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Title: China Trade (Lydia Chin, Bill Smith Mystery) by S.J Rozan ISBN: 0-312-95590-1 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1995 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.3 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Great read!
Comment: Rozan, who's also an architect, writes a terrific mystery. This book, the first in the series, introduces Lydia Chin, a twenty-something Chinese-American PI whose mom hates what she does for a living and whose White partner pines for her. Chin has a similar attitude to Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone, but is greener and more vulnerable. She's believable, likeable, and interesting. S.J. Rozan is definitely an up-and-comer in this genre.
Rating: 5
Summary: Outstanding series
Comment: New York P.I. Lydia Chin is investigating the theft of Chinese export porcelains from the Chinatown Pride museum. With the help of her sometimes partner, Bill Smith, her investigation leads her through Chinatown into the world of Chinese gangs and what she finds there is heartbreaking and tragic. As a good Chinese daughter Lydia still lives with her mother, rare in a hard-boiled detective series. Of course, Lydia's very traditional family is horrified by her career choice which is in turn humorous and frustrating. This is fine start to an intriguing series with each book alternating between Lydia and Bill's point-of-view.
Rating: 4
Summary: Entertaining, educational debut in Chinese American series
Comment: In a genre that is finally reasonalby well populated by woman and African Americans, an Asian slueth (of either gender) is still a rarity. Enter Lydia Chin, an ABC (American Born Chinese)who still lives with her mother in Manhattan's growing Chinatown. For me, a native of Oakland (which has a strong Asian community), the highlight of this book is the entire sensory experience. Rozan, an Anglo, does a wonderful job of writing a book that stimulates the senses of smell and taste. It doesn't hurt that Lydia loves to eat and shares her wonderful meals with the reader.
The mystery revolves around a couple of crates of missing Chinese porcelains (hence a wonderful pun in the title). Lydia and her sort of partner, Bill, explore a mix of Manhattan museums and gangs as they seek the china. The resolution is nicely complicated and shouldn't be obivous - at least to the Anglo reader.
What keeps the book from pure hard boiled status is Lydia's meddling family (they don't approve of her work); a convenient best friend who's a cop; and Lydia's ambiguous relationship with Bill (good ABC girls aren't supposed to be attracted to white dectectives).
Bottom line: A solid debut in a series I'm already looking forward to reading again.
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Title: Concourse (Lydia Chin, Bill Smith Mystery) by S. J. Rozan ISBN: 0312959443 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1996 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Mandarin Plaid (Lydia Chin, Bill Smith Mystery) by S. J. Rozan ISBN: 0312962835 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 August, 1997 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: No Colder Place (No Colder Place) by S. J. Rozan ISBN: 0312966644 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 1998 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: A Bitter Feast by S. J. Rozan ISBN: 0312970110 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 July, 1999 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Stone Quarry by S. J. Rozan ISBN: 0312977034 Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Pub. Date: 01 January, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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