Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China Trade | 1994 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 2 | Concourse | 1995 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 3 | Mandarin Plaid | 1996 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 4 | No Colder Place | 1997 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 5 | A Bitter Feast | 1998 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 6 | Stone Quarry / Bad Blood | 1999 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 7 | Reflecting the Sky / Blood Rites | 2001 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 8 | Winter and Night / Blood Ties | 2002 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 9 | The Shanghai Moon / Trail of Blood | 2009 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 10 | On the Line / Out for Blood | 2010 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 11 | Ghost Hero | 2011 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 12 | Paper Son | 2019 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 13 | The Art of Violence | 2020 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 14 | Family Business | 2021 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 15 | The Mayors of New York | 2023 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
| 16 | First Do No Harm | 2026 | Lydia Chin and Bill Smith | Buy |
The Lydia Chin and Bill Smith series by S.J. Rozan spans sixteen novels published between 1994 and 2026. China Trade (1994) introduces the two private investigators and the New York City neighborhoods they work in, with Chinatown serving as a frequent backdrop. The books alternate narrators, giving readers both Lydia’s and Bill’s perspectives across the series.
The series maintained a steady pace through the late 1990s and early 2000s with titles like Concourse, Mandarin Plaid, and A Bitter Feast. After a gap following Winter and Night (2002), The Shanghai Moon (2009) brought the series back. Recent entries including Paper Son (2019), The Art of Violence (2020), Family Business (2021), and The Mayors of New York (2023) show the series still going strong after three decades. Rozan’s ability to write compelling mysteries while developing two distinct lead characters has earned her nearly every major award in the genre.