Requiem for a Soldier

When Hartford, Connecticut, PI Rick Van Lam receives an official letter postmarked Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, he's traumatized. An Amerasian, son of a woman who left him at an orphanage at five and an anonymous American G.I., he'd left his native Saigon as a boy. Suddenly, years later, a letter from the U.S. Consulate informs him that a scrap of paper found at the orphanage bears his name-and that of an American soldier, Nick Pappas, from Astoria, Queens, New York. Could Nick be his father?But he soon learns an awful truth-Nick, a New York cop, was murdered ten years back after a scandal that saw him leave the force in disgrace. Rick heads to New York to investigate and immediately encounters the dysfunctional Pappas family, among them Nick's bitter ex-wife, three warring children, and a ninety-year-old mother. The news that Nick might have fathered a child has sent off waves of anger and confusion. Rick finds himself in the middle of a drama that has torn it members apart. Assisted by his loyal friends back in Connecticut-his craggy PI partner, his landlady, his ex-wife, his smart-aleck companion Hank, and Hank's Buddhist grandma, Rick begins to uncover what really happened. Yes, there's the issue of his paternity, but naming Nick's murderer is forefront.But somebody wants to keep that mystery hidden. Even if it means targeting Rick for death.