Paper Son

Starred review from May 27, 2019
Last seen in 2011’s Ghost Hero, Lydia Chin and Bill Smith venture into unfamiliar terrain—the Deep South—in Edgar winner Rozan’s stellar 12th novel featuring the two New York City PIs. To Lydia’s surprise, the detective’s mother, who isn’t a fan of either her daughter’s profession or Bill, asks Lydia to travel with Bill to Clarksdale, Miss., where a cousin Lydia has never heard of, 23-year-old Jefferson Tam, has just been arrested for the murder of his grocer father, Leland. While the evidence against Jefferson appears strong—he was found next to his father’s corpse and his prints were on the bloody knife that caused the fatal wound—Mrs. Chin refuses to accept that a relative of her late husband could possibly be guilty. Before Lydia and Bill can talk to Jefferson about what happened, he escapes from jail, an act that only makes him look guiltier. As usual, Rozan is adept at devising a plausible but intricate mystery for her leads. She also presents a nuanced look at the experiences of Chinese immigrants in the U.S. Her superior prose and characterizations will make even newcomers hope for a shorter wait for the next book in the series. Agent, Josh Getlzer, Hannigan Salky Getzler Agency.

Narrator Emily Woo Zeller masterfully voices New York Chinese and Mississippi Delta Chinese, as well as Southern black and Caucasian characters, in this long-awaited addition to the Lydia Chin and Bill Smith series. At her mother's insistence, P.I. Chin and her partner travel to the Mississippi Delta to establish the innocence of a cousin who is accused of having murdered his father--this branch of the family is previously unknown to Chin. Zeller's talent as a narrator shines from the start with her performance of Chin's stern, disapproving, yet loving mother. The history of the Chinese community in the Delta is fascinating and deftly delivered. Listeners new to the series will be able to quickly pick up on the characters. E.Q. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine