Book Review: Shanghai Moon by SJ Rozan

Shanghai Moon is the 9th book in the Lydia Chin-Bill Smith series, the other eight are China Trade, Concourse, Mandarin Plaid, No Colder Place, Bitter Feast, Stone Quarry, Reflecting the Sky, and Winter and Night (see ww2.kdl.org/libcat/WhatsNextNEW.asp). I've missed some of these, and want to read them, but I've generally enjoyed the series. Shanghai Moon, however, disappointed me, mostly because it confused me.

Some background on the Lydia Chin - Bill Smith series

Lydia Chin is a Chinese-American private eye living in Chinatown in Manhattan. Bill Smith is her White lover (off and on) and partner (on and off). They make an interesting pair. Rozan captures their relationship well, including in Shanghai Moon. They have the usual type of relationship problems, and they also have some that are due to cultural misunderstandings, and Rozan portrays these well. Chin also has an interesting relationship with her mother, who is very domineering, and her extended family. I also like the flavor of Chinatown, an area of New York that I don't know that well.

Basic plot of Shanghai Moon

Back in 1938, Rosalie Gilder, a Jewish teenager living in Vienna, was sent to Shanghai with her younger brother. Her parents were to follow her on a later train and boat. She takes along a lot of her mother's jewelry. On the trip to Shanghai, she meets and falls in love with Chen Kai-Rong. They later marry, and create a brooch from some of his jade and some of her mother's jewelry. This is known as the Shanghai Moon. After the marriage there are various political problems, and the jewelry is part of the plot. I won't give it away by saying what happens to what jewelry, but it is used to help Rosalie survive.

In present day NYC, Lydia Chin gets a call from a man who sometimes gives her work. A woman is looking for Rosalie's jewelry, as part of a program to restore the assets of Jews who were victims of the Holocaust. Because it involves the Chinese community, the man wants to hire Chin, who has lots of contacts there.

The story revolves around events both in the 1940s in China and the 2000s in New York City.

Problems with Shanghai Moon
The basic problem is that the plot is too complex. I lost track of who was who, who did what to whom, when they did it, and so on. I felt like I needed a Dramatis Personae and maybe a flow chart to follow all that was going on. In a mystery, it's crucial that the plot flow.

Good points about Shanghai Moon
I am still interested in all the main characters - especially Chin and Smith, but also Rosalie Gilder and her mother. They are engaging and complex people.

The basic writing is good. Rozan knows how to write a sentence and a paragraph, and (usually) a whole book. For me, that's essential. Life is too short to read bad prose.

Summary
This was a weak link in a strong series. I will read the 10th novel when it comes out, and will look for the ones I missed.