Book club discusses "Ghost Hero"

In June, the book club selection was S.J. Rozan's mystery novel Ghost Hero.  It is the 11th of the "Lydia Chin/Bill Smith" series pairing the frequent private eye team in New York.  This is the second selection the book club made from this series (the October 2003 selection was Winter and Night).

S.J. Rozan
(photo from her website)

Set in the art world, PI Lyida Chin is hired to verify a rumor that a brilliant Chinese artist, Chau Chun, has new paintings available and circulating in the Manhattan area.  Known as "Ghost Hero Chau," the artist was a professor at the Beijing Art Institute while painting artwork valued at half a million apiece during the 1980s.  The work featured sly political messages--looked upon    disfavorably by the Chinese government--within classical and traditional-looking Chinese art.  The investigation should be considered a "shot in the dark" assignment as Ghost Hero Chau has been reportedly dead in China for twenty years. 

Bill joins Lydia in the investigation, mainly to shadow but also in the guise as a Russian mob associate with a big interest in the new art.  And to assist, Bill confers with another Chinese-American private investigator Jack Lee who is an actual art expert (unlike Lydia).  The three work together--a first, particularly as Lydia hasn't met Jack before--and in the while deal with difficult Chinese art contacts and attract the unwanted attention of a few shadowy, menacing types.

Comments about the book included the following:

• although the book is well into the "Lydia Chin/Bill Smith" series, it is a good title to start the series
• the novel handled a nice blend with good plotting for integration of a detective story in the art world "that a PI would handle"
• the meals the characters ate in the novel sounded appealing although only one entrée was familiar to one attendee
• Lydia has repeated trouble with her mother about potential romantic interests (as it was noted Chinese mothers are harsh critics in these matters)
• liked the introduction of Chinese-American Jack Lee to the book series.

Eye-catching Photo of Detective Duo



Scene from CBS-TV's "Elementary" from Google

 The other day online I spotted an eye-catching photo--I thought--of a couple in an urban setting.  It was actress Lucy Liu whom I recognized and actor Jonny Lee Miller from a scene of an new upcoming fall TV series.  Now, the actual TV show is called "Elementary" which features the two playing (another) version of "Sherlock Holmes."  This time Miller plays Holmes and she is "Dr. Joan Watson."  Okaaay.

When I saw the photo I was reminded almost immediately writer S.J. Rozan's detective team of Lydia Chin and Bill Smith.  In fact, I had hoped it would be.  It would be a different TV show to closely follow the format of the books with either Chen or Smith as the primary investigator for the case.  The two reside in New York City with the American-born Chinese Chen working usually in the Chinatown community with Smith often "shadowing" Chen.

Smith has strong American roots which go back to Kentucky although he's a full-time New Yorker these days.  His work in Rozan's books have taken him around the New York area.  Chen, however, has cases typically with her Chinese community.

Frequent investigations into Chinatown could lead to a culturally enlightening show--as the books do.  I'd imagine such a series would include--for the sake of realism--times of characters speaking only Chinese and closed captioned scenes.  How might that go over on network TV?   Of course, there's always cable, right?

I think Rozan has the thought-provoking elements for a unique TV series with her fictional detectives.