nice tasty morsel of people watching exercise wrapped in a detective story. The form of the series is a serious challenge. I thought the author made a courageous but somewhat uneven stab at it. Since this is the first novel in the series, my first complaint will be remedied later on, and that is: we really don't know a lot about Peter Strand, there are hints and hooks planted through out the story which points to a serious and involved background development of his character. Like I said, this will come.In writing a tory of this length you either have to provide the reader with a good reason to like the characters in the story or the mystery must be solved in a very clever way. My feel is that the former factor was the reason I kept on reading. Not that the plotting or the sleuthing was lacking, I felt kind of cheated since I was never given enough information to solve the mystery myself. I thought that the denouement came a little too abruptly, with the author jumping into the solution of the problem. He did keep my attention and he did it well, I wish that he had done a little more work leading up to the ending.In the end, this was a fine read, nice and short, just a few hours of light entertainment. I hope that the series will continue and we can get to know Peter Strand in a greater way. I also think that the novels could be slightly longer with a little more story development.

[karenherndon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this quick little detective story.Liked the plot, the characters and the style of writing. But, I didn't like the ending.I am feeling rather stupid- I must have missed something because I can't figure out why Mr. Emmerich killed Mrs. Ho, nor what her will had to do with him? Why Did Mr. Emmerich say "How was I suppose to live?"Those of you who have read this please help me out here-tell me what I missed please.Can I blame my lack of insight on the beautiful warm day, lying in my screened porch reading this and falling asleep near the end? But I reread the ending a couple of times???Help!