- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition edition (Jan 23 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312244274
- ISBN-13: 978-0312244279
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.5 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 590 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,376,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
S.J. Rozan's reputation grows with every new installment in her lively series starring the redoubtable Lydia Chin, a twentysomething New York PI and her partner Bill Smith. Here Lydia's venerable family friend Grandfather Gao dispatches the twosome to Hong Kong to deliver a jade amulet to the grandson of Wei Yao-Shi, whose American family knew nothing of the son and heir he left in Asia. A simple assignment quickly turns into a kidnapping, as Chin and Smith make their way through the complex world of triad politics, Asian intrigue, and the smuggling of Chinese antiquities. Along the way, Rozan treats us to an insider's view of Hong Kong; if someone you know is headed in that direction, this would be a great guidebook as well as a diverting plane read.
The relationship between the two protagonists has a nice subtext; there's sufficient sexual tension to spice up the narrative, but not enough to slow down the action. Rozan excels at pacing, and her characters are complex enough to linger in the reader's mind after the last page is turned. This is a standout performance from a writer who ought to break out in the bestseller ranks with this eighth in a series that keeps getting better. --Jane Adams
From Publishers Weekly
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.
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First Sentence
Damp, soupy heat washed over me as I pushed out through the revolving door. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Damp, soupy heat washed over me as I pushed out through the revolving door. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
I like the Bill Smith narrated novels best. This is a Lydia.,
By frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Reflecting the Sky (Mass Market Paperback)
The first time I read a Rozan book, it was a Lydia Chin narrated book. I didn't like it at all. The second time, I read a Bill Smith narrated book and I couldn't believe that it was the same author. Now I've read another Lydia Chin and I'm kind of back to finding it only so-so.The Hong Kong part of the book is interesting, and the plot isn't bad as such, but so much of the book depends on Chin's inner life and I just don't find it that interesting. Accordingly, I never really managed to engage the book or really care about what happened. Back to Bill Smith for me.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting travelogue, shame about the plot,
By
This review is from: Reflecting the Sky (Mass Market Paperback)
Not one of Smith and Chin's better adventures. I think the author may have got caught up on the excitement of visiting HK and spent more time detailing the stereotypical attitudes the outside world has of Planet HK, of which I am resident.Basically, upon the death of a relative, Lydia Chin and Bill Smith visit HK to personally deliver several items as a favour to an elder family member. Upon arrival, they quickly become involved in a triad kidnapping, the hunt and the relatively innocuous resolution. The story is thin, weak and void of any real serious reader excitement. As mentioned, the author spends far too much space on describing the environment of Hong Kong and leaves no 'urban myth' unturned. Contrary to author belief, tea is not drank to the extent she would have us believe, people do not yell 'wai!' at the top of their voices into their mobile phones everytime they are answered, the sun does not set to the south behind the Peak (as in the rest of the world, it sets in the west), there is no elevated walkway linking the Furama Hotel to other buildings (indeed, and which would be unbeknownst to the author, there is now no Furama Hotel - having been knocked down in 2002 to make way for greater commercial interests) and people will not chastize you for walking too slow in the street. For a guide to HK, read Fodor's. For top notch Rozan, read 'Winter and Night.'
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always a good read.....,
By Lucy (Rutland, VT USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Reflecting the Sky (Mass Market Paperback)
My only complaint about this author is that she doesn't write fast enough! When you find a mystery writer whose books actually make you struggle to read slower because you know you're going to be fidgiting in the gap until you have a new one to read, they're just plain GOOD...no need to get more scientific than that. The team of Lydia Chin and Bill Smith are great fun and are truly unique to the genre, and "Reflecting the Sky" compels me to come back and give it two thumbs up. This engaging (and clearly wonderfully researched) tale of two culture-clashing New York PIs cleverly weaving their way through the societal complexities of modern Hong Kong to unravel a family's intercontinental secrets will make mystery fans realize how much potential this genre actually has. Enjoy!
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