Reading order · 14 books · 1994 to 2021 · Set in New York
Lydia Chin and Bill Smith Books in Order
Lydia Chin, a young Chinese American private investigator from Chinatown, and Bill Smith, an older, hard-drinking loner, work cases together across New York. They take turns narrating the books, so the voice and mood change from book to book.
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Series facts
- Books
- 14
- Published
- 1994 to 2021
- First book
- China Trade
- Latest
- Family Business (2021)
- Setting
- Set in New York
The reading order
Every Lydia Chin and Bill Smith book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
14 books · Set in New York
- 1China Trade1994With Lydia ChinLydia Chin is hired to recover rare porcelain stolen from a small Chinatown museum.Buy on Amazon
- 2Concourse1995With Bill SmithBill Smith goes undercover at a Bronx nursing home after a security guard is murdered.Buy on Amazon
- 3Mandarin Plaid1996With Lydia ChinA fashion designer hires Lydia to deliver a ransom for stolen designs.Buy on Amazon
- 4No Colder Place1997With Bill SmithBill goes undercover as a bricklayer on a Manhattan building site, where a foreman has disappeared.Buy on Amazon
- 5A Bitter Feast1998With Lydia ChinLydia investigates the disappearance of four Chinese restaurant workers who were trying to form a union.Buy on Amazon
- 6Stone Quarry1999With Bill SmithBill goes to upstate New York to recover stolen paintings.Buy on Amazon
- 7Reflecting the Sky2001With Lydia ChinLydia and Bill travel to Hong Kong to deliver a man’s ashes and find his missing grandson.Buy on Amazon
- 8Winter and Night2002With Bill SmithBill’s teenage nephew is arrested in New York, and the case leads to a New Jersey town obsessed with football.Buy on Amazon
- 9The Shanghai Moon2009With Lydia ChinLydia and Bill search for a famous jewel lost during the Second World War, among the Jewish refugees in Shanghai.Buy on Amazon
- 10On the Line2010With Bill SmithLydia is kidnapped, and Bill races across New York following a killer’s instructions.Buy on Amazon
- 11Ghost Hero2011With Lydia ChinPaintings by a Chinese artist believed to be dead begin to appear in New York.Buy on Amazon
- 12Paper Son2019With Lydia ChinLydia travels to Mississippi to help a cousin accused of murder, and discovers the Chinese community of the Delta.Buy on Amazon
- 13The Art of Violence2020With Bill SmithAn artist Bill once knew asks for his help after a series of killings.Buy on Amazon
- 14Family Business2021With Lydia ChinA Chinatown tong leader dies and leaves his building to his niece, just as developers want it.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with China Trade.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Lydia Chin | Bill Smith | Mrs Chin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 China Trade | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 2 Concourse | MMajor | LLead | |
| 3 Mandarin Plaid | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 4 No Colder Place | MMajor | LLead | |
| 5 A Bitter Feast | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 6 Stone Quarry | MMajor | LLead | |
| 7 Reflecting the Sky | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 8 Winter and Night | MMajor | LLead | |
| 9 The Shanghai Moon | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 10 On the Line | MMajor | LLead | ·Minor |
| 11 Ghost Hero | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 12 Paper Son | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor |
| 13 The Art of Violence | MMajor | LLead | ·Minor |
| 14 Family Business | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Lydia Chin and Bill Smith books
3 characters from S. J. Rozan’s chart, with the number of Lydia Chin and Bill Smith books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Lydia ChinChinese-American investigator in Chinatown | 14 | China Trade 1994 |
| Bill SmithInvestigator, Lydia's sometime partner | 14 | China Trade 1994 |
| Mrs ChinLydia's disapproving mother | 10 | China Trade 1994 |