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Lydia Chin & Bill Smith #12
Paper Son
The latest Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery takes the acclaimed detective duo into the Deep South to investigate a murder within the Chinese community.
The Most Southern Place on Earth: that’s what they call the Mississippi Delta. It’s not a place Lydia Chin, an American-born Chinese private detective from Chinatown, NYC, ever thought she’d have reason to go. But when her mother tells her a cousin Lydia didn’t know she had is in jail in Clarksdale, Mississippi—and that Lydia has to rush down south and get him out—Lydia finds herself rolling down Highway 61 with Bill Smith, her partner, behind the wheel.
From the river levees to the refinement of Oxford, from old cotton gins to new computer scams, Lydia soon finds that nothing in Mississippi is as she expected it to be. Including her cousin’s legal troubles—or possibly even his innocence. Can she uncover the truth in a place more foreign to her than any she’s ever seen?
The Most Southern Place on Earth: that’s what they call the Mississippi Delta. It’s not a place Lydia Chin, an American-born Chinese private detective from Chinatown, NYC, ever thought she’d have reason to go. But when her mother tells her a cousin Lydia didn’t know she had is in jail in Clarksdale, Mississippi—and that Lydia has to rush down south and get him out—Lydia finds herself rolling down Highway 61 with Bill Smith, her partner, behind the wheel.
From the river levees to the refinement of Oxford, from old cotton gins to new computer scams, Lydia soon finds that nothing in Mississippi is as she expected it to be. Including her cousin’s legal troubles—or possibly even his innocence. Can she uncover the truth in a place more foreign to her than any she’s ever seen?
312 pages, Hardcover
First published July 2, 2019
114 people are currently reading
1663 people want to read
About the author
S.J. Rozan
127 books384 followersSJ Rozan, a native New Yorker, is the author of the Bill Smith and Lydia Chin detective series as well as several stand-alone novels. She has won the the Edgar, Nero, Macavity, Shamus and Anthony awards for Best Novel and the Edgar award for Best Short Story. She is a former Mystery Writers of America National Board member, a current Sisters in Crime National Board member, and President of the Private Eye Writers of America. In January 2003 she was an invited speaker at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. In February 2005 she will be Guest of Honor at the Left Coast Crime convention in El Paso, Texas. A former architect in a practice that focussed on police stations, firehouses, and zoos, SJ Rozan was born and raised in the Bronx. She currently lives in Greenwich Village, New York. (from the author's website)"
S.J. Rozan has a B.A. from Oberlin College and M.Arch from SUNY/Buffalo
S.J. Rozan has a B.A. from Oberlin College and M.Arch from SUNY/Buffalo
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
June 28, 2019
I’ll start by saying that I only ever award a one-star review to books I fail to finish, and I didn’t manage to get all the way through this one. I did try, in fact I got to almost the half-way point before it defeated me. It was the style of writing as much as anything, it just didn’t grab me: too much talk and too little action and I felt that the semi-comic verbal jousting between the main characters dominated the pages and got in the way of the story.
So what of the story? Fans of this series (this is the twelfth book) will be aware that Lydia Chin is a Chinese born private detective living and working in NYC. Her partner is a big white Southern boy called Bill Smith. Lydia is advised by her mother that an unknown (to her) cousin has been arrested for the murder of her equally unknown uncle. She’s dispatched off to a small town in the Mississippi Delta to solve the case and free her up the cousin, who is presumed to be innocent by Chin’s mother.
Now I like crime fiction stories and I prefer these to be played out in an American setting. I’m also fascinated by the Deep South, so this book really should really have been right up my street. But it never really got off the ground. At the point I closed it down and reached for an alternative offering very little of any consequence had happened and I’d tired of the yarns regarding why the Chinese had set up grocery stores across the Delta and how the tensions between the various racial groups who populate the area continue to play out. No tension was created and it just seemed to be meandering along, going nowhere. I found the whole thing unconvincing and dull. And I confess that I found Chin and Smith irritating. I’m sure that there are many readers who will lap this one up, but it’s not my cup of tea I’m afraid.
My thanks to Pegasus Books and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
So what of the story? Fans of this series (this is the twelfth book) will be aware that Lydia Chin is a Chinese born private detective living and working in NYC. Her partner is a big white Southern boy called Bill Smith. Lydia is advised by her mother that an unknown (to her) cousin has been arrested for the murder of her equally unknown uncle. She’s dispatched off to a small town in the Mississippi Delta to solve the case and free her up the cousin, who is presumed to be innocent by Chin’s mother.
Now I like crime fiction stories and I prefer these to be played out in an American setting. I’m also fascinated by the Deep South, so this book really should really have been right up my street. But it never really got off the ground. At the point I closed it down and reached for an alternative offering very little of any consequence had happened and I’d tired of the yarns regarding why the Chinese had set up grocery stores across the Delta and how the tensions between the various racial groups who populate the area continue to play out. No tension was created and it just seemed to be meandering along, going nowhere. I found the whole thing unconvincing and dull. And I confess that I found Chin and Smith irritating. I’m sure that there are many readers who will lap this one up, but it’s not my cup of tea I’m afraid.
My thanks to Pegasus Books and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
April 9, 2020
I found the Lydia Chin / Bill Smith series 2 years ago, and I was initially skeptical that Rozan would be able to create an American-born Chinese detective without succumbing to racial stereotypes. Thankfully, I liked Lydia quite a bit and there was only a light dusting of stereotyping. In fact, I found Lydia to be quite refreshing, as she's one of the rare female main protagonists in crime fiction without a damaged psyche.
From a 2011 Publishers Weekly interview -
Too true. This has been the reason why I’ve preferred Lydia’s to Bill’s stories, because Rozan habitually beats up Bill, both physically and emotionally . Bill’s books have been well written, no doubt. They’re just darker and noir-ish, but penned with more lyricism than Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe stories. Even saying all that, I’ve enjoyed the duo's banter and watching their relationship progress from occasional professional collaborators to a true partnership.
With Paper Son, Rozan deviates from her prior practice of writing odd-numbered books in Lydia’s perspective and even-numbered stories in Bill’s voice. Even though this is their 12th outing, the characters still sound fresh, undoubtedly helped by Rozan taking long hiatuses from this series. China Trade, the first Lydia Chin / Bill Smith book was published in 1994!
In Paper Son, the P.I. duo is plucked from NYC and dropped deep into the rural South. As usual, Rozan was meticulous in her research to provide a solid historical basis and employed an empathetic touch in her description of her characters and the microcosm of whatever her current mystery inhabited. In that sense, Paper Son is just as well devised as the Jewish diaspora in Shanghai she wrote about in Shanghai Moon. [I’ve rated Shanghai Moon 5 stars though because it was more emotionally gripping.]
Some other reviewers have commented that Paper Son is light on action or missing a sense of menace. I believe otherwise. Though careful not to sound heavy-handed, Rozan writes of a pervasive and insidious type of racism, one in which people seem to justify their racism just because it doesn’t make headlines (and because they’re not wearing white robes and igniting a cross on someone’s lawn). And then Rozan further drives that point home in her resolution. The resolution is my only point of criticism of this book for it seemed to wrap up far too quickly. I found this everyday level of racism to be sufficiently menacing.
From a 2011 Publishers Weekly interview -
Rozan finds it easier to write as Chin, whom she characterizes as faster moving and more upbeat, even though she describes Chin—who still thinks that she can change the world—as more like herself as she used to be. By contrast, it’s Smith, a darker figure given weightier issues to deal with, who often has only bad options to choose from, who is more like Rozan as she views herself to be now.
Too true. This has been the reason why I’ve preferred Lydia’s to Bill’s stories, because Rozan habitually beats up Bill, both physically and emotionally . Bill’s books have been well written, no doubt. They’re just darker and noir-ish, but penned with more lyricism than Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe stories. Even saying all that, I’ve enjoyed the duo's banter and watching their relationship progress from occasional professional collaborators to a true partnership.
