Chinese-American detective Lydia Chin and her partner Bill Smith are caught up in a kidnapping plot when they are hired to deliver a precious heirloom to the grandson of a deceased colleague right before he is abducted. 30,000 first printing.
The seventh Bill Smith/Lydia Chin novel proves that Rozan's Shamus (for Concourse) and Anthony (for No Colder Place) awards were no fluke. This is a beautifully written book with a sophisticated plot, rich in both action and atmosphere. After 1999's Stone Quarry, told from Smith's point of view, this outing belongs to Chin. At 28, Lydia is a product of New York's Chinatown, where Grandfather Gao, a community elder, has watched over her family all her life. So it's a great honor when he asks her to travel--with professional partner Smith--to Hong Kong to deliver three precious items: the ashes of an old friend for burial, a note from that friend to his brother and a valuable jade to the friend's seven-year-old grandson. The job seems too easy to require two licensed PI's, but there are complications: the friend had two wives and two sons--one family in Hong Kong, one in the U.S. Neither son knew about the other until the will was read. Chin and Smith arrive at the Hong Kong son's apartment to find it ransacked and the grandson kidnapped. Lydia and Bill are both suspects and searchers, in a chase that pits them against a criminal triad and subjects them to the torrid heat and rushing crowds of Hong Kong. Rozan is an architect, and the structure of this book sets a high standard. Every twist of the plot rises from a foundation of truthful emotions and motives solidly rooted in the characters' cultures. Every bit of humor and evocative description serves the action; there's not a smidgen of clunky exposition as the Chin-Smith relationship continues to grow and fascinate. Agent, Steve Axelrod. (Feb. 6)Forecast: With an author tour and major promotion from the publisher, plus enthusiastic blurbs from some big mystery stars--Dennis Lehane, George Pelecanos and Michael Connelly--this could well be Rozan's break-out book.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
New York PI Lydia Chin and her partner Bill Smith make a welcome return in the seventh installment of this outstanding series. Lydia is hired by her grandfather, Gao, a respected herbalist in the New York Chinese commmunity, to carry out what seems to be a very simple task: fly to Hong Kong with the ashes of an old friend of Gao's, deliver a family heirloom to the friend's young grandson, hand over a letter to the boy's aged uncle, and oversee the burial of the ashes. The straightforward assignment takes a crooked turn when the grandson is kidnapped and his frantic parents receive ransom demands from two different people. More or less shunted aside by the family, Lydia and Bill find themselves trying to figure out how to fulfill their obligations in a place where they don't know the rules and they have no contacts or allies. As usual, it's a fast-paced, rip-roaring ride. Great characters, intricate plotting, and a exotic locale, beautifully described--Who could ask for anything more? Well, perhaps Rozan could have included the recipes for all the fabulous noodle and seafood dishes that Bill and Lydia devour throughout their visit. This is definitely a don't-miss book in a don't-miss series.
Stuart MillerCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
