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“A haunting, beautifully written novel, almost more ghost story than thriller, as Tran explores the world of refugees, immigrants, and the long hold the past and its dead hold on the present.”
— Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author
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“[A] novel of uncommon artistry.”
— Tom Perrotta, New York Times bestselling author
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“On the pure joyous level of great storytelling, Dragonfish is a top-notch mystery…Dragonfish is a polished dagger of a novel.”
— Charles Bock, New York Times bestselling author
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“This is a well-handled and tautly told story…The novel is uncompromising in its confrontations with the dark sides of all of its characters, but Tran treats them with a hard-won dignity and in this way elevates the narrative away from the sentimental. "
— New York Times Book Review
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“A superb debut novel…that takes the noir basics and infuses them with the bitters of loss and isolation…Vu Tran has given us a haunting literary noir about a newer regeneration of refugees and immigrants who find themselves lost in America.”
— NPR
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“Tran’s thriller debut revolves around an elusive woman who seems lost in her own private—and haunted—world…A most enjoyable mystery, from its distinct, dazzling premise all the way to its satisfying conclusion.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“This haunting and mesmerizing debut is filled with all the noir elements—a dark and seedy underworld, damsels in distress, tarnished heroes, and a blurring of moral boundaries…Highly recommended for mystery fans.”
— Library Journal (starred review)
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“A missing person mystery is delicately entwined with a heartbreaking story of migration and loss…Right off the bat, Tran displays the most admirable and worthwhile gift a serious thriller writer can have: compassion toward even the most disreputable of his characters.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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“A vivid look at the violent Vietnamese underworld of Las Vegas smugglers and gamblers.”
— BookPage
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“Vu Tran takes a strikingly poetic and profoundly evocative approach to the conventions of crime fiction in this supple, sensitive, wrenching, and suspenseful tale of exile, loss, risk, violence, and the failure to love.”
— Booklist
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“Vu Tran’s spellbinding debut novel had me turning pages late into the night. I was drawn in partly by the book’s utterly engrossing plot, partly by its vivid portrayal of a pitiless and dangerous Las Vegas, but mostly by its lovingly interwoven themes of loss, longing, renewal, and cultural memory.”
— Tim O’Brien, winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Lifetime Achievement
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“Dragonfish is a novel about identity, exile, and the chains of memory wrapped in the muscle of a thriller. The suspense kept me turning the pages, but the beautiful writing and aching sense of loss remained with me long after I reached the end.”
— Lisa Brackmann, author of Hour of the Rat
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“Vu Tran’s Dragonfish is that rare hybrid marvel—a literary thriller, a narrative of migration and loss that upends the conventions of any form. Tran draws the reader into an exquisitely rendered world of violence and heartbreak, loss and love that is impossible to forget.”
— Dinaw Mengestu, author of The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears
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“Sometimes it’s creepy, like a really fine noir novel. Other times it’s heartbreaking, as when it dives deep into the anguish of Vietnamese refugees. But either way, Dragonfish is absolutely gripping. Vu Tran has written a terrific novel.”
— Tom Bissell, author of The Father of All Things