With Paper Son, Rozan deviates from her prior practice of writing odd-numbered books in Lydia’s perspective and even-numbered stories in Bill’s voice. Even though this is their 12th outing, the characters still sound fresh, undoubtedly helped by Rozan taking long hiatuses from this series. China Trade, the first Lydia Chin / Bill Smith book was published in 1994!
In Paper Son, the P.I. duo is plucked from NYC and dropped deep into the rural South. As usual, Rozan was meticulous in her research to provide a solid historical basis and employed an empathetic touch in her description of her characters and the microcosm of whatever her current mystery inhabited. In that sense, Paper Son is just as well devised as the Jewish diaspora in Shanghai she wrote about in Shanghai Moon. [I’ve rated Shanghai Moon 5 stars though because it was more emotionally gripping.]
Some other reviewers have commented that Paper Son is light on action or missing a sense of menace. I believe otherwise. Though careful not to sound heavy-handed, Rozan writes of a pervasive and insidious type of racism, one in which people seem to justify their racism just because it doesn’t make headlines (and because they’re not wearing white robes and igniting a cross on someone’s lawn). And then Rozan further drives that point home in her resolution. The resolution is my only point of criticism of this book for it seemed to wrap up far too quickly. I found this everyday level of racism to be sufficiently menacing.
August 1, 2019
3.5 stars
July 16, 2019
Lydia and Bill head to Mississippi because Lydia's mother says she needs to help a distant cousin who has been accused of murdering his father.
Poor Lydia is definitely a 'fish out of water'. Fortunately she has Bill by her side to translate all the Southern-isms.
The mystery was convoluted and the solution was quite satisfactory. It was fun to catch up with our couple. Let's hope it won't be another 8 years(!!!) before we see them again.
The author did a great job in familiarizing Lydia and the reader with the history of the Chinese population in the state, especially in the state's northwestern corner (the Mississippi Delta). This reader learned a lot and the author managed to share the needed information without resorting to clumsy info-dumps.
Poor Lydia is definitely a 'fish out of water'. Fortunately she has Bill by her side to translate all the Southern-isms.
The mystery was convoluted and the solution was quite satisfactory. It was fun to catch up with our couple. Let's hope it won't be another 8 years(!!!) before we see them again.
The author did a great job in familiarizing Lydia and the reader with the history of the Chinese population in the state, especially in the state's northwestern corner (the Mississippi Delta). This reader learned a lot and the author managed to share the needed information without resorting to clumsy info-dumps.
June 24, 2019
To be reviewed over at Fresh Fiction!
June 17, 2019
It’s been a long wait since the previous Lydia Chin/Bill Smith story, and I feared we’d never see another. But Rozan deftly picks up where she left off, giving us a story that seamlessly reintroduces us to the main characters of the series and sends them off on a new investigation.
Lydia’s stern mother surprises her with the news that there is a branch of the family in the unlikely locale of small-town Mississippi. She further astonishes Lydia with her insistence that Lydia must go there immediately to prove a distant cousin innocent of killing his father—and that she should take Bill with her. When the two arrive in Mississippi, they meet some of that family and discover some old secrets.
Lydia’s great-grandfather’s brother came from China to the U.S. as a “paper son,” pretending to be a relation of someone already here to gain entry. The deception included a name change which has lasted through the generations. As someone who grew up in New York City, Lydia views the Deep South as almost a foreign country, with customs, history, and prejudices that are odd to her, including the fact that Chinese grocers had been common in the Delta. When Lydia’s accused cousin escapes jail, it makes it all the more difficult for her and Bill to ferret out what had happened.
Their investigation takes them on a number of twists and turns, exposing history and secrets and reinforcing to them both how much family—born, found, and made—means. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Lydia and Bill back in action and hope it will not be nearly as long a wait until I can read of their next adventure.
Lydia’s stern mother surprises her with the news that there is a branch of the family in the unlikely locale of small-town Mississippi. She further astonishes Lydia with her insistence that Lydia must go there immediately to prove a distant cousin innocent of killing his father—and that she should take Bill with her. When the two arrive in Mississippi, they meet some of that family and discover some old secrets.
Lydia’s great-grandfather’s brother came from China to the U.S. as a “paper son,” pretending to be a relation of someone already here to gain entry. The deception included a name change which has lasted through the generations. As someone who grew up in New York City, Lydia views the Deep South as almost a foreign country, with customs, history, and prejudices that are odd to her, including the fact that Chinese grocers had been common in the Delta. When Lydia’s accused cousin escapes jail, it makes it all the more difficult for her and Bill to ferret out what had happened.
Their investigation takes them on a number of twists and turns, exposing history and secrets and reinforcing to them both how much family—born, found, and made—means. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Lydia and Bill back in action and hope it will not be nearly as long a wait until I can read of their next adventure.
May 24, 2019
Eight long years and a change of publisher later, Lydia Chin and her partner Bill Smith have returned. They have been missed! Rozan’s series is one of the best private eye series around, with the fresh take of shifting narrators between books. One book will be Lydia’s, one Bill’s. This one is Lydia’s. She’s summoned to Mississippi to get a never met cousin out of jail for murdering his father.
First of all, what? Mississippi? What’s hard core New Yorker Lydia doing in the Mississippi Delta, and who knew she had cousins there, much less that Chinese grocery stores are/were a fact of life in small Mississippi towns. Lydia’s scary (and entertaining mother) is sure her cousin Jefferson cannot be guilty, because he’s family.
Lydia has no such shared assumption when she gets to town and discovers that her cousin has broken out of jail and can’t be found. All private eye novels mostly involve the private eye driving around and asking questions, and first, figuring out what questions need to be asked. As Lydia and Bill are very much out of their element the questions that need to be figured out are difficult ones.
Really good private eye writers make the questions, the questioners, and the search an interesting one. Rozan is a really good private eye writer. As Lydia untangles her family threads, explaining to Bill why the Mississippi branch is named “Tam” rather than “Chin” (you’ll need to read the book, as it explains the title), the story circles back to what is ultimately the strongest element in Rozan’s best books: family.
The more Lydia searches for Jefferson and the more she discovers about the Mississippi branch of her family, the more personal the search becomes. The tangled threads leading to a solution involve the small grocery owned by the family, online gambling, meth cooking, and a visit to the university town of Oxford. Along the way there’s a crash course on the nuances of racism in the south, only a slight variant (sadly) from racism in the north. The Chinese are not immune.
To Rozan’s credit she assumes she knows nothing about Mississippi and presents Lydia’s story as that of a stranger in a strange land. That said, she’s obviously done her research, and the setting has a ring of authenticity. The whole novel features the combined skill sets in Rozan’s extensive toolbox: a fast moving narrative, memorable characters, and a setting that’s almost equally as important as plot. This is a more than welcome return to print of one of the greatest private eye writers on the planet.
First of all, what? Mississippi? What’s hard core New Yorker Lydia doing in the Mississippi Delta, and who knew she had cousins there, much less that Chinese grocery stores are/were a fact of life in small Mississippi towns. Lydia’s scary (and entertaining mother) is sure her cousin Jefferson cannot be guilty, because he’s family.
Lydia has no such shared assumption when she gets to town and discovers that her cousin has broken out of jail and can’t be found. All private eye novels mostly involve the private eye driving around and asking questions, and first, figuring out what questions need to be asked. As Lydia and Bill are very much out of their element the questions that need to be figured out are difficult ones.
Really good private eye writers make the questions, the questioners, and the search an interesting one. Rozan is a really good private eye writer. As Lydia untangles her family threads, explaining to Bill why the Mississippi branch is named “Tam” rather than “Chin” (you’ll need to read the book, as it explains the title), the story circles back to what is ultimately the strongest element in Rozan’s best books: family.
