Haunting and beautiful. ( )

This is a cracking modern detective story, based in modern day Chinatown in NY, with a sparky Chinese-American heroine private investigator at its core.

What's really clever about Trail of Blood is that you effectively get two stories woven into one novel, because the trail leads back to WW2 and Shanghai. So as well as a fascinating insight into the current cultural background of the heroine, SJ Rozan has also brilliantly described the turmoil of China in the 1940s, when the Japanese invaded, Shanghai was home to refugee Jews who were escaping German oppression, and when the battle between Communists and nationalist Chinese factions was far from over.

On top of all that there's a convincing police procedural and an international hunt for missing jewellery worth millions. It might seem strange to mix and convoluted multi-generational Chinese family history with a hard-nosed, gun-toting PI, whose hopeless cousin is a wannabe triad member, but... it works. Very well.

My only complaint is that there may be one too many subplots, which means that now and then the PI, her police chum and detective partner have to pause and discuss at length what-the-heck is going on. This feels as if it's been inserted at the demand of an editor, rightly concerned that the audience might have muddled some of the Zhang, Zhang and Chen plots. It would have been neater and sharper to have streamlined the plot a little, rather than distrupt the flow of the action with chapters of exposition.

However, that's the only thing which stopped this being a 5-start review. I'm delighted to have found SJ Rozan and her characters, and will definitely look out for others in the series. (By the way, this certainly doesn't read as if it's the first book in a series, but it doesn't matter if you start here. The main characters are very well defined and it's easy to pick up what's been goign on with their back story).

Recommended. 8/10 ( )

This is titled "Trail Of Blood" on the UK. It is amazing that this is # 9 in a series but I have not come across either the series or the writer before; especially when the likes of Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos are quoted on the cover. This book uses the device of old letters and diaries to frame the modern story with the former being set in Shanghai before and during WW2 and the latter in New York's Chinatown. I felt the plot was well worked out but a bit over complicated and the flashbacks slowed the action a bit too much. But I liked the lead character, Lydia Chin and I will be going back to the beginning of the series soon. ( )

Very disappointing. Author has 3 Edgar noms !? 2/3 of story is old letters, diaries, interviews. So many flashbacks that it defeats purpose of flashback. Plot points are explained, explained, explained. Too many characters. Relationship between protag and other characters doesn't seem real, especially with her partner. Dialog feels stiff, unnatural. No romantic tension. Climax fizzles. ( )

Shanghai Moon est un bon polar, dont la personnage principale est une détective privée sino-américaine. Même si l'intrigue est bonne et la fin assez inattendue, l'intérêt principal de ce roman est le cadre de l'histoire : la détective est engagée pour retrouver un bijou fabuleux, la lune de Shanghai, ayant appartenu à une juive autrichienne qui a fui les nazis dans les années 30 pour se réfugier à Shanghai. Etonnant mélange que cette histoire de juifs européens coincés en terre inconnue entre les occupants japonais puis la guerre civile avant que tous les protagonistes ou presque se retrouvent à China Town. ( )