S.J. Rozan, The Shanghai Moon

The Shanghai Moon

S.J. Rozan

St. Martin's, Feb 3 2009, $24.95

ISBN 9780312245566

In 1938 eighteen years old Jew Rosalie Gilder, carrying her mom's diamonds, flees Nazi Austria for Shanghai in spite of the Japanese occupation. There she marries aristocrat Chen Kai-Rong. As a show of harmony between them Chen commissions a local jeweler to create the Shanghai Moon brooch that combines the gems of his wife's mom with his family rare jade heirloom. The Shanghai Moon vanished during WWII.

In the present in Shanghai, Rosalie's jewelry box is found, but disappears again almost immediately after surfacing when Chinese government official Wong Pan steals it before fleeing to New York. A Swiss asset-recovery specialist hires Joel Pilarsky to retrieve the box assumed to be with Wong in Manhattan before he sells it to unscrupulous collectors. When Joel is murdered, his friends Lydia Chin and Bill Smith follow clues that take them to Chinatown where they run into the son of Chen and Rosalie and other family members wanting to obtain the Shanghai Moon.

It has been a few years since Chin- Smith teamed up (see 'Reflections In The Sky' and 'Winter And Night'), but the wait was worth it. Their latest contemporary urban thriller is a fast-paced and exciting tale that comes out of the gate filled with action even before the heroes join the fray. Adding to the fun is the historical subplot re 'The Shanghai Moon' brooch that in the present has several people avariciously lusting for it; with at least one willing to kill to obtain the jewelry piece. Fans will appreciate the return of the Manhattan duo as the East comes to the West in S.J. Rozan's tense mystery.

Harriet Klausner