The more Lydia searches for Jefferson and the more she discovers about the Mississippi branch of her family, the more personal the search becomes. The tangled threads leading to a solution involve the small grocery owned by the family, online gambling, meth cooking, and a visit to the university town of Oxford. Along the way there’s a crash course on the nuances of racism in the south, only a slight variant (sadly) from racism in the north. The Chinese are not immune.
To Rozan’s credit she assumes she knows nothing about Mississippi and presents Lydia’s story as that of a stranger in a strange land. That said, she’s obviously done her research, and the setting has a ring of authenticity. The whole novel features the combined skill sets in Rozan’s extensive toolbox: a fast moving narrative, memorable characters, and a setting that’s almost equally as important as plot. This is a more than welcome return to print of one of the greatest private eye writers on the planet.
December 2, 2020
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Although this is my first time with this author I can see that this novel is quite a few installments into a regular series. I can say that I enjoyed the novel as a stand-alone and would not warn the reader about reading the series out of order. I didn’t notice any spoilers or any plot lines that were carry overs from prior installments.
The Paper Son is well written, the characters interesting and likeable, and the plot is well crafted. The reason that I only give this mystery 3 stars has more to do with my taste than the book itself. I prefer mysteries that are edgier and my taste runs more to dark fiction and noir. Even though the book deals with a murder and, therefore, murderous characters, there just wasn’t any menace. As I was reading Paper Son I felt the lack of any hard edge or danger, which I fully expected given the plot of an Asian detective coming to the deep south to investigate a murder allegedly committed by a relative of hers. Any racial tensions were minimal and even the worst racists were quite polite about it. I was expecting something like Mississippi Burning and I got Driving Miss Daisy.
The historical angle to the story—the concept of the “paper son”—a manufactured relative to allow immigration to the US from Asia, was interesting as was the prevalence of Asian grocers and merchants in the deep South. I felt the depth of the research and I also enjoyed the Asian point of view and mindset of Lydia Chin, an American born Asian private investigator of Chinese origin. The yankee/southerner aspect was entertaining if not overly stereotypical and whitewashed into blandness.
As with most readers, I have quite a few reader friends and they are all over the map as to taste. I can easily think of several friends that would enjoy this book and others that would most likely feel the same way that I did. Because tastes vary, this novel, which I stress is well written, is most likely to other’s tastes if not for mine.
3 Stars
Although this is my first time with this author I can see that this novel is quite a few installments into a regular series. I can say that I enjoyed the novel as a stand-alone and would not warn the reader about reading the series out of order. I didn’t notice any spoilers or any plot lines that were carry overs from prior installments.
The Paper Son is well written, the characters interesting and likeable, and the plot is well crafted. The reason that I only give this mystery 3 stars has more to do with my taste than the book itself. I prefer mysteries that are edgier and my taste runs more to dark fiction and noir. Even though the book deals with a murder and, therefore, murderous characters, there just wasn’t any menace. As I was reading Paper Son I felt the lack of any hard edge or danger, which I fully expected given the plot of an Asian detective coming to the deep south to investigate a murder allegedly committed by a relative of hers. Any racial tensions were minimal and even the worst racists were quite polite about it. I was expecting something like Mississippi Burning and I got Driving Miss Daisy.
The historical angle to the story—the concept of the “paper son”—a manufactured relative to allow immigration to the US from Asia, was interesting as was the prevalence of Asian grocers and merchants in the deep South. I felt the depth of the research and I also enjoyed the Asian point of view and mindset of Lydia Chin, an American born Asian private investigator of Chinese origin. The yankee/southerner aspect was entertaining if not overly stereotypical and whitewashed into blandness.
As with most readers, I have quite a few reader friends and they are all over the map as to taste. I can easily think of several friends that would enjoy this book and others that would most likely feel the same way that I did. Because tastes vary, this novel, which I stress is well written, is most likely to other’s tastes if not for mine.
3 Stars
October 11, 2019
I was thinking that I'd rate this book three stars until I got to the end. OTOH, I guessed part of the resolution long beforehand. So it wasn't completely surprising.
May 6, 2019
Lydia Chin's mother asks Lydia and Bill Smith to travel to the Mississippi Delta to investigate the murder of Leland Chin by his son Jefferson. Lydia did not know she had cousins in the Delta, which is a very long way from New York. She discovers that this branch of the family is not really related to hers, except via a paper trail, which was the way Chinese families were able to bring relatives to the United States after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. They would establish paper trails for immigration purposes. When Lydia and Bill arrive, they meet with Captain Pete, another paper family member, who supports himself by gambling. They also discover Reynolds Tan, another cousin who is running for Congress. As Bill and Lydia investigate, they discover there are secrets in the Delta, secrets that can get you killed. I am so glad to see this series return; it has been a while. Bill and Lydia are a very interesting couple and the plot is intricate and filled with immigration information I did not know. Recommended.
February 16, 2019
Fans of Lydia and Bill will be happy to know that they are back and investigating in Mississippi when one of Lydia's cousins is arrested for murder. SJ Rozan tells a good story with some twists and a lot of humor. Highly recommend.
July 27, 2019
It's been 8 long years waiting for this book, the 12th in the Lydia Chin/Bill Smith saga and it was well worth the wait. Lydia's mother, a Chinese matriarch whose philosophy of family is everything, leads her to send Lydia to the Mississippi delta when some distant cousin gets into trouble. Who knew after the railroad was built, a sizeable portion of the Chinese immigrants settled in the deep South and that so many of the small towns in the Delta had a Chinese grocer. That's only the first fascinating historical tidbit of the intersection of the South and Chinese traditions. Lydia's cousin, Jefferson Tam, has been accused of murdering his father and she (and Bill) need to prove his innocence while tiptoeing through way of life as foreign to her as that of the Aleuts. Spot on dialogue and a story that keeps the pages turning until late at night. Highly recommended.
August 8, 2019
It's been 9 years since the last Lydia/Bill book, and I was anxious to get back to these book friends. Typically, SJ has found an interesting tidbit and expanded it into a complete novel, full of characters and quirks and hidden motivations. Toss in a deep-South setting, and you've got all the ingredients.
But for me, something was missing. Note that 4-stars is a good rating, but SJ has set a very high bar in this series.
Her exploration of family, racial barriers, and simple greed, is deep and thoughtful. It leads Lydia to re-examine her own family structure, which is is the real conclusion of the story, even after the murder is solved.
Welcome back Lydia and Bill - I hope it won't be too long before the next book comes out.
But for me, something was missing. Note that 4-stars is a good rating, but SJ has set a very high bar in this series.
Her exploration of family, racial barriers, and simple greed, is deep and thoughtful. It leads Lydia to re-examine her own family structure, which is is the real conclusion of the story, even after the murder is solved.
Welcome back Lydia and Bill - I hope it won't be too long before the next book comes out.
August 6, 2019
First Sentence: "Mississippi?"
New York City native, with a traditional Chinese mother, PI Lydia Chin is surprised when she learns she has relatives in Mississippi, including a cousin, Jefferson Tam, who has been arrested, and Captain Pete Tam who is asking for help. It's up to Lydia, with her partner Bill Smith, to prevent her cousin from being tried for murder.
One just can't beat a great opening with a touch of humor, especially when it's done so well. That's what keeps one reading.
For those who have followed this series, it is wonderful to have a new entry. For new readers, welcome and never fear. Starting here, at the 12th book, isn't a problem as Rozen smoothly brings one into the fold.
Rozan does an excellent job of using Lydia's family history to inform one of American history. Learning the history of Lydia's parents adds dimension to the character and establishes the theme. She also presents a very timely observation—"there's always somebody hatin' on everybody." … "Don't everybody always think their hate is different?"
Rozan paints a clear picture of life in small-town Mississippi. What is particularly interesting is learning the history of Chinese groceries in black towns which built an economy of its own. The immigration path of Mississippi is fascinating.
The characters are well-developed and interesting. It's fun to see urban Lydia so far out of her comfort zone, and Bill takes advantage of his somewhat Southern roots. Lydia and Bill balance one another perfectly in every way. They are yin and yang not only in race, but in size, Luddite vs technocrat, and food choices. This makes them real and appealing. Each of the other characters holds their own, as well. There is one character toward the end that is a particular treat.
