The Shanghai Moon

By: S. J. Rozan

Narrated by: Samantha Quann

Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Chinese-American P. I. Lydia Chin is brought in by former mentor Joel Pilarsky to help with a case that crosses continents, cultures, and decades.

In Shanghai, excavation has unearthed a cache of European jewelry dating back to World War II. The jewelry was immediately stolen by a Chinese official who fled to New York City. Hired by a lawyer specializing in the recovery of Holocaust assets, Chin and Pilarsky are to find any and all leads to the missing jewels. But Lydia soon learns that there is much more to the story than they've been told.

©2008 S. J. Rozan (P)2009 BBC Audiobooks America

Plot Twists and Rich History

I thought this was Rozan's best book ever. Worth waiting for. The narrator was very good except she has a few problems with pronunciation of a couple of not very obscure Yiddish words.

Don't pass up this one!

This should come with warnings.
1. Don't listen while driving. May cause you to drive miles past your intended destination, and not even care.
2. Don't listen while cooking, if this can not be avoided, please set timers.
3. Don't listen while knitting, unless you are very good at tinking. (un-knitting your mistakes)
4. Don't listen while trying to drift off to sleep at night, if you need to get up early, and have a cranky boss.
5. Do listen while pulling weeds. You will probably be able to pull weeds for hours and not even realize you are still toiling in the dirt after the sun has gone down.

You will find yourself swept away to war torn China by way of New York's own Chinatown and a beautiful mystery spanning generations. It has enough twist, turns and surprises to keep you hanging on til the last word is spoken. The writing is amazing, and beautiful, and the story telling is engaging.

This is the best read/listen I have had in some time. Now I must go tink all the knitting I have done since I started the book. Don't know how I messed up so bad and didn't even notice until the book was over.

Really good

Most enjoyable history lesson. I like this series more and more. Looking forward to the next one.

great story, terrible narrator

What did you like best about The Shanghai Moon? What did you like least?

The history was really interesting but the dialogue seemed immature particularly for the main character and this problem was exacerbated by the terrible narration. I will try another book by this writer that is narrated by someone else.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She made several characters' voices too high pitched and childlike. I almost stopped listening several times it was so annoying.

Terrible Narrator!!

Would you try another book from S. J. Rozan and/or Samantha Quann?

Certainly will look go SJ Rozan but never by Samantha Quann

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

To have the previous narrator

What didn’t you like about Samantha Quann’s performance?

Performance for all characters the same.

Any additional comments?

Could not finish listening and returned book.

Fabulous

I am a big SJ Rozan fan. She’s one of the best female mystery writers in the business. This book from narrator to history to the crisp delight of Lydia Chin, detective is over the top wonderful.

Good history; marred narration; implausible story.

This was my first exposure to the Bill Smith/Lydia Chin series, but I gather this is the 9th in the series and one of the most widely read and highly rated. I found interesting to learn about the 20K European Jews who emigrated to Shanghai before or during WWII. I felt that the target audience of the book might be young adults. The dialogue between Bill and Lydia is almost childish. Lydia's language almost sounds like a Valley girl. This is reinforced by the narrator, who makes Lydia sound like she's about 16 years old, when in fact she must be going on 30. In some ways, Lydia's mother is a more fully developed and interesting character than Lydia herself. The NYPD detective and childhood friend Mary acts so hostile and peculiarly toward Lydia, her bosom pal, that their relationship seems quite immature, even though it is intended to show great concern. Also, with the resources of the NYPD at her disposal, why doesn't Mary ever follow up on a clue and respect Lydia's suggestions, even when speculative?

The plot is intricate and becomes extremely complex. Then, at the end, there are a number of rather implausible twists that a reader could not possibly have anticipated. A really good mystery is one in which essential facts are not withheld and in which clues are dropped throughout the story which, in retrospect at least, might have pointed to the solution. I recognize that this series has its enthusiasts, and, if this were a first novel, I would say it is a hopeful debut. As it is, I have no interest in reading any others in this series and would not recommend this book to my friends.

Way more Drama

What made the experience of listening to The Shanghai Moon the most enjoyable?

Murder, missing gems, a history I was not aware of... This was a book that drew me in and made me cry yet laugh through it...

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Shanghai Moon?

When she found out who really had the Shanghai Moon

Which character – as performed by Samantha Quann – was your favorite?

the "old" men

Fantastic

A beautiful story of family wrapped around a mystery connecting the present to the colonial past.

stop with the accent

I was enjoying everything about this book, until the Chinese accent began. Oy vey, it is unlistenable. I will probably have to send the book back and get a copy to read to myself.