I started reading S. J. Rozan's Lydia Chin and Bill Smith series in 2008 and by the middle of 2009 I had read all the books in the series at that time. Since then I have read any new books as they became available. I still have the last two books in the series to read.
Briefly, the series is about two private investigators. Lydia Chin is an American-born Chinese private eye in her late twenties who lives in New York’s Chinatown with her mother; Bill Smith is a white private eye in his forties who lives in Manhattan.
In 2021, I discovered that S.J. Rozan had written several stories using Lydia Chin's mother, Chin Yong-Yun, as the main character. The first one I read was "Chin Yong-Yun Finds a Kitten" in Bullets and Other Hurting Things, edited by Rick Ollerman. I enjoyed that story so much I started looking for other stories featuring that character. The next two stories I read were "Chin Yong-Yun Takes a Case" and "Chin Yong-Yun Sets the Date" which I discussed here.
I am still pursuing more stories about Chin Yong-Yun and in December I found another one in Collectibles, an anthology edited by Lawrence Block.
"Chin Yong-Yun Meets a Mongol"
The story starts out with Chin Yong-Yun explaining how she met a Mongolian and why the Mongolians and Chinese have not gotten along historically. An-Zhang and his partner, Tony, are friends with Tomorbaatar, who is the Senior Cultural Attache at the Mongolian Consulate. He likes his job and he has a Chinese-American boyfriend, so he wants very much to keep his job and stay in the US. But his new boss at the Consulate does not like him and wants to send him back to Mongolia.
An-Zhang and his friend want Chin Yong-Yun's help to acquire a valuable book called The Secret History of the Mongols. If she can get the book, Tomorbaatar can give it to his boss, who will return it to his country (and let his employee keep his job). The reason Chin Yong-Yun may be able to help is because the current owner is Uncle Seven, with whom she has a long history going all the way back to before she and her family left China for the US.
Chin Yong-Yun does set out to get the book. The story is complicated but not too long, lovely and entertaining, told from her point of view, with much humor.
16 comments:
What a great idea for a short story, Tracy! I do like the Rozan series, and I've always thought there ought to be more of Lydia's mother than we see in the books. This sounds like a great way to tell readers more about her, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I love these stories, Margot, as you can tell. They show a different side of Lydia's mother.
It seems I need to find out who SJ Rozan is. Thanks for the intro on what Rozan's written.
I have always meant to read her series and these offshoots.
Susan, One of the many things I like about the Lydia Chin and Bill Smith series is that the stories are told in first person narrative; one book will be told from Lydia's point of view (and usually concentrates on China Town) and the next book is told from Bill's point of view. Thus the tone changes from book to book.
Patti, I think you would like the mystery novels, especially since you are familiar with New York. I enjoy the dynamics of a Chinese-American family. The mother usually shows up in the books but is not a prominent character.
Yet another author and series I had no idea existed. And they're set in New York? I will look them up.
Cath, the series is set in New York, usually. In one book, the two detectives go to Mississippi to handle a case. In the ninth book, there are some scenes set in Shanghai (flashbacks?). I would like to reread the books but I have the last two books in the series to read, so they come first.
Hi Tracy, We are really living in a golden age for mystery series and I love books set in NY and Chinatown is an area I have always liked and been interested in. Best of all I have kindle unlimited and S J Rozan's first 4 books are available on kindle unlimited! And so I will begin with China Trade to see if the series is for me and thanks for introducing us to this author who I have heard about but never got around to reading.
It's so tempting to save the last book or so in a series, hoarding them for the right/special moment!
Kathy, that is the perfect way to try out this series. I do hope you like the books. The setting is another favorite thing about this series, for me.
I agree, Constance. I am conflicted between going ahead and reading them or saving them for a while.
Rozan is a very good writer, and I've never been disappointed by a Rozan book or story. I need to make an effort to find something else because it's been a while now. Like CLM's comment up above, I'm a hoarder too when I find myself getting dangerously near catching up on a continuing series. I always like to have one on reserve even while waiting for a new one to be published. Readers can get kind of weird (no offense to CLM).
Sam, I hope Rozan keeps writing regularly, but there were some breaks of years between some books in her Lydia and Bill series. I have not read either of her two standalone books and I should.
I agree, readers can be weird. I put off reading books that I worry I won't like, which is very silly. I am working on improving that.
I've read and enjoyed a few Rozan books - and then funnily enough just recently I came across my first short story featuring Lydia's Mum - and I loved it! so will definitely be following up on this. I thought she was funny and charming.
I wish the short stories with Chin Yong-Yun were easier to find, Moira. I am quite enamored of them.
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