KIET GOES WEST

Sixth in the saga of Southeast Asian Luong finds Superintendent Bamsam Kiet en route to Seattle to recover his national budget—which has been successfully pilfered by an American computer nerd. Kiet's assistant, Captain Binh, had apprehended the nerd, then lost him in a stopover at Disneyland, necessitating Kiet's trip. Worrying constantly about the classic tourist complaint (yes, diarrhea) and loathing all things American- -shopping malls, fast food, etc.—Kiet confronts, confounds, and eventually triumphs over a Luongan Çmigre now ensconced as a trendy Seattle restauranteur; a fast-talking, double-dealing TV huckster; and an unscrupulous real-estate saleswoman—all in a plot that has very little to do. The emphasis on Binh rather than Kiet, and the flight from Luong, the funny-bone of the world, mark this as a lesser effort, though Alexander still gets off a few well-aimed zingers at Americanisms.