A Bitter Feast

S.J. Rozan

S.J. Rozan writes mysteries in a common theme - detective stories. Yet there is something about her novels that attracts the reader. In one review they mention her "voice". Maybe that's it, I don't know. But A Bitter Feast is another excellent novel in her Lydia Chin - Bill Smith series.

This one is Lydia's story with events in New York City's Chinatown. Four immigrant waiters have disappeared. Two were illegals; the other two had papers. They were working in one of Chinatown's largest dim sum restaurants, the Dragon Garden. The Dragon Garden is owned by one of Chinatown's most respected and powerful elders, H.B. Yang.

Lydia gets involved when her friend, Peter Lee, a lawyer for the new Chinese Restaurant Workers Association, asks her to find the missing men. The CRWA is trying to unionize the Dragon Garden and at least one of the missing men was involved in the activities. Lydia starts poking around. She brings in her "sometimes partner" Bill Smith to help her after she is attacked and threatened in her own office. Then a bomb goes off in the CRWA building. One of the missing men is killed. Lydia's friend Peter is badly injured.

From there Rozan twists the plot around more. H.B. Yang also hires Lydia to look for the missing men. Duke Lo, a newcomer and Yang's rival, is interested in the men's whereabouts. The State Department starts questioning Bill on the missing men. For four unknown Chinese immigrants, a lot of people are interested in finding them. Now Lydia and Bill have to figure out who will help the men and who may kill them.

A Bitter Feast is riveting. I was glad it was a weekend with no plans once I got into it.

China Trade
Concourse
Mandarin Plaid
No Colder Place
A Bitter Feast
Stone Quarry
Reflecting the Sky
Winter and Night
The Shanghai Moon
On The Line