This is perfect. I can share critic Oline Cogdill’s review of S.J. Rozan’s Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery, First Do No Harm. Cogdill’s review was first published in the South Florida Sun Sentinel. A month ago, Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, discussed the book with Rozan. You can order a copy through the Pen’s Webstore, https://tinyurl.com/4k2rsy8p. Then, after reading the review, you can watch the YouTube video from the bookstore, shared at the end of the review.
Thank you, Oline.
Book review: See why ‘First Do No Harm’ is light years beyond the typical medical thriller
‘First Do No Harm’ by S.J. Rozan; Pegasus Crime; 320 pages; $27.95
Although S.J. Rozan’s latest novel about private investigators Lydia Chin and Bill Smith is set in a hospital, “First Do No Harm” is light years away from being a medical thriller. Instead, she uses the hospital background to explore intricacies of big business (especially of medical centers), sabotage and family issues in the kind of tightly focused plot that Rozan is known for.
It’s been three years since Rozan’s last Lydia and Bill novel, “The Mayors of New York,” yet the award-winning author doesn’t miss a beat in returning to these popular characters, who are known for their insight, intelligence and camaraderie. “First Do No Harm,” the 16th in this series, continues Rozan’s ongoing looks at New York, Asian culture and Lydia’s close-knit family, wrapped in a private detective novel — themes that began with her debut, “China Trade,” in 1994.
In “First Do No Harm,” Dr. Elliott Chin, who runs the emergency room at River Valley Downstate Medical Center, wants to hire his sister and Bill. His friend, Jordy Kazarian, a morgue assistant, has been accused of murdering nurse Sophia Scott, whose body he found in the medical center’s basement.
Elliott, one of Lydia’s four brothers, believes his friend is innocent, even though Jordy’s father, a high-powered doctor and administrator at the hospital, urges him to plead guilty.
Lydia and Bill’s investigation centers on the life of Sophia, who appeared to be working to prevent a nurses’ strike. Coworkers and the administration were divided on Sophia’s motives — some called her committed to her job, others considered her a diva who refused to cooperate. The detectives also discover many cover-ups.
“So many scams and grifts, so much lying and covering up, so many motives for this murder,” says Lydia.
The detectives also find the hospital itself has many secrets. The basement, which is supposed to be off-limits to most has a lot of activity including a nap room and a “hook-up room.”
“First Do No Harm” is another satisfying novel from the ever-reliable Rozan.
Behind the plot
S.J. Rozan had put Lydia Chin and Bill Smith on hiatus while she teamed up with John Shen Yen Nee for a series set in 1924 London that’s a clever homage to Sherlock Holmes.
That series teams up a well-known judge and a novelist, both Chinese, for vivid details about the era, offering insight into racism, underground gambling, opium dens, and the interest in Chinese antiques and goods. The judge wryly observes that “the current fashion for our art does not, it seems, translate to a fashion for our persons.”
The authors pepper their series with real people such as mathematician Bertrand Russell and poet Ezra Pound.
Enjoy the conversation from The Poisoned Pen with S.J. Rozan.