Customer Reviews

The Chinese Chop

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this novel stars Sheridan's favorites Janice Cameron and Lily Wu, but takes place in New York City instead of Hawaii. Its sort of a dark mystery that takes place during the 1949 post WWII housing shortage. Lily and Janice share a bedroom in a rooming house filled with a variety of other people who, unbeknownst to one another, all have a connection to the house and its former owners. That's all I can say without revealing too much of the mystery. I found the biographical introduction of the life of the author as interesting as the novel. :)

This is the first of the four novels in the Lily Wu series or, as the publisher calls it, the Lily Wu Quartet. It was published in 1949 and takes place perhaps a year or two earlier, at the end of World War II. The author's depiction of the postwar housing shortage in New York is very realistic: she must have experienced it herself. In fact, by reading this story, which takes place in a Washington Square mansion now turned into a rooming house, the reader gets an excellent feel for the customs, clothing, and activities of those uprooted from the middle class at that time. I enjoyed this aspect of the novel very much.

The mystery, with two murders and even more attempted ones, is centered around the former mansion and the people who room there. It's not a locked room mystery, more like an inhabitants-of-the-house mystery. Sheridan does a very good job of moving the story along, though most of the sleuthing takes place without rising action. There is a second murder, yes, but there really isn't increased tension.

Lily Wu, star of the series, is a secondary character in this book. The main character is Janice Cameron, who knew (but not well) Lily Wu back in Hawaii. The story is first-person point of view, from the eyes and mind of Janice Cameron, who can't quite figure out what her roommate, Lily Wu, is up to. The explanations and resolution are satisfying. In addition, I learned something about Chinese chops. Definitely recommended.

Old fashion mystery set in New York City 1949. New author Janice Cameron shares a rented room with the mysterious Lily Wu in a house in Washington Square. 2 murders occur. It seems each one of the residents in the house has a secret past, with the exception of Janice, and could be the murderer. Very very medium after a while. The most interesting thing about the book is the tone and time it was written which was 1949.

A good mystery featuring a pair of sleuths who are not actually detectives, but find themselves investigating a death in their rooming house in order to protect themselves, and, in one of their cases, recify an old grievance.

The writing flows well and the main characters act intelligently and are likeable. The mystery is well thought-out and plausible. Most of the action takes place in the Washington Square mansion, but there is still a feeling for what New York was like right after the war.

Recommended for Golden Age mysery buffs.