I really enjoyed this one. For one, after reading a slew of private investigator fic from Chandler's Marlowe to McDonald's McGee to Parker's Spenser, I was incredibly grateful for what Rozan's Lydia Chin was not. Yes, like many among her fictional brethren she has plenty of sass, and yes she can handle herself in a fight--but she's not someone who sleeps with clients or suspects or easily resorts to violence or breaks the law or lies to police (even if she doesn't tell all--but for once the reasons come across as credible)--nor is she Too Stupid To Live. This might sound like faint praise, but trust me, that alone makes Chin stand out in a good way in this subgenre.
Chin is also less isolated than the usual hard-boiled detective. She partners with Bill Smith, another private detective, she has a brother who makes me thankful to be an only child, a mother that drives her insane--and honest to goodness friends.
I also admit part of my enjoyment is that the novel is set in my hometown of New York City, and the author, herself a New York City native and resident, is good at conjuring up the city, from the world of Chinatown to the Upper West and East Side.
A fun, enjoyable novel I zipped through in one sitting, I'll certainly be reading more in the series.
