[.ca] No Colder Place (ISBN 0312966644)

From Amazon.com:
S. J. Rozan is a New York architect who knows how to design a fine mystery novel: by doing her homework, using the best quality materials, and keeping the surprises coming until the very end. In her fourth book about unlikely detective partners Lydia Chin and Bill Smith, Rozan plants Smith high up in the clouds, laying brick on a troubled building site while Chin gets a job as a secretary in the construction bosses' trailer. Both see plenty of action, as what at first appears to be a simple case of a few crooked construction workers becomes a much more complicated story of twisted family relationships. Previous Chin/Smith outings available in paperback include Mandarin Plaid, China Trade, and Concourse.

The Best of S. J. Rozan ... so far:
No Colder Place was my introduction to S. J. Rozan's books (I have subsequently read all of her work), and it's a breathtakingly fine piece of writing. Of her two leading series characters, Bill is, by far, my favorite. This talented, clever, brooding, somewhat lovelorn man is a superb creation. Bill lives; he breathes audibly. When he sits down to his piano to learn a piece of music, you can almost hear the melancholy classical notes pouring into the atmosphere. In this book, his undercover role as a bricklayer is so real that you can almost feel the ache in his spine and the soreness of his hands. It remains, to date, my favorite of Rozan's books. It has my highest recommendation. This is an author at top form, doing what she does best--giving us the wonderful Bill, deep in his element.

Thanks to the customer reviews, I'm now a fan!:
I had never heard of Rozan before and had chosen this one based on the customer reviews...I was certainly not disappointed! Easy to read and easy into the characters, it was a fun and entertaining book. Thanks Amazon for the customer reviews... I'm buying other Rozan books!

Mediocre:
I read a lot of detective and action/adventure novels, and I bought this one based on Amazon's recommendation. I felt that it was mediocre at best, unimaginative plot, poorly developed characters, and in all, not worth my time to read.

Great Novel....:
I want to preface my review of "No Colder Place" by stating that this is the FIRST book I've read in the series, and that I quite enjoyed it, even though, at times, I felt.... That the book had some flaws. Bill Smith (yes, this is his real name), is a Private Investigator, hired to help a friend with a problem at a construction site with employee theft. Bill and his Chinese-American Partner Lydia (no readers we cannot forget that Lydia is Chinese, this is mentioned at least a half a dozen times), go on the job to investigate. Employee theft, is just the tip of the iceberg, and as Bill and Lydia investigate, they uncover a sinister web of corruption and betrayal. I really enjoyed the writing style of Ms. Rozan. Her female characters are especially well done. Bill on the other hand, seemed a bit.... Stereotypical. He has no love life, drinks, and smokes (his smoking is described again and again to the point of tedium), (PLEASE get this guy the patch), and just seems like every other tough-guy detective I've ever read... With one exception. Even though he's tough, he seems a tad.... Feminized. This isn't a bad thing, it just seems strange. Also, I couldn't understand why Bill was so reticent to admit his feelings for Lydia. It just seemed odd. Overall, a great story. Well worth the read. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for more Rozan books.

Another Gratifying Read:
I've finally looped back and read No Colder Place, the only one of S J Rozan's books that I had managed to miss. I was not disappointed . I think what I enjoy so much about this author's work is the perspective that a major female author is once again bringing to the Mystery/Detective genre. Rozan brings a woman's interest in the nuances of interpersonal dynamics, and in No Colder Place, she combines that with her knowledge as an actual working architect. Not every author could get me thoroughly engaged in a murder mystery surrounding a construction site. But this one can - in fact, she actually put me in the gratifying position of feeling knowledgeable about what was happening in and around the construction site. And as always, Bill and Lydia are a wonderfully unique and complex pair of sleuths. I can't help myself - I LIKE these guys!