The plot is very well done with just the right level of suspense. The plot does get a bit twisty, but not so much that one can't follow it, and it takes one on a fascinating journey of places and people.
"Paper Son" is an excellent, traditional mystery which includes delightful characters, just enough humor and a wonderful ending.
PAPER SON (PI-Lydia Chin/Bill Smith-Mississippi-Contemp) - VG
Rozen, S.J. – 12th in series
Pegasus Books, July 2019
New York City native, with a traditional Chinese mother, PI Lydia Chin is surprised when she learns she has relatives in Mississippi, including a cousin, Jefferson Tam, who has been arrested, and Captain Pete Tam who is asking for help. It's up to Lydia, with her partner Bill Smith, to prevent her cousin from being tried for murder.
One just can't beat a great opening with a touch of humor, especially when it's done so well. That's what keeps one reading.
For those who have followed this series, it is wonderful to have a new entry. For new readers, welcome and never fear. Starting here, at the 12th book, isn't a problem as Rozen smoothly brings one into the fold.
Rozan does an excellent job of using Lydia's family history to inform one of American history. Learning the history of Lydia's parents adds dimension to the character and establishes the theme. She also presents a very timely observation—"there's always somebody hatin' on everybody." … "Don't everybody always think their hate is different?"
Rozan paints a clear picture of life in small-town Mississippi. What is particularly interesting is learning the history of Chinese groceries in black towns which built an economy of its own. The immigration path of Mississippi is fascinating.
The characters are well-developed and interesting. It's fun to see urban Lydia so far out of her comfort zone, and Bill takes advantage of his somewhat Southern roots. Lydia and Bill balance one another perfectly in every way. They are yin and yang not only in race, but in size, Luddite vs technocrat, and food choices. This makes them real and appealing. Each of the other characters holds their own, as well. There is one character toward the end that is a particular treat.
The plot is very well done with just the right level of suspense. The plot does get a bit twisty, but not so much that one can't follow it, and it takes one on a fascinating journey of places and people.
"Paper Son" is an excellent, traditional mystery which includes delightful characters, just enough humor and a wonderful ending.
PAPER SON (PI-Lydia Chin/Bill Smith-Mississippi-Contemp) - VG
Rozen, S.J. – 12th in series
Pegasus Books, July 2019
February 19, 2019
I have missed Lydia Chin & Bill Smith. I hope this is a sign that Rozan is bringing back the series. The duo are sent to the Mississippi Delta by Lydia’s mother to prove a cousin from a side of the family Lydia has never heard of, didn’t murder his own father.
June 20, 2019
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
One thing I've said (possibly too often) as I talk about this series is how much I enjoy the conversations between Lydia and Bill -- but I think one of the conversations between Lydia and her mother tops anything the partners have to say (until the last conversation, anyway), and the rest weren't far behind. We start off with Mrs. Chin telling Lydia that she has to go to Mississippi -- and take Bill along -- to investigate a murder. Long-time readers of this series will be forgiven the need to re-read that sentence, I assure you that it's correct. One of Lydia's cousins (yes, she has cousins in the Mississippi Delta -- she's as shocked as you are) is accused of murdering his father. Her mother wants Lydia to go down and prove his innocence. That he's innocent isn't ever in doubt for a moment -- he's related to Lydia's father, ergo, he's innocent. Lydia doesn't accept her mother's logic, but feels obligated to try to help this cousin she's never heard of before now, so she and Bill set off for the Delta. It's simply a dynamite first chapter, and the hook was set immediately.
Upon their arrival, Lydia and Bill find themselves neck deep in a tangled web of history, race, meth, gambling (both your more traditional varieties and purely 21st Century versions), politics and a even more race (it is Mississippi). Lydia's cousin Jefferson is in his mid-20's, a computer whiz of some sort with questionable ethics. He's called to come to his father's grocery store for some reason -- they argue, and Jefferson leaves to cool off. When he returns, he finds his father bleeding out from a knife wound. Naturally, that's when the police arrive, taking him into custody immediately. He's bloody, standing over the victim and weapon -- and sure, his fingerprints are all over the knife. Seems like an open and shut case, right?
Jefferson's uncle, Captain Pete, is at the front of the line of those who doubt this -- which is why he called his cousin's widow to get her PI daughter down to help. Pete's a professional gambler -- precisely the kind of person Mrs. Chin wouldn't like to acknowledge, but is friendly, hospitable and charming. Lydia and Bill warm to him quickly and he becomes a source of comfort as well as a source of information for the duo as they dive in to the investigation. Soon after arriving in Mississippi, they also meet another of Lydia's cousins -- a nephew to Pete, who is running in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Lydia can't believe she's related to a candidate for governor and she's never heard of him. What else has her mother been keeping from her? Just from her conversations with Pete and Raymond Tam (the candidate), Lydia's overwhelmed with family history that she didn't expect to exist, much less be able to understand it all. It doesn't derail the work that she and Bill are doing at all, but it threatens to distract her more than once. Adding the candidate into the mix guarantees that the water will get a lot muddier before it starts to become clear.
Lydia's voice is as strong, engaging and entertaining as ever -- possibly better than ever. I want to compare it to vintage Spenser, but that seems wrong (I'm not sure why I want to compare it to Parker at his best or why I shouldn't -- but that's where I am). She's funny, she's smart, she's insightful, she's in a very alien place and is doing her best to acclimate. Bill seemed under utilized a little bit this time around -- but (as he himself would point out), this was Lydia's family, her case -- he was just around for support. And he did come to her aid at pivotal moments -- laying his native Southern accent on a little thick to help pave the way with some of the locals and to diffuse tense situations. Captain Pete is a great character, and I wish he wasn't designed to be a one-and-done kind of guy, but I can't see him coming up to Chinatown anytime soon to have tea with Mrs. Chin. Actually, I could easily read another novel or two with this cast -- from the Public Defender staff to the people that hang out at the grocery store and all points in between. I'm not sure how Rozan could orchestrate those novels without feeling a bit contrived, but I'd be in for them.(*)
(*) Sure, I'd be in for Lydia and Bill Go Grocery Shopping or Bill and Lydia's Day at the Recycling Center , but that's beside the point..
I enjoy tea, but I'm no expert on it -- I'm no where near the tea aficionado that Lydia is (even keeping Bill's cupboards better stocked than he understands), but I loved her reaction to Sweet Tea (not just because I think she's right). Using food is a great shortcut to revealing character traits, and Rozan does a great job throughout this book, but particularly on this point, of using that peculiar Southern version of tea to show us sides of Lydia.
Rozan's at her strongest when in addition to the mystery, she's using the circumstances around it to have Lydia and/or Bill explore another culture/sub-culture. She's displayed this strength when helping her readers understand the Jewish refugees in the 1930's who fled to Shanghai ( The Shanghai Moon ), Hong Kong (in Reflecting the Sky ), Small Town High School Football ( Winter and Night ), the Contemporary Chinese Art scene ( Ghost Hero ), and so on. Here we get a Yankee perspective on Mississippi black/white relations (and a glance or two at how it differs from neighboring states), as well as a fascinating look at the Chinese in the Mississippi Delta in the late Nineteenth Century (which left me almost as shocked as Lydia). You give us that kind of history and commentary while delivering a solid mystery? It's hard to ask for more.
As interesting as that is, the heart of the novel is in the idea of family. It's a strong theme throughout the series, actually --- whether it be Lydia's strong sense of family, or the found family in the partnership of Bill and Lydia -- or the many damaged families they encounter in their work. In Paper Son family shapes the warp and woof of the narrative -- it's Mrs. Chin's confidence in the innocence of her husband's relations, and Captain Pete's call for help that brings the duo to the Delta. Lydia fights the impulse to believe Jefferson and Pete (and others) just because they're family, yet wants thing to be the way her mother believes they are (even when -- particularly when -- the facts don't seem to support it). Bill even encounters a fellow Smith, and while no one believes for a second they share anything beyond the name in common, there's a connection. At it's core, Paper Son is a story about the sacrifice, support, trust, and dysfunction that comes along from strong family (blood relation or found family) -- not to mention all of the unintended consequences of that sacrifice, support, trust and dysfunction. I'm tempted to keep going, but I'd end up revealing too much.
