Reflecting the Sky

This is yet another great mystery in a very good series. The plot is complex and yet believable, Lydia and Bill are as entertaining as ever and the Hong Kong setting gives this book the added pleasure of an exotic atmosphere. I have read the entire series (except for Winter and Night) and it is all very good. Rozan seemed to reach a slightly higher level of excellence with A Bitter Feast and she has maintained that level with Stone Quarry and this book. Although I really like the Bill Smith narrated books, I have to admit I have a slight preference for the Lydia Chin narrated books (of which this is one). The Lydia Chin perspective, as one would expect, seems to come a little more naturally to Rozan than the Bill Smith perspective. Also, the Bill Smith books are written in a more hard-boiled style, which is fine but they do occasionally come across as a touch melodramatic, which never happens in the Lydia Chin books. I do have one very minor criticism of this series, however. Lydia's and Bill's personal lives seem to be almost in a state of suspended anamation; it is high time that something happens on this front. Lydia and Bill need to either get together or move on and develop other relationships. Anyway, I think Rozan is one of the very best mystery writers writing today and hope she writes many, many more!

SJ Rozan -- one of my favorite crime writers anyway -- has hit a new level with REFLECTING THE SKY. Maybe it's the Hong Kong setting, but something in this book brings out a new depth and maturity in Lydia Chin. She show a seriousness we haven't seen before as she and Bill Smith, working with (and sometimes against) an Alabama-raised, Chinese-American Hong Kong cop, try to solve a complicated case revolving around kidnapping, smuggling, and the meaning of family. I'm eyeing ticket prices to Hong Kong as I write this.

I only recently discovered the duo of Lydia Chin and Bill Smith ... and I'm hooked! I read one right after the other, and loved every word, but this is by far Rozan's best work. These two characters just get more finely-tuned with every book. She offers fascinating insight into the Chinese culture, while balancing it with Bill's very Western viewpoint. The mysteries are subtle and intricate, and always contain an element you didn't see coming. Treat yourself! Can't wait for more of these two!

S.J. Rozan's two protaganists, Lydia Chin and Bill Smith, alternately take the lead in this series, of which "Reflecting the Sky" is number seven if I'm not mistaken. They just get better and better. Here, it's Lydia's turn. Along with compelling plot, complex relationships, and a dazzling setting, "Reflecting the Sky" offers some rich insights into differences in mind-set of the two cultures (as represented by the dread "nature metaphors" frequently offered Lydia as she seeks more straightforward advice). On every level, I loved this book...read it in a day and was just plain happy as I did so.

Chinese-American Lydia Chin and Bill Smith are now official partnersin a private investigation business. Lydia's honorary grandfather Gao,an herb shop owner in Chinatown asks her to perform some tasks in HongKong for him. She agrees, taking Bill with her, to deliver a packagecontaining a jade statue to the grandson of a deceased friend, Wei YaoShin. The easy assignment turns difficult almost from the onsetof their arrival in Hong Kong. Someone kidnaps Harry, the intendedrecipient of the delivery, but Lydia and Bill have no idea who or whysince several diverse groups claim responsibility. As the Americansleuths try to find and return Harry safely home; they risk their ownlives in the process. S.J. Rozan is one of the best writers ofhard-boiled private eye novel as proven with her latest, REFLECTIONSIN THE SKY. The tale includes several red herrings that take thereader down false trails leaving everyone clueless as to who thekidnappers are. Hong Kong is vividly described as a beautifullystrange hybrid mix of Eastern and Western cultures that leads to thereader wanting to visit the island. The award winning Ms. Rozan, inher seventh Chin-Smith mystery, provides her fans with anotherpowerfully taut thriller.Harriet Klausner