In This Rain [Paperback]

S. J. Rozan (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Delacorte (2006)
• ASIN: B000Y1FQGI
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

More About the Author

SJ Rozan was born and raised in the Bronx and is proud of it. She spent over twenty years as an architect in New York City and is kind of proud of that, too. Now she writes and teaches. She's done 10 books in the Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series (the newest, ON THE LINE, comes out Sept. 28, 2010) and two standalones. She's also published three dozen short stories. A collection of her stories, A TALE ABOUT A TIGER, is available, and a second volume is coming.

SJ's work has won the Edgar, Anthony, Shamus, Nero and Macavity Awards, and she's a recipient of the Japanese Maltese Falcon. She's served on the National Boards of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She's a past President of the Private Eye Writers of America. She's been Guest of Honor at Left Coast Crime (El Paso, 2003), Toastmaster at Bouchercon (Indianapolis, 2009), an invited speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland (2003) and as if that weren't enough, she has the key to the city of Fort Worth, Texas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Race and Politics in the Big Apple, January 23, 2007

By 

Grace (Alameda, US, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In this Rain (Hardcover)

When I finished the book, I had two reactions. One was, my head is spinning. The second was, I want to read it again! "In This Rain" was a fairly quick read, and I didn't want it to end. The plot is pretty intricate, and it keeps you guessing. There are several unpredictable twists and shockers that come in pretty close succession beginning in the middle of the novel, and they ended up making me devour the rest of the book, just to satiate my curiosty as to what the heck was going on. I admit at the end it took me a few minutes of flipping back in the book to see if every important plot line was figured out and tied up. They were.

I found the political intrigue fascinating, as well as the issues of urban communitites and big-city real estate. You don't need to have too much knowledge of those things; Rozan take you through it. The police-talk and jargon was fun to read too. I've read all of her books but one, and although this one is differnt in style from the Bill/Lydia mysteries, it was finely plotted and very entertaining. As long as Rozan continues to deliver novels that are smart, entertaining, and pleasures to read, then I will surely continue to be her fan.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Building and Gardening, February 15, 2007

By 

Laura Rosen (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In this Rain (Hardcover)

I loved the theme of gardening, both city and country gardening, that runs through the book, starting with the title; it poetically parallels the plot about New York City real estate development. In the end it seems a sort of hopeful symbol for the two main characters, but not for NYC. The city is the third main character of the novel -- maybe the first main character. Rozan's love for and knowledge about the city are enormous.

This is a more serious and dark book than many of Rozan's. She is a wonderful writer and one can see her growth. The last one fifth of the book or so changes pace dramatically. It works, I think, as the building suspense explodes into action.

The form is unusual and effective. The story is told in small (sometimes tiny) chapters from four different characters' points of view.

I recommend this novel; I found all the characters, including secondary ones, convincing, moving, and memorable, and the writing is beautiful as always.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good, one-sitting suspenseful read, May 6, 2007

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In this Rain (Hardcover)

First Sentence: "It surprised him, how light she was."

Joe Cole, is newly paroled and just wants to lead a quiet life after having been wrongfully imprisoned for a child's death near a construction site. Joe's former partner in the New York Department of Investigation, Ann Montgomery, has been languishing in a backwater position but has now been moved front-and-center. A new construction site accident results in a death, a teenager falls off a rooftop and sabotage on sites make Ann suspicious. With a major who wants to be Governor, a community activity who wants the best for his people, and a borough president who wants to be major, there is a lot at stake for a development under construction and a piece of property everyone wants even at the price of murder.

Rozen knows how to take the reader on a curvy, suspenseful ride. As with Ann, every time you think you know where the story is going, the direction changes. Rozen also knows how to take two seemingly unconnected threads and twist them together into a suspenseful, intriguing story. I appreciate her ability to have a strong male and female protagonist, yet let the female take the lead without dimensioning the role of the male. Rozen makes the people and the city of New York come alive. This was a very good, one-sitting suspenseful read.