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sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
Much better than the previous book in the series. A quick, light read and while I did have a couple of problems with the plotting I really enjoyed having both Bill and Lydia working together and on the same page.
reneesmith's review against another edition
5.0
Fun characters & dialogue that made the story fly. A mystery rooted in poignant Chinese immigrant experiences. Tightly-crafted plot with an awesome twist. Loved it!
nocto's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this one, much more than I have enjoyed the 11th entry in most crime series. I think the trick of switching narrator between Lydia and Bill each book is keeping the series fresh and you get to find out more about both characters. This book is Lydia-narrated, stays in New York and they investigate the Chinese Art world. The introduction of a third PI in this book also mixed things up a bit though I don't expect he will be back with such a major role in the investigation.
notevenastar's review
4.0
This book was sooooo good that it made up for how bad On the Line was. It's definitely very light in tone and has more of a sense of humor than the other books, but it all works with the tone of the story. It was cool to have a mystery with no murders or anything, just a good old-fashioned art mystery. I will say, though, it was great to learn more about the Tiananmen Square protests. I think that's where the book was most serious at.
I really loved Bill's running thing with his Russian mobster alias. Like that's the kind of thing we'd only see him do in Lydia's perspective. He's too busy brooding and being destructive in his own books to loosen up and do fun P.I. shit.
Also I really love Jack Lee! He, Lydia, and Bill make an excellent team and I like that both Bill and Jack are both smitten with Lydia but the three of them are still good friends. Like neither of them are territorial or anything. I'd read a whole series with the three of them vibing around Chinatown.
I really loved Bill's running thing with his Russian mobster alias. Like that's the kind of thing we'd only see him do in Lydia's perspective. He's too busy brooding and being destructive in his own books to loosen up and do fun P.I. shit.
Also I really love Jack Lee! He, Lydia, and Bill make an excellent team and I like that both Bill and Jack are both smitten with Lydia but the three of them are still good friends. Like neither of them are territorial or anything. I'd read a whole series with the three of them vibing around Chinatown.
kaje_harper's review
4.0
This is one of my all-time favorite mystery series. Having said that, this was not my favorite installment, although it was a very good read. What was frustrating to me about this one was that the romantic/emotional/sexual tension that has always been present between the MCs was almost completely dropped out, leaving a drier-feeling mystery.
In the last book, Bill Smith went through a highly emotional experience. Presumably Lydia did too. Although I really missed their interactions and banter in that book because they were separated through all of it, (and rated it 3 stars), I was very optimistic for the way the fallout would play out in this book, as they worked through the minefield of relationship issues in its wake. Instead it nearly vanished off the table.
Now, I know that Lydia is always the one backing away and making very light of their relationship, other than on the professional level. So installments written from her POV, like this one, have to be read between the lines. I expected surface denial, and a strong effort at back-to-normal, with underlying tension of both caring about Bill and some personal issues from having that traumatic experience herself. Instead, those were both conspicuous by their absence. Once, we did get Bill clearly worried about being shut out completely, back to square one, and Lydia pretended to not even recognize that. Two sentences, in the whole book, that hit at the underlying tension. Even their banter was a bit subdued, although there were some funny lines.
Otherwise, this was a nicely complex story, with a new and appealing character who will potentially up the tension in Bill's next POV. I didn't guess the denouement until quite close to the end, and I loved some of the cons they ran to get there. Fun as a straight-up mystery, but frustrating for people who read this series for Bill and Lydia together.
In the last book, Bill Smith went through a highly emotional experience
Spoiler
trying to find Lydia who had been kidnappedNow, I know that Lydia is always the one backing away and making very light of their relationship, other than on the professional level. So installments written from her POV, like this one, have to be read between the lines. I expected surface denial, and a strong effort at back-to-normal, with underlying tension of both caring about Bill and some personal issues from having that traumatic experience herself. Instead, those were both conspicuous by their absence. Once, we did get Bill clearly worried about being shut out completely, back to square one, and Lydia pretended to not even recognize that. Two sentences, in the whole book, that hit at the underlying tension. Even their banter was a bit subdued, although there were some funny lines.
Otherwise, this was a nicely complex story, with a new and appealing character who will potentially up the tension in Bill's next POV. I didn't guess the denouement until quite close to the end, and I loved some of the cons they ran to get there. Fun as a straight-up mystery, but frustrating for people who read this series for Bill and Lydia together.
belindab's review
2.0
I started reading Rozan with Shanghai Moon, which I loved. When I looked at her backlist, the way the characters perceive each other is so different from the way they reveal themselves when they're narrating, I quickly became fascinated with Rozan's technique. Since coming back to the series, she seems to be trying different styles - historical mystery (Shanghai Moon), action thriller (the beat-the-clock On The Line) and now . . . not sure what to call this. The Sting meets Chinese art? I applaud Rozan taking chances with her stylistic choices, but to me Ghost Hero was convoluted and silly. Emily Woo Zeller's narration of the audio didn't help any. A lot of the snappy dialogue lost its impact because it was impossible to discern who was talking to whom, if Bill wasn't pretending to be a Russian mobster.
bob_muller's review
5.0
This is the best entry in the series I've read so far, with a tight plot, good action, and great character development. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
librarianelizabeth's review
4.0
loved this as much for Lydia Chin as the narrator, as for the craft of the mystery
laura_sorensen's review
4.0
When Rozan is on, she is on. This one is great. A leetle improbable by the end, but by then you just don't even care.
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