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China Trade (Hardcover)

by S. J. Rozan (Author) "I jumped a pothole in Canal Street as I dashed between honking cars and double-parked ones ..." (more)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 263 pages
Publisher: St Martins Pr (October 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312112548
ISBN-13: 978-0312112547
Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm
Shipping Weight: 431 g

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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This is item 1 in The Lydia Chin and Bill Smith Series.

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Rozan's debut novel, focusing both on china, the porcelain, and on the homeland of many inhabitants of New York City's Chinatown, introduces likable Asian-American PI, Lydia Chin. Lydia, hired by the Chinatown Pride museum to recover stolen antique porcelains, confronts the leaders of rival Chinatown gangs in hopes of flushing out the robbers. With information gleaned from a meek scholar who habitually steals tiny porcelains from prominent collections, Lydia discovers an antiquities-laundering business that crosses all socioeconomic strata. Her sidekick, full-time sleuth Bill Smith, provides an element of sexual tension; the resolution hinges on a silly scheme in which Lydia sets herself up to be attacked by a hit man and rescued by her cooperative NYPD pals. Rozan shows a knack for characterizing Chinatown's denizens, apothecaries, shops and food, but her story has more flavor than substance.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

It's always exciting to read the first novel of a newcomer with a distinctive voice and the talent to put a new spin on an established genre. Such is the case with this page-turning mystery introducing Lydia Chin, a Chinese American private investigator living in New York City's Chinatown. When the Chinatown Museum is robbed of a set of rare porcelains, the chair of the board of directors calls in her friend Lydia, despite the opposition of Lydia's brother, Tim, a board member embarrassed by his sister's occupation (not suitable for a respectable Chinese woman) and afraid that her failure to solve the crime will make him lose face. Working with her sometime partner Bill Smith, Lydia finds a connection between the shadowy underworld of the tongs (Chinese gangs) and the black market in stolen art, which leads in turn to violence and danger--definitely unsuitable surroundings in the eyes of Lydia's family. Rozan's Chinatown setting has the ring of authenticity, and Lydia is a true original. A very promising start to what shapes up as a top-flight series. Stuart Miller

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I jumped a pothole in Canal Street as I dashed between honking cars and double-parked ones. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding series, Jul 22 2002

By	Alicia K. Ahlvers "alibrarian" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: China Trade (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, educational debut in Chinese American series, April 24 2001

By	Carol Peterson Hennekens (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: China Trade (Mass Market Paperback)

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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3.0 out of 5 stars Chinatown, New York Style, April 9 2001

By	sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: China Trade (Mass Market Paperback)

"China Trade" is a busy book, crowded with images, locales and descriptions. We are immersed in an atmosphere of crowds, colors and lively people. Ms. Rozan has a light and delicate hand with prose.

Lydia Chin, the unlikely private investigator, is appealing in a girlish way. She is bright, protected, enjoys her creature comforts, and is well behaved in a child-like way. Where Lydia shines is in her fleeting observations of what she sees around her. She has an artist and poet's eye for color and description. Her sometimes partner, Bill Smith, is a series of one-liners in this dialogue-driven book. He clearly adores every word and gesture emanating from his beloved Lydia. Her kittenish behavior would drive the average man to the nearest hard-drinking lady rugby player, but not Bill. Lydia's mother is well drawn and humorous, but I met her first in an Amy Tan book.

The plot revolves around stolen export porcelain. I wish we had been given more education about this little known art market. It would have been interesting and helped us understand the motivations of the thief and killer. We have plenty of likely suspects and the story moves briskly. The characters are deftly drawn (except for the hapless Bill) and were interesting in their own right. Ms. Rozan's debut novel displays skill and originality.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A very impressive first novel
This is a very entertaining novel with a complex plot and well-developed characters. My only criticism is that the dialogue seemed a little forced and unnatural at times. Read more

Published on Aug 12 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read
Much better than Grafton, with more interesting characters. Comparable to Jance, perhaps. But forget the comparisons; this is a really good book. Read more

Published on Feb 23 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
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... Read more

Published on Aug 3 1998

4.0 out of 5 stars A memorable first novel
S. J. Rozan's book _China Trade_ introduces the private investigative team of Lydia Chin and Bill Smith, two of the more realistically-drawn and memorable characters in a... Read more

Published on Jul 6 1998 by Craig Larson