This Saturday, SFist was browsing the Sunset Branch library new books section, when we came across Fade to Clear. We were intrigued enough by the jacket copy to check it out, and we read it over a lazy Sunday morning. We really enjoyed this book,the third in a series about fictional San Francisco private detective Allen Choice. It has a nice noir feel, intellectual (but not boring) plotting, and a nice perspective on Korean-Americanism. We especially enjoyed the detail with which the author, Leonard Chang writes about life in the city. It's all too frequent that a novel set in San Francisco has SF native characters doing things like hanging out at Fisherman's Wharf (which neither SFist nor any of our local friends do, unless a craving for dinner in a bucket kicks in). We were thrilled to find ourselves knowing exactly which building, street, or convenience store Chang was refering to, places that show the details of real life in San Francisco.

We finished the book and went out to get the paper later that day, and there Leonard Chang was again! We like Leonard Chang even more after reading this Chronicle profile of him, and are considering getting ourselves over to the Lakeview branch of the Oakland Public Library on August 24, when he'll be signing copies of Fade to Clear from 6:30 to 7:45, so we can shake the man's hand in person. Until then, we will be reserving his other two books from the San Francisco Public Library.