Reviews

China Trade by S.J. Rozan

7harmonie8's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

katel1970's review

3.0

I like to read series in order, a quirk of mine, I suppose. (Probably one of many others as well). That means when a new book gets raves, but it is #9 in a series, I head back to find #1. That also means I'm reading books written, like this one, in 1994. Some things then come across as terribly dated. There is no way the author would write the relationship between the business partners in this way today, even if it's intended to be a will they or won't they sort of relationship. (At least, I hope not. I have 7 more books to read before I get to this year's well-reviewed addition to the series). But this is the price I have to pay for being ordered and thorough. And overall, it was an entertaining mystery. A good listen on my drive to Cincinnati for the holidays.

bstanwyck's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

3.0

tessisreading2's review

2.0

"Read" as an audiobook which may have caused some of my problems - I just didn't love the Bill/Lydia relationship, where Bill hits on Lydia constantly and Lydia welcomes his consistent attention and concern and tells him that "someday" she may be interested in a romantic relationship but not currently. At one point she tells him she doesn't want to visit him in his apartment because she doesn't want him to make a pass at her and he gets all woebegone and asks if that's what she thinks he's like (us, the listeners, shouting in the car: "Yes! Because you are!") and she spends the next five minutes apologizing to him and feeling guilty. Part of this is that the narrator's voice for Lydia is very young and the voice for Bill is very worldly-wise. It just comes off creepy. I understand that's not the reading we're supposed to have, but that's the one I got.

Additionally, as others have mentioned, the fact that the author is not Chinese-American makes me a little uncomfortable reading about a Chinatown which is controlled by tongs and gangs and respects for one's elders. (And everyone drinks tea, but it's Earl Grey and camomile and Lipton, for some reason. And there doesn't seem to be any factionalization between e.g. Taiwanese and mainland Chinese or Mandarin-speakers and Cantonese-speakers, which doesn't seem realistic although I don't know.) The treatment feels respectful, but...

lizchan's review

4.0

Read this series quite a while ago with dad. He recently recommended the latest in the series, which I read and really enjoyed. I decided to pick up the first one at the library and enjoyed it, though less than I enjoyed "Shanghi Moon" the most recent edition. Makes me want to go to New York and/or eat Chinese food.

knottyrambler's review

4.0

I enjoyed listening to this book. It was unpredictable and interesting. I found it took some time to get used to the reader.

scottyb's review

3.0

I'm conflicted about this one. It was a good story and I really liked the main character, but part of me wonders how much the author (a white woman) really knows about the Asian-American experience. Also, the story got quite repetitive towards the end but I'm chocking that up to first-novel-itis.

chinney's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Great paperback and new series for me.  Very AA for a white girl

thain's review

4.0

A mystery series featuring a pair of New York private eyes—Chinese-American Lydia Chin and her partner Bill Smith—who each take center stage in alternating books. In this first entry, the pair are drawn into the world of Chinatown’s gangs when Lydia is hired to find missing porcelain antiques.

yourpretendfriend's review

3.0

I’m torn about this one- I liked the writing and plot of this book but I take issue with the fact that a white woman is writing from the perspective of a Chinese American woman. I initially assumed this was written by an Asian woman but it’s not and I’m not sure if I’ll continue because of this. I would rather seek out Asian mystery writers to write about Asian characters and culture.