The mystery itself is up to Rozan's high standards -- you may guess the identity of the killer fairly early on (and you may not), but you will not see the motivation coming until it's past the point of inevitability. The ending feels a little rushed, but I can't think of a way to improve upon it -- and any rush was actually probably just me trying to discover how things would play out. The first half of the denouement with Lydia's family is heartwarming -- and, sure, borderline cheesy, but Rozan earned it. The second half is less cheesy and will fill even jaded readers with hope and joy. It's just a great way to close the book.
If Paper Son isn't S. J. Rozan and the series at their best, it's hard to tell. For book 12 in a series to be this good almost defies the odds, the years that separated this book from it's predecessor didn't slow her down a bit (I honestly was afraid we'd be looking at something like Lehane's return to Kenzie and Genarro in Moonlight Mile after 11 years). Long-time fans will be delighted in the return of this pair. I don't know that this is the best introduction to the series, but it'd work just fine -- you learn everything you need to know here. Fans of PI fiction starring smart, capable (and yes, mouthy) women will find a lot to reward them in these pages.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from W. W. Norton & Company via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
One thing I've said (possibly too often) as I talk about this series is how much I enjoy the conversations between Lydia and Bill -- but I think one of the conversations between Lydia and her mother tops anything the partners have to say (until the last conversation, anyway), and the rest weren't far behind. We start off with Mrs. Chin telling Lydia that she has to go to Mississippi -- and take Bill along -- to investigate a murder. Long-time readers of this series will be forgiven the need to re-read that sentence, I assure you that it's correct. One of Lydia's cousins (yes, she has cousins in the Mississippi Delta -- she's as shocked as you are) is accused of murdering his father. Her mother wants Lydia to go down and prove his innocence. That he's innocent isn't ever in doubt for a moment -- he's related to Lydia's father, ergo, he's innocent. Lydia doesn't accept her mother's logic, but feels obligated to try to help this cousin she's never heard of before now, so she and Bill set off for the Delta. It's simply a dynamite first chapter, and the hook was set immediately.
Upon their arrival, Lydia and Bill find themselves neck deep in a tangled web of history, race, meth, gambling (both your more traditional varieties and purely 21st Century versions), politics and a even more race (it is Mississippi). Lydia's cousin Jefferson is in his mid-20's, a computer whiz of some sort with questionable ethics. He's called to come to his father's grocery store for some reason -- they argue, and Jefferson leaves to cool off. When he returns, he finds his father bleeding out from a knife wound. Naturally, that's when the police arrive, taking him into custody immediately. He's bloody, standing over the victim and weapon -- and sure, his fingerprints are all over the knife. Seems like an open and shut case, right?
Jefferson's uncle, Captain Pete, is at the front of the line of those who doubt this -- which is why he called his cousin's widow to get her PI daughter down to help. Pete's a professional gambler -- precisely the kind of person Mrs. Chin wouldn't like to acknowledge, but is friendly, hospitable and charming. Lydia and Bill warm to him quickly and he becomes a source of comfort as well as a source of information for the duo as they dive in to the investigation. Soon after arriving in Mississippi, they also meet another of Lydia's cousins -- a nephew to Pete, who is running in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Lydia can't believe she's related to a candidate for governor and she's never heard of him. What else has her mother been keeping from her? Just from her conversations with Pete and Raymond Tam (the candidate), Lydia's overwhelmed with family history that she didn't expect to exist, much less be able to understand it all. It doesn't derail the work that she and Bill are doing at all, but it threatens to distract her more than once. Adding the candidate into the mix guarantees that the water will get a lot muddier before it starts to become clear.
Lydia's voice is as strong, engaging and entertaining as ever -- possibly better than ever. I want to compare it to vintage Spenser, but that seems wrong (I'm not sure why I want to compare it to Parker at his best or why I shouldn't -- but that's where I am). She's funny, she's smart, she's insightful, she's in a very alien place and is doing her best to acclimate. Bill seemed under utilized a little bit this time around -- but (as he himself would point out), this was Lydia's family, her case -- he was just around for support. And he did come to her aid at pivotal moments -- laying his native Southern accent on a little thick to help pave the way with some of the locals and to diffuse tense situations. Captain Pete is a great character, and I wish he wasn't designed to be a one-and-done kind of guy, but I can't see him coming up to Chinatown anytime soon to have tea with Mrs. Chin. Actually, I could easily read another novel or two with this cast -- from the Public Defender staff to the people that hang out at the grocery store and all points in between. I'm not sure how Rozan could orchestrate those novels without feeling a bit contrived, but I'd be in for them.(*)
(*) Sure, I'd be in for Lydia and Bill Go Grocery Shopping or Bill and Lydia's Day at the Recycling Center , but that's beside the point..
I enjoy tea, but I'm no expert on it -- I'm no where near the tea aficionado that Lydia is (even keeping Bill's cupboards better stocked than he understands), but I loved her reaction to Sweet Tea (not just because I think she's right). Using food is a great shortcut to revealing character traits, and Rozan does a great job throughout this book, but particularly on this point, of using that peculiar Southern version of tea to show us sides of Lydia.
Rozan's at her strongest when in addition to the mystery, she's using the circumstances around it to have Lydia and/or Bill explore another culture/sub-culture. She's displayed this strength when helping her readers understand the Jewish refugees in the 1930's who fled to Shanghai ( The Shanghai Moon ), Hong Kong (in Reflecting the Sky ), Small Town High School Football ( Winter and Night ), the Contemporary Chinese Art scene ( Ghost Hero ), and so on. Here we get a Yankee perspective on Mississippi black/white relations (and a glance or two at how it differs from neighboring states), as well as a fascinating look at the Chinese in the Mississippi Delta in the late Nineteenth Century (which left me almost as shocked as Lydia). You give us that kind of history and commentary while delivering a solid mystery? It's hard to ask for more.
As interesting as that is, the heart of the novel is in the idea of family. It's a strong theme throughout the series, actually --- whether it be Lydia's strong sense of family, or the found family in the partnership of Bill and Lydia -- or the many damaged families they encounter in their work. In Paper Son family shapes the warp and woof of the narrative -- it's Mrs. Chin's confidence in the innocence of her husband's relations, and Captain Pete's call for help that brings the duo to the Delta. Lydia fights the impulse to believe Jefferson and Pete (and others) just because they're family, yet wants thing to be the way her mother believes they are (even when -- particularly when -- the facts don't seem to support it). Bill even encounters a fellow Smith, and while no one believes for a second they share anything beyond the name in common, there's a connection. At it's core, Paper Son is a story about the sacrifice, support, trust, and dysfunction that comes along from strong family (blood relation or found family) -- not to mention all of the unintended consequences of that sacrifice, support, trust and dysfunction. I'm tempted to keep going, but I'd end up revealing too much.
The mystery itself is up to Rozan's high standards -- you may guess the identity of the killer fairly early on (and you may not), but you will not see the motivation coming until it's past the point of inevitability. The ending feels a little rushed, but I can't think of a way to improve upon it -- and any rush was actually probably just me trying to discover how things would play out. The first half of the denouement with Lydia's family is heartwarming -- and, sure, borderline cheesy, but Rozan earned it. The second half is less cheesy and will fill even jaded readers with hope and joy. It's just a great way to close the book.
