A Bitter Feast [Anglais] [Poche]

There's lots of action, great food, and social insight into the attitudes of various generations of immigrants in S.J. Rozan's fifth book in her superlative Lydia Chin-Bill Smith series. There's also a remarkable moment when Lydia's mother actually admits that she approves of the way her daughter does her job. Mrs. Chin has always hated the fact that Lydia's work as a private detective puts her in danger and in the company of men, like Smith, who don't make suitable husbands. But when Lydia refuses to knuckle under to the demands of a venerable Chinatown patriarch, her mother astonishes her (and us) by praising her "professional manner"--and then goes on to give her a clue that helps her unravel a mystery involving the smuggling of people and drugs. With each novel, Rozan alternates the narrative focus between Lydia Chin and Bill Smith, and this time it's Lydia's turn to take center stage. She uses her ethnicity and acting talent to work undercover as a dim sum waitress at the Dragon Garden (where four illegal aliens have disappeared) and her deep roots in New York's Chinatown to note and comment on subtle changes in the power structure as new Fukienese-speaking immigrants replace the old Cantonese. She and Smith also move their complicated personal relationship forward a notch and consume vast amounts of wonderful food--Chinese, Jewish, even a homemade meatloaf--in a story that manages to satisify all the senses. Previous Chin-Smith outings in paperback: China Trade, Concourse, Mandarin Plaid, and No Colder Place. --Dick Adler --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

While lots of amazing events happen in Rozan's fifth book in her superlative Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series, none surprises more than the moment when Lydia's mother actually admits that she approves of the way her daughter does her job. Mrs. Chin has always hated that her daughter's work as a PI puts her in danger and bad company, namely that of men, like Bill, who don't make suitable husbands. But when Lydia refuses to knuckle under to the demands of a Chinatown patriarch, her mother astonishes her by praising her "professional manner"?and then gives her a clue that helps her unravel a mystery involving the smuggling of people and drugs. Since Bill took center stage in the Shamus Award-winning Rozan's last book, No Colder Place (1997), this time it's Lydia's turn in the spotlight. Working undercover as a dim sum waitress at the Dragon Garden, where four illegal aliens have disappeared, Lydia calls upon her deep roots in New York's Chinatown to note and comment on subtle changes in the power structure as new Fukienese-speaking immigrants replace the old Cantonese. She and Bill also move their personal relationship forward a notch and consume vast amounts of wonderful food?Chinese, Jewish, even a homemade meatloaf?in a story that manages to satisify all the senses.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

Caught in the cross fire between union organizers and rival rest-aurateurs, private detective Lydia Chin is trying to track down four missing Chinese restaurant workers. Although the recording is uninspired, the story itself is satisfying as it takes Chin and her sometimes-partner, Bill Smith, through a world of illegal aliens, drug smuggling and the Chinatown bureaucratic jungle. Agnes Herrmann puts on an effective Chinese accent, but the normal voice she employs for narration and for non-ethnic characters comes out sounding nasal, on edge, and slightly whiny. Chin's character has a fun, spontaneous quality, which doesn't come through in Herrmann's reading. Despite the mismatch, BITTER FEAST makes for an exciting and edifying listen. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

Last seen in No Colder Place , PIs Lydia Chin and Bill Smith return in their fifth adventure. Rozan--the only other woman besides Sue Grafton to have won the Shamus Award for Best Novel--has built a marvelous series around these two characters. Each installment has alternated between the voice of Lydia, a Chinese American born and raised in New York's Chinatown, and Bill, a veteran with a past he'd rather forget. This one focuses on the complexities of power in Chinatown that Lydia encounters when hired to find four missing waiters who all worked at the Dragon Garden, a popular dim sum restaurant owned by one of the community's Cantonese power brokers. The job leads Lydia and Bill to the conflict between the older Cantonese and the newer Fukienese immigrants, discovery of illegal aliens imported for cheap labor to prevent unionization of Chinese restaurants, the deadly business of drug running, and possible U.S. government involvement in smuggling dissidents out of mainland China. Quite a brew indeed, and one that Rozan handles with skill and verve in the most complex plot she has yet written. Lydia and Bill's relationship provides the intriguing subplot in what may be the best of this uniformly excellent, well written, and entertaining series. If you've missed the first four, now is the time to get acquainted with one of the best PI duos in contemporary mystery fiction. Stuart Miller --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

Joining the company of Sue Grafton, Jonathan Kellerman, and Patricia Cornwell, Shamus Award-winner S.J. Rozan now owns a coveted Anthony Award for Best Novel for her No Colder Place. The Washington Post has called her Bill Smith/Lydia Chin novels ¿a series to watch for.¿ Booklist deemed Rozan ¿a major figure in contemporary mystery fiction.¿ Now it's your turn-- to discover one of fiction's major voices and to fall in love with a mystery of evocative atmosphere, engaging characters, and exquisite writing.

It's Lydia Chin's turn to go underground as the Chinese-American P.I. investigates a case that strikes at the heart of Chinatown's dangerously shifting power structure. Four restaurant workers, including a union organizer, have disappeared, and the union's lawyer hires Lydia to find them. But when a bomb shatters the Chinese Restaurant Workers' Union headquarters, killing one of the missing men and injuring the lawyer, Lydia is summoned by the prime suspect, one of Chinatown's most powerful men, to continue the search--on his payroll. With backup from her partner Bill Smith, Lydia goes undercover as a dim sum waitress, slinging steamed dumplings while dodging a lethal conflict between the old and the new orders, and searching for the missing waiters and their deadly secret--before someone serves them their last supper¿

An investigation into four missing restaurant waiters leads Lydia Chin to the conflict between older Cantonese residents and the newer Funkienese immigrants, the discovery of illegal aliens imported for cheap labor, the deadly business of drug running, and possible U.S. government involvement in smuggling dissidents out of mainland China. Martin's Press.

"Smart, crisp writing...The rich sights, sounds and textures of daily life in Chinatown are a sumptuous feast for jaded palates." --Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

"You couldn't ask for better company than Lydia." --Seattle Times/Post-Intelligencer

"A marvelous series...One of the best P.I. duos in contemporary mystery fiction." --Booklist (starred review)

"Superlative...a story that manages to satisfy all the senses." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Engaging, energetic Lydia is good company." --Philadelphia Inquirer

"Rozan skillfully measures out the layers of double-dealing, keeping her plot just twisty enough to spin it out with consummate professionalism. If you still don't know Lydia and Bill, you'll never have a better chance to meet them." --Kirkus (starred review)