Stone Quarry: A Bill Smith/Lydia Chin Novel (Bill Smith/Lydia Chin Novels)

Amazon.com Review It's Bill Smith's turn to take center stage in this sixth entry in S.J. Rozan's memorable Lydia Chin/Bill Smith The first involves Tony Antonelli, the brother of a young man whom Smith once helped out of trouble. Tony finds the body of a murdered local hoodlum in the cellar of his roadhouse. His brother Jimmy suspiciously goes missing and becomes the leading suspect. The second case involves a reclusive older woman (who turns out to be a world-famous painter). She asks Bill to track down some of her early works, which had been stolen from her studio. There's also a very nasty sheriff who hates Smith, a moderately tolerant state trooper who grudgingly helps, a corrupt executive of a babyfood company and his sad, dangerous teenage daughter, plus a crew of smalltime crooks who give the lie to the myth of rural safety. Lydia doesn't get called in from the Big Apple until quite late, and when she arrives she attracts stares in the local 7-Eleven "as though she were a black-petalled orchid that had sprung up in the daisy patch. Back in the car, Lydia grinned, said, 'Not many Asians up here, huh?' 'Especially in black leather,'" Bill answers." The plot might have one or two tangles too many for its own good, but as usual Rozan proves herself to be one of the best descriptive writers in the genre, bringing to indelible life everything from a modern painter's latest work, to a depressed countryside where the last stone quarry is about to close down and grind away a few more dreams. Other books in this award-winning series: , , , and . --Dick Adler From Library Journal While visiting his country retreat, series private investigator Bill Smith (A Bitter Feast) gets involved in another case: he promises to find several unsigned paintings stolen from a reclusive celebrated artist who wishes to remain incognito. Back in New York City, partner Lydia Chin assists as usual, offering her trademark banter along with news of any unexpected appearances on the New York art scene. Smith's investigation, which impinges upon a murder at his friend's barAblamed on his friend's missing sonAultimately leads to a prize local scumbag and beyond. Solid plotting, exceptional characters, and well-crafted prose recommend this to most collections. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

bill Smith's Country Cabin In Upstate New York Is Far From The City's Savage Streets—a Retreat Where A Weary P.i. Can Play Mozart On His Upright Piano And Let Nature Heal Him. But When Eve Colgate, A Local Farmer And Painter, Asks Him To Find Stolen Items—six Paintings Which Could Reveal Eve's Highly Guarded Thirty-year-old Secret—he Caves. When Smith's Partner, Lydia Chin, Comes In On The Action, She Brings Along Her Cool Courage And Sharp Mind. It's A Simple Case—until The Runaway Daughter Of A Hotshot Politician And The Murder Of A Local Hood Change The Playing Field. Now The Stench Of Corruption Fills This Rural Paradise, As Bill And Lydia Scour Through Dangerous Secrets And Greedy Corridors For The Stone-cold Truth...

publishers Weekly

bill Smith's Peaceful, Upstate New York Cabin Retreat In Schoharie Is A Haven For The New York City Pi. But In His Sixth Adventure, Following Last Year's A Bitter Feast, Schoharie Proves As Dangerous As Any City Alley, And Smith Needs All His Toughness And The Help Of His Partner, Lydia Chin, To Handle The Violence He Confronts. Eve Colgate, A Reclusive Artist, Asks Smith To Investigate A Theft That Included Six Valuable Paintings. At The Same Time, Smith Gets Involved In The Troubles Of Jimmy Antonelli, A Kid He'd Helped Before, And Jimmy's Older Brother, Tony, Who Owns Antonelli's Bar. When Schoharie's Biggest Big Shot, Mark Sanderson, Insists That Smith Find His Young Runaway Daughter, The Pi Has A Smorgasbord Of Crimes On His Plate. The Pressure Intensifies And One Or More Of Smith's Clients May End Up Dead, So He Asks Lydia To Join Him. Shamus- And Anthony-winner Rozan Pushes The Action And The Plot At An Invigorating Pace And Manages To Explore The Myriad Ways In Which Violence Can Warp Human Relationships. Her Sharp Descriptions Of Upstate New York's Idyllic Scenery And Struggling Farmers Form A Striking Background For Her Hard-edged Hero And His Barely Concealed Soft Spot. This Is A First-rate Mystery That Bolsters Rozan's Already Solid Reputation And Should Win Her New Fans. Agent, Steve Axelrod. Author Tour. (sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

PI Bill Smith is hired by a lady farmer in upstate New York to recover paintings, the theft of which she does not want to report to police. The probe leads Smith to a murder It can be a treacherous road, State Route 30, especially rain-slick in the twilight of late winter, but I know it well.