If Paper Son isn't S. J. Rozan and the series at their best, it's hard to tell. For book 12 in a series to be this good almost defies the odds, the years that separated this book from it's predecessor didn't slow her down a bit (I honestly was afraid we'd be looking at something like Lehane's return to Kenzie and Genarro in Moonlight Mile after 11 years). Long-time fans will be delighted in the return of this pair. I don't know that this is the best introduction to the series, but it'd work just fine -- you learn everything you need to know here. Fans of PI fiction starring smart, capable (and yes, mouthy) women will find a lot to reward them in these pages.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from W. W. Norton & Company via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this.
-----
March 16, 2020
The New York private investigator team of Lydia Chin and Bill Smith head to the Mississippi Delta to investigate a murder. It was Lydia’s mother who asked them to go, because both the victim, Leland Tam, and the person accused of murdering him, his son Jefferson, are distant cousins of the Chins. Lydia didn’t even know she had cousins in Mississippi. In the course of the investigation she learns why there were a number of Chinese in the South.
The Chinese came after the Civil War. The planters lost their slaves, and were looking for other sources of cheap labor to pick cotton. The Chinese didn’t like the work, but they liked the climate. Therefore many of them left the jobs after a short time but stayed in the area. The Chinese saw a need for grocery stores that would serve newly freed African Americans, who were not welcome in white establishments. As Captain Pete Tam, uncle of the accused explained to Lydia and Bill:
“So all over the Delta, Chinese opened groceries in black towns, or in black neighborhoods in mixed towns.”
After the stores got established, the owners brought over their families from China. Because of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, most Chinese weren’t welcome. If, however, you were in the immediate family of a Chinese person who was an American citizen, you were allowed into the country: “Thus was created the paper son.” Young men in China paid U.S. citizens to sponsor them as “sons.” Lydia found out that her great-grandfather’s brother was one of them, and her family in the Mississippi Delta were descendants of that paper son.
Meanwhile, Lydia and Bill’s investigation is much more complicated than they anticipated. First of all, the accused, her cousin Jefferson, escaped from jail. Lydia and Bill think this makes Jefferson look guilty, but no one else does. There does not seem to be a lot of faith that innocence will necessarily help you in the Mississippi justice system, which is - in real life - notoriously unjust.
Moreover, no one who knows Jefferson believes he would have killed his father. In any event, there are plenty of theories for what might have happened to Leland. Did it have to do with his status as being the family of a “paper son”? Did racism play a role? Jefferson had been seen in Burcell, a nearby town dedicated to meth production; was the local drug cartel involved? What about all the information relating to sports fantasy team gambling found on Jefferson’s computer? Then there is the Tam cousin in the Delta who was running for political office - might politics be involved because of a desire to hide the Tams illegitimate origins?
Lydia and Bill methodically and intrepidly plod through the possibilities, showing once again why they operated as a team. As Lydia said to herself later:
“This was how we worked, not reading each other’s minds but trusting each other’s instincts, having each other’s backs, whatever happened. This, I suddenly realized, was something my mother knew full well, though she’s never admitted it. This was why she’d sent him with me.”
Evaluation: This is an entertaining story with unique complications and a fair bit of humor as Lydia confronts her own preconceptions about the South. The relationship between Lydia and Bill is an interesting one. Followers of the series will not be disappointed, nor will readers who like to learn a bit of history and sociology as part of the mysteries they read.
Rating: 3.5/5
The Chinese came after the Civil War. The planters lost their slaves, and were looking for other sources of cheap labor to pick cotton. The Chinese didn’t like the work, but they liked the climate. Therefore many of them left the jobs after a short time but stayed in the area. The Chinese saw a need for grocery stores that would serve newly freed African Americans, who were not welcome in white establishments. As Captain Pete Tam, uncle of the accused explained to Lydia and Bill:
“So all over the Delta, Chinese opened groceries in black towns, or in black neighborhoods in mixed towns.”
After the stores got established, the owners brought over their families from China. Because of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, most Chinese weren’t welcome. If, however, you were in the immediate family of a Chinese person who was an American citizen, you were allowed into the country: “Thus was created the paper son.” Young men in China paid U.S. citizens to sponsor them as “sons.” Lydia found out that her great-grandfather’s brother was one of them, and her family in the Mississippi Delta were descendants of that paper son.
Meanwhile, Lydia and Bill’s investigation is much more complicated than they anticipated. First of all, the accused, her cousin Jefferson, escaped from jail. Lydia and Bill think this makes Jefferson look guilty, but no one else does. There does not seem to be a lot of faith that innocence will necessarily help you in the Mississippi justice system, which is - in real life - notoriously unjust.
Moreover, no one who knows Jefferson believes he would have killed his father. In any event, there are plenty of theories for what might have happened to Leland. Did it have to do with his status as being the family of a “paper son”? Did racism play a role? Jefferson had been seen in Burcell, a nearby town dedicated to meth production; was the local drug cartel involved? What about all the information relating to sports fantasy team gambling found on Jefferson’s computer? Then there is the Tam cousin in the Delta who was running for political office - might politics be involved because of a desire to hide the Tams illegitimate origins?
Lydia and Bill methodically and intrepidly plod through the possibilities, showing once again why they operated as a team. As Lydia said to herself later:
“This was how we worked, not reading each other’s minds but trusting each other’s instincts, having each other’s backs, whatever happened. This, I suddenly realized, was something my mother knew full well, though she’s never admitted it. This was why she’d sent him with me.”
Evaluation: This is an entertaining story with unique complications and a fair bit of humor as Lydia confronts her own preconceptions about the South. The relationship between Lydia and Bill is an interesting one. Followers of the series will not be disappointed, nor will readers who like to learn a bit of history and sociology as part of the mysteries they read.
Rating: 3.5/5
February 24, 2021
So happy that SJ Rozan is still writing mysteries! She weaves an incredible number of plot threads expertly, and her endings address all her plot complications, something I do appreciate in a writer.
Consider some complications in *Paper Son*: Chinese immigration; Black, white, and Asian racism; the Mississippi Delta's Great Flood of 1927; gambling online and in casinos; keeping skeletons out of political campaigns; drug dealing; Yankee-Dixie animosity; family loyalty; and smalltown cops. Whew.
Rozan alternates the lead sleuth in her books between two investigative partners: Bill Smith and the Chinese-American Lydia Chin. They are both from New York City, where most stories take place. For this case, Lydia is the lead. It starts when her mother, who hates both Lydia's detective work and Lydia's partner, asks Lydia to help out a relative in Mississippi -- and take Bill along. Astonishing!
Apparently, Lydia has lots of relatives she doesn't know about. This Southern family is called Tam, not Chin, because the first American of the Mississippi clan was a "paper son" -- that is, he came over pretending to be the son of another Chinese person who sponsored him.
Jefferson Tam, a young computer geek who doesn't want to take over the family grocery business, has been accused of murdering his father. His great-uncle, professional gambler Captain Pete, has called Lydia's mother and asked for her detective' daughter's help. Lydia's mother "knows" there is no way Jefferson is guilty, given that he's "family."
Yankee investigators Lydia and Bill are not exactly welcome in the small town, especially after Jefferson escapes from jail and disappears, and the case becomes more complicated.
I learned a lot I never knew about that part of the world -- the popularity of Chinese grocery stores among the Black population being one of the more intriguing aspects. I'm glad Rozan went there.
She's amazing at capturing the attitudes and dialogue of all the ethnic groups. But as an outsider, what do I know? I'd love to learn how people in the South react -- to the dialogue in particular.
This brings up another issue I never thought about in the early days of reading this author. What do people think of her "cultural appropriation"? She seems so good with all things Chinese, I tend to forget she isn't Chinese herself. What do Chinese readers think of her series? And what do Southern readers think of *Paper Son*?
The ending was really tricky, and I must say there were not enough clues for this reader to have any inkling of where the story was headed. There were some clues, but not quite enough. Let me know if you figured it out.
Consider some complications in *Paper Son*: Chinese immigration; Black, white, and Asian racism; the Mississippi Delta's Great Flood of 1927; gambling online and in casinos; keeping skeletons out of political campaigns; drug dealing; Yankee-Dixie animosity; family loyalty; and smalltown cops. Whew.
