Reflecting the Sky (Hardcover)

by S. J. Rozan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
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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Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312244274
• ISBN-13: 978-0312244279
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,583,615 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 7 in The Lydia Chin and Bill Smith Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting travelogue, shame about the plot, September 9, 2003

By	T. Sunderland (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Reflecting the Sky (Bill Smith/Lydia Chin Novels) (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 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new level, April 13, 2001

By	roger holkum (NY NY) - See all my reviews

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.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What might be called a "break-through book", February 1, 2001

By	"justplainnancy" (Minnetonka, MN United States) - See all my reviews

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.