S.J. Rozan
Winter and Night (2002)
Author: S.J. Rozan
Genre: Mystery (Private Detective)
Plot Summary:
Private investigator Bill Smith is awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call from the NYPD. Gary, the son of Bill's nearly-forgotten sister Helen, got picked up for "rolling a drunk." Gary won't say what he's doing in New York that is so important to him, and the only name he gives to the cops is his uncle's. The police release Bill's nephew because he's just a teenager with no prior record, and because Bill agrees to pick him up. Before Bill can find out exactly what Gary's doing in New York, Gary runs away again. Bill gets his sister's last known address and finds himself in Warrenstown, New Jersey, a small town that's big on high school football. Bill tracks down Gary's former girlfriend Tory to see if she knows what Gary is up to, only to find the girl dead and naked in her own bed, her parents' house trashed after a weekend party. Bill and his partner Lydia quickly find out that football rules Warrenstown and as long as the football jocks win on Friday nights, they can get away with anything, including bullying, recreational drug use, rape, and maybe even murder--and Gary is the prime suspect.
Geographical Setting: New York City; Warrenstown, New Jersey
Time Period: Present day (2002)
Series: The eighth book featuring private investigators Bill Smith and Lydia Chin
Appeal Characteristics:
Winter and Night is narrated by Bill (whereas some other books in the series are narrated by Lydia). Bill is a complex, moody, middle-aged white guy. A great deal about Bill's troubled past is finally revealed in this book. Lydia is a quietly headstrong Chinese-American woman who can play the ditz when it suits her purpose, and she seems to understand Bill better than he understands himself. Some readers will appreciate the relationship between Bill and Lydia, who clearly admire and respect each other, and they often make good-natured digs at one another. This mystery is wrapped up in the world of high school football that is haunted by its own hubris, and Rozan weaves a complex plot that's driven by strong characterization.
Read-alikes: For more Bill Smith and Lydia Chin, try No Colder Place (1997) or Reflecting the Sky (2001)--see the author's website. For a rugged but likable private eye who is in search of a missing person, try Lullaby Town (1992) by Robert Crais. Everything But the Squeal (1990) by Timothy Hallinan is a hard-boiled tale featuring Simeon Grist, a graying hippie private eye. For a story of a not-so-perfect small town across the big pond, try Elizabeth George's A Great Deliverance (1989). If the New Jersey setting is the main appeal, try any of Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich.
Red Flags: Strong language; violence; references to rape, drug use and underage drinking; excessive coffee consumption
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