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 New York Times Book Review, Marilyn Stasio
S.J. Rozan is a New York architect, so it comes as no surprise that the buildings she shows us in No Colder Place have such distinctive character.... The story has good bones, and the human players can stand up to a strong wind; but the views are best from the high steel--200 feet up.


From AudioFile
P.I.s Bill Smith and Lydia Chin go undercover to investigate a series of thefts and snafus at a New York construction site. They find murder and corruption in a fast-paced mystery that translates well to audio. The production values are great, making this consistently easy to listen to. Vogel's accents for the New York characters, particularly Bill's brick mason co-worker on the scaffold, are delightful. His ludicrous falsetto for Lydia and other female characters can be overlooked as the rest of the presentation more than makes up for it. D.T.H. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Kirkus Reviews
It's a lucky thing for p.i. Bill Smith that he's got construction experience; it's a perfect cover for him to get close to masonry foreman Joe Romeo--who's suspected of bookmaking, mob connections, and a lot worse--at the same time that he's keeping an eye on the suspicious series of accidents at the new 40-story apartment building that's rising at Broadway and 99th. In no time at all Bill's succeeded in persuading his partner, Mike DiMaio, that he isn't much of a mason, and he's placed his first off-track bet with Romeo. But don't count on his collecting very soon, since Romeo promptly joins missing crane operator Lenny Pelligrini and mortar mixer Reg Phillips as the latest casualty of the Armstrong building. At the same time that Bill's turning up evidence linking the cycle of violence to Louie Falco (mobbed-up childhood friend of Chuck DeMattis, the colleague who hired Bill to go undercover), Bill's partner Lydia Chin, also undercover at the Armstrong site, overhears hints that implicate general contractors Dan Crowell Sr. and Dan Crowell Jr., and take-no-prisoners Denise Armstrong herself points the finger at employment-coalition agitator Chester Hamilton. Is there any builder or subcontractor or unaffiliated lowlife in New York who doesn't have a finger in the Armstrong pie? Despite the epidemic of corruption, Rozan's focus on the tragic Armstrong building makes this the sharpest, clearest, most purposefully focused of her four Smith/Chin mysteries (Mandarin Plaid, 1996, etc.). (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
Bill Smith is going undercover again as a favor to an old friend who wants him to investigate thievery on the 40-story Manhattan site of Crowell Construction's latest project. His bricklaying is a little rusty, but passable as he checks out the foreman who's under suspicion. A crane operator has disappeared--along with some heavy machinery. But when a well-orchestrated riot causes the foreman's “accidental” death, Smith plunges into a morass of bribery, blackmail and blood looking for answers. With the help of his Chinese-American partner Lydia Chin, he follows a trail of twisted loyalties, old-fashioned greed and organized crime to its heart-stopping conclusion. Murder--with no end in sight.



From the Publisher
Praise for NO COLDER PLACE: "A mystery gem...taut and beautifully written." -DETROIT FREE PRESS "A Savvy Series." --THE NEW YORK TIMES "This novel firmly establishes Rozan as a major figure in contemporary mystery fiction." -BOOKLIST "Rozan is a pro at designing a good mystery." -SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS "The protagonists' relationship and Rozan's solid plotting ably carry this admirable series." -PUBLISHERS WEEKLY "Best Books '97" "This [is] the sharpest, clearest, most purposefully focused of her four Smith/Chin mysteries." -KIRKUS REVIEWS "A sharp, funny, and sexy detective." -CHICAGO TRIBUNE "A new and absorbing voice...This is a series to watch for."-WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD


From the Back Cover
The only female mystery writer beside Sue Grafton to win the prestigious Shamus Award for Best First Novel, S.J. Rozan has been praised as one of the very finest in the field. THE WASHINGTON POST calls her work "fresh and invigorating" and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY hails her as "a distinctive, commanding voice." Discover for yourself the expert blend of suspense, superb characterization, and biting wit that is S.J. Rozan's hallmark. Bill Smith is going undercover again as a favor to an old friend who wants him to investigate thievery on the 40-story Manhattan site of Crowell Construction's latest project. His bricklaying is a little rusty, but passable as he checks out the foreman who's under suspicion. A crane operator has disappeared--along with some heavy machinery. But when a well-orchestrated riot causes the foreman's "accidental" death, Smith plunges into a morass of bribery, blackmail and blood looking for answers. With the help of his Chinese-American partner Lydia Chin, he follows a trail of twisted loyalties, old-fashioned greed and organized crime to its heart-stopping conclusion. Murder--with no end in sight.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When a Manhattan construction site is plagued by an escalating series of thefts and misfortunes, the contractors suspect that they've been targeted by one of their own subcontractors' employees. Brought in to investigate, P.I. Bill Smith goes undercover on the site as a bricklayer - a profession he hasn't practiced for more than twenty-years - to try to uncover the truth about the suspect as well as the troubles on the job site. With his sometime-partner, Chinese-American P.I. Lydia Chin, working as his inside contact, Smith finds himself in the midst of a much more serious case - a case that has escalated from fraud to murder, one that could reach through layers of corruption into the very depths of the underworld.

FROM THE CRITICS

Detroit Free Press

A mystery gem....taut and beautifully written.

New York Times Book Review

A savvy series.

AudioFile - Diana Tixier Herald

P.I.s Bill Smith and Lydia Chin go undercover to investigate a series of thefts and snafus at a New York construction site. They find murder and corruption in a fast-paced mystery that translates well to audio. The production values are great, making this consistently easy to listen to. Vogel's accents for the New York characters, particularly Bill's brick mason co-worker on the scaffold, are delightful. His ludicrous falsetto for Lydia and other female characters can be overlooked as the rest of the presentation more than makes up for it. D.T.H. ￯﾿ﾽ AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

It's a lucky thing for p.i. Bill Smith that he's got construction experience; it's a perfect cover for him to get close to masonry foreman Joe Romeo—who's suspected of bookmaking, mob connections, and a lot worse—at the same time that he's keeping an eye on the suspicious series of accidents at the new 40-story apartment building that's rising at Broadway and 99th. In no time at all Bill's succeeded in persuading his partner, Mike DiMaio, that he isn't much of a mason, and he's placed his first off-track bet with Romeo. But don't count on his collecting very soon, since Romeo promptly joins missing crane operator Lenny Pelligrini and mortar mixer Reg Phillips as the latest casualty of the Armstrong building. At the same time that Bill's turning up evidence linking the cycle of violence to Louie Falco (mobbed-up childhood friend of Chuck DeMattis, the colleague who hired Bill to go undercover), Bill's partner Lydia Chin, also undercover at the Armstrong site, overhears hints that implicate general contractors Dan Crowell Sr. and Dan Crowell Jr., and take-no-prisoners Denise Armstrong herself points the finger at employment-coalition agitator Chester Hamilton. Is there any builder or subcontractor or unaffiliated lowlife in New York who doesn't have a finger in the Armstrong pie?

Despite the epidemic of corruption, Rozan's focus on the tragic Armstrong building makes this the sharpest, clearest, most purposefully focused of her four Smith/Chin mysteries