Rozan alternates the lead sleuth in her books between two investigative partners: Bill Smith and the Chinese-American Lydia Chin. They are both from New York City, where most stories take place. For this case, Lydia is the lead. It starts when her mother, who hates both Lydia's detective work and Lydia's partner, asks Lydia to help out a relative in Mississippi -- and take Bill along. Astonishing!
Apparently, Lydia has lots of relatives she doesn't know about. This Southern family is called Tam, not Chin, because the first American of the Mississippi clan was a "paper son" -- that is, he came over pretending to be the son of another Chinese person who sponsored him.
Jefferson Tam, a young computer geek who doesn't want to take over the family grocery business, has been accused of murdering his father. His great-uncle, professional gambler Captain Pete, has called Lydia's mother and asked for her detective' daughter's help. Lydia's mother "knows" there is no way Jefferson is guilty, given that he's "family."
Yankee investigators Lydia and Bill are not exactly welcome in the small town, especially after Jefferson escapes from jail and disappears, and the case becomes more complicated.
I learned a lot I never knew about that part of the world -- the popularity of Chinese grocery stores among the Black population being one of the more intriguing aspects. I'm glad Rozan went there.
She's amazing at capturing the attitudes and dialogue of all the ethnic groups. But as an outsider, what do I know? I'd love to learn how people in the South react -- to the dialogue in particular.
This brings up another issue I never thought about in the early days of reading this author. What do people think of her "cultural appropriation"? She seems so good with all things Chinese, I tend to forget she isn't Chinese herself. What do Chinese readers think of her series? And what do Southern readers think of *Paper Son*?
The ending was really tricky, and I must say there were not enough clues for this reader to have any inkling of where the story was headed. There were some clues, but not quite enough. Let me know if you figured it out.
June 15, 2019
Lydia Chin and Bill Smith travel from New York to the Mississsippi Delta to investigate the alleged murder of "cousin" Leland Chin by his son Jefferson. But these are paper cousins. After the Transcontinental Railway was completed some Chinese had come to America using false papers misidentifying them as relatives of Chinese already here. Lydia learns that she has a bunch of these so-called relatives in the Delta. Bill and Lydia are kept quite busy trying to sort out the relationships among the various characters they encounter there.
This is a mystery but a somewhat subdued onew and with a tangled web of family intrigue.
It was enjoyable but did not exactly grab me by the throat. It did not really fit in the genre that i most like to read.
Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC.
This is a mystery but a somewhat subdued onew and with a tangled web of family intrigue.
It was enjoyable but did not exactly grab me by the throat. It did not really fit in the genre that i most like to read.
Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC.
December 1, 2019
Culturally diverse mystery with an uncommon subject, i.e., that of the history of Chinese immigrants in the Deep South. Readers will learn about the devastating real life flood of 1927, labor changes due to the end of slavery, deep-rooted racism then and now, and the concept of paper sons.
The cover implies this is a dark novel, and it could have been, but the author chooses to tread lightly even infusing bits of almost cutesy humor. So it's a bit hard to describe the tone of this novel. The plot is excellent, especially the conclusion and resolution of the crime.
Felt a moderate response to this. There is a lot that is good about it, yet it did not exactly hook me.
The cover implies this is a dark novel, and it could have been, but the author chooses to tread lightly even infusing bits of almost cutesy humor. So it's a bit hard to describe the tone of this novel. The plot is excellent, especially the conclusion and resolution of the crime.
Felt a moderate response to this. There is a lot that is good about it, yet it did not exactly hook me.
December 11, 2021
The main character, Lydia's voice/persona really pulled me into the story. I enjoyed the interplay between Lydia & Bill, the fast-paced plot, the history of the Chinese people in the South that laid the foundation for the whole story, the Southern setting & characters, and the narrator. So glad I found this new-to-me, entertaining mystery series!
July 12, 2019
I am glad that S. J. Rozan has returned to Lydia and Bill. I've always enjoyed their interplay and how the series alternates between their points of view. This installment gave me a lot of background about the Delta that was interesting. I'm looking forward to #13!
July 24, 2019
Maybe 1.5. It was not a good read at all.
August 20, 2019
Solid installment of a series with some great characters. The new setting was interesting and a bonus.
March 19, 2020
Rozan's Southern characters can be a TOUCH broad, but ultimately it was a good, twisty mystery that did a lot of good exploring in the Mississippi Delta. I had not read any previous books by Rozan before, but I look forward to following Lydia and Bill from here on out, even if we do have to leave the wildly entertaining Captain Pete Tam behind.
April 24, 2019
I received this as an advance readers' copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
ALERT: MILD SPOILERS
I've been reading the Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series since the beginning, and it's always been a favorite. This book was a long time coming - it's been 8 years since the last installment - so I was pretty excited to read it.
Overall I liked the book a lot. The mystery is interesting, and the setting new for the series. I was a little thrown by the ending, which felt forcedly tied up with a bow. The narrative suggested a different ending, and I had to think about it for a while to decide how I felt. In the end I decided that the solution of the mystery wasn't as important as the theme that runs through the entire book -- that family and identity are very important, but they can't always be defined as cleanly as we would like. This series has always been about the characters for me more than the mystery, and this book serves as an important turning point for Lydia in particular.
I hope that the next installment will come more quickly than this one -- the book ended on a tiny cliffhanger.
ALERT: MILD SPOILERS
I've been reading the Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series since the beginning, and it's always been a favorite. This book was a long time coming - it's been 8 years since the last installment - so I was pretty excited to read it.
Overall I liked the book a lot. The mystery is interesting, and the setting new for the series. I was a little thrown by the ending, which felt forcedly tied up with a bow. The narrative suggested a different ending, and I had to think about it for a while to decide how I felt. In the end I decided that the solution of the mystery wasn't as important as the theme that runs through the entire book -- that family and identity are very important, but they can't always be defined as cleanly as we would like. This series has always been about the characters for me more than the mystery, and this book serves as an important turning point for Lydia in particular.
I hope that the next installment will come more quickly than this one -- the book ended on a tiny cliffhanger.
December 17, 2019
I hadn’t come across this series before but I was drawn to the gorgeous cover and intriguing title and just picked it up spontaneously.
I ended up enjoying it very much - I love a good crime solving couple like the next woman and the authentic Chinese angle combined with the atmospheric setting in the Deep South was something new and fresh and fascinating to me. And while I’m sure previous volumes will have contributed to the background and the layers of relationships of the main characters it worked perfectly well as a stand alone.
The characters are believable, the plot is well-crafted, there’s a good dash of dry humour and just the right amount of historical background and local flavour to give the whole thing colour and substance.
In short I loved it - I shall go and track down the others in the series!
I ended up enjoying it very much - I love a good crime solving couple like the next woman and the authentic Chinese angle combined with the atmospheric setting in the Deep South was something new and fresh and fascinating to me. And while I’m sure previous volumes will have contributed to the background and the layers of relationships of the main characters it worked perfectly well as a stand alone.
The characters are believable, the plot is well-crafted, there’s a good dash of dry humour and just the right amount of historical background and local flavour to give the whole thing colour and substance.
In short I loved it - I shall go and track down the others in the series!
December 20, 2019
I thought this book would have a little more substantive history about Asian-Americans in the South, specifically people of Chinese heritage born in the Mississippi Delta. Instead it was somewhat of a light weight murder mystery to figure out who killed Leland, the owner of a small town grocery store. Was it his accused son, Jefferson who has escaped from custody? Or someone connected to the white family who is rednecky and also responsible for the production and sale of meth in the adjacent town?
Lydia, a private detective and her partner, Bill go to the Delta to help prove Jefferson is innocent... this comes at the request of her mother who shares that Lydia has Mississippi Delta family members she never knew she had.
So Bill and Lydia are able to just up and leave to become sleuths in the Delta. While the mother daughter relationship is the impetus for the plot, I felt their storyline was very shallow. Also, the relationship between Bill and Lydia is ambiguous and somewhat odd. Together they ultimately puts the pieces together to solve the crime... and before it is all said and done, you see the interconnection of many people that set the stage for the murder.
There was a twist that I should have seen coming, but didn't. That twist allowed me to feel a little better for not abandoning this book in the middle. If you read, pay attention to all the different characters and their connections... I didn't, which probably contributed to me missing the twist.
What was interesting was the interaction between 3 cultures... Asian- American, African-Americans and whites. A story of co-exsistence, but certainly one that is unomfortable at best.
By the way, the title Paper Son is a term for Chinese immigrants term used to refer to Chinese people who were born in China who illegally immigrated to the United States by purchasing fraudulent documentations which stated that they were blood relatives to Chinese Americans who had already received U.S. citizenship. Not a fav
#chellelynnreads
Lydia, a private detective and her partner, Bill go to the Delta to help prove Jefferson is innocent... this comes at the request of her mother who shares that Lydia has Mississippi Delta family members she never knew she had.
So Bill and Lydia are able to just up and leave to become sleuths in the Delta. While the mother daughter relationship is the impetus for the plot, I felt their storyline was very shallow. Also, the relationship between Bill and Lydia is ambiguous and somewhat odd. Together they ultimately puts the pieces together to solve the crime... and before it is all said and done, you see the interconnection of many people that set the stage for the murder.
There was a twist that I should have seen coming, but didn't. That twist allowed me to feel a little better for not abandoning this book in the middle. If you read, pay attention to all the different characters and their connections... I didn't, which probably contributed to me missing the twist.
What was interesting was the interaction between 3 cultures... Asian- American, African-Americans and whites. A story of co-exsistence, but certainly one that is unomfortable at best.
By the way, the title Paper Son is a term for Chinese immigrants term used to refer to Chinese people who were born in China who illegally immigrated to the United States by purchasing fraudulent documentations which stated that they were blood relatives to Chinese Americans who had already received U.S. citizenship. Not a fav
#chellelynnreads
July 16, 2019
I was happy to see that S.J. Rozan has released her long-awaited new mystery novel, Paper Son, after a 8-year hiatus. Her Chinese-American P.I., Lydia Chin, is flabbergasted to learn from her mother that she has cousins in the Missisippi Delta she has never heard of – and even more surprised to learn that her newfound cousin, Jefferson Tam, is accused of murdering his father.
Accompanied by her American partner, Bill Smith, Lydia soon finds herself out of her element and in the Mississippi Delta. A lifelong resident of NY, Lydia feels as though she’s in a foreign country in the deep south. This book offers a tangled weave of family ties, family secrets, hidden scandals and modern crimes mixed with plenty of racial commentary and class conflicts.
I’ve read and enjoyed the previous mysteries featuring Lydia and Bill and that definitely helped. It would be hard to decipher this book if you don’t have a context for Lydia’s life, family and complicated relationship with Bill. I encourage you to read China Trade, the first book in this series, or another of the earlier books before you read The Paper Son.
This installment has a slower pace than usual. The history of Chinese immigrants in the south and their role as shopkeepers was interesting, as was the discussion of what it meant to be a paper son, but the mystery’s plot needed more pep. It ambled along and had long stretches where nothing much seemed to happen other than long-winded conversations and endless glasses of sweet tea.
The closing chapters picked up speed, but the book could have benefited from an editor who trimmed some of the slower scenes and repeated descriptions. I hope that SJ Rozan will not wait as long to continue this series, and the next installment will bring Lydia and Bill back to NYC where they belong.
My rating is 3 1/2 stars (or would be if Goodreads gave us the option to add a 1/2 star, which I've been wanting since I became a Goodreads member.)
Accompanied by her American partner, Bill Smith, Lydia soon finds herself out of her element and in the Mississippi Delta. A lifelong resident of NY, Lydia feels as though she’s in a foreign country in the deep south. This book offers a tangled weave of family ties, family secrets, hidden scandals and modern crimes mixed with plenty of racial commentary and class conflicts.
I’ve read and enjoyed the previous mysteries featuring Lydia and Bill and that definitely helped. It would be hard to decipher this book if you don’t have a context for Lydia’s life, family and complicated relationship with Bill. I encourage you to read China Trade, the first book in this series, or another of the earlier books before you read The Paper Son.
This installment has a slower pace than usual. The history of Chinese immigrants in the south and their role as shopkeepers was interesting, as was the discussion of what it meant to be a paper son, but the mystery’s plot needed more pep. It ambled along and had long stretches where nothing much seemed to happen other than long-winded conversations and endless glasses of sweet tea.
The closing chapters picked up speed, but the book could have benefited from an editor who trimmed some of the slower scenes and repeated descriptions. I hope that SJ Rozan will not wait as long to continue this series, and the next installment will bring Lydia and Bill back to NYC where they belong.
My rating is 3 1/2 stars (or would be if Goodreads gave us the option to add a 1/2 star, which I've been wanting since I became a Goodreads member.)
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February 3, 2020First of all, I have to admit that when I started Paper Son, I didn't realize it was number twelve in a detective series. The NetGalley blurb didn't mention this, and when I got the book, I didn't spend enough time looking at the cover to notice A Lydia Chin/Bill Smith Novel under the title. I picked it for the Chinese and mystery themes, and the book stands alone, but I'm sure there's plenty that I missed without reading the others.
Lydia Chin's mother asks (ok, tells) her to take a case helping out a never-before-mentioned cousin in Mississippi, who is accused of murder. When Lydia asks about this new relative, especially why they don't share a surname, she discovers some of her relatives are descendants of a paper son, and hold his "adopted" father's name. I knew about this practice (Laila Ibrahim's Paper Wife is another good story that hinges on this system) but not about the rest of the life of Chinese immigrants in Mississippi.
Bill Smith, Lydia's work partner and also secretly her romantic partner, comes with her to investigate the murder, and the suspect's escape from custody. In Mississippi, Bill's southern roots come out, and I just loved this part. My husband is a southerner who reverts to his drawl when we cross the Mason-Dixon line for a visit. (Or when he gets off the phone with his very southern mother.)
Their mystery has many twists, including meth dealing, Fine Upstanding Southerners, gambling, family secrets, and a certain interracial couple, no, not Bill and Lydia, another couple who may be keeping their relationship secret from unaccepting relatives. This is much more an exploration of the cultures in the south than a police procedural. There's almost no gore or violence, thankfully, even though the original murder that brought Lydia down south was a a stabbing.
Anyway, I'm so delighted that I didn't realize I was walking into the middle of series, and gave this mystery a try.
Lydia Chin's mother asks (ok, tells) her to take a case helping out a never-before-mentioned cousin in Mississippi, who is accused of murder. When Lydia asks about this new relative, especially why they don't share a surname, she discovers some of her relatives are descendants of a paper son, and hold his "adopted" father's name. I knew about this practice (Laila Ibrahim's Paper Wife is another good story that hinges on this system) but not about the rest of the life of Chinese immigrants in Mississippi.
Bill Smith, Lydia's work partner and also secretly her romantic partner, comes with her to investigate the murder, and the suspect's escape from custody. In Mississippi, Bill's southern roots come out, and I just loved this part. My husband is a southerner who reverts to his drawl when we cross the Mason-Dixon line for a visit. (Or when he gets off the phone with his very southern mother.)
Their mystery has many twists, including meth dealing, Fine Upstanding Southerners, gambling, family secrets, and a certain interracial couple, no, not Bill and Lydia, another couple who may be keeping their relationship secret from unaccepting relatives. This is much more an exploration of the cultures in the south than a police procedural. There's almost no gore or violence, thankfully, even though the original murder that brought Lydia down south was a a stabbing.
Anyway, I'm so delighted that I didn't realize I was walking into the middle of series, and gave this mystery a try.
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