Rozan smacks us hard on the first page and the tension never lets up. Bill Smith receives a call and finds that his partner, Lydia Chin, has been kidnapped, and that the kidnapper wants to play a game with him. Smith follows clues all around the city, aggravating the police in the process so that he can't turn to them. We see the rage that he carries inside him bloom as he realizes who the kidnapper is and plays the game against his will.

One of my favorite aspects of this excellent series is the interplay between Lydia and Bill (I also love the occasional commentary from her mother). That element is lacking in this one, but Rozan gives us some excellent secondary characters to fill the void and help Bill on his quest. Dude!

"Games people play" seems to be a major theme of the book, not only the game concocted by the kidnapper, but role-playing aspects of all our relationships. Rozan shows us this without beating us over the head with it. Overall, an excellent addition to one of my favorite series. ( )

Brilliant psychological thriller. ( )

Rarely a mis-step in this whole series, or indeed, in this author's fascinating and well-written body of work.

Yes, it's true Lydia Chin is the MacGuffin in this novel, told in first person by Bill Smith, but what that does is open the door for a new and very interesting cast of characters to help Smith find his partner, kidnapped by a crazy old basketball foe, lately out of prison.

There's a 12-hour time pressure on solving the mystery, extensive use of mobile technology, family assistance, diversity of age groups and moral stances, bombast, psychopathy, and, as always, great glimpses of Chinese culture and as much New York City landscape as you want.

The rag-tag band of friends has to solve treasure-hunt-type puzzles to get the next clue, all the while keeping the police & the Asian crime leaders out of the loop. Extremely entertaining, read it in one sitting. More Rozan, always. ( )

Bill Smith’s longtime partner. Lydia Chan, has been kidnapped.

The kidnapper, a man Smith sent to jail a decade ago, is hell-bent on revenge. From the opening chapter Rozan has created a thriller at a frantic pace that builds to a crescendo that we ride on like a rollercoaster.

We are led on a whiplash tour of New York at the whim of a crazy man. Along the way we pick up a cast of nefarious characters, Asian pimps and their Chinese call-girls, Lydia’s kid cousin and his Italian girlfriend, ex-wives, dogs and time-worn drunken former cops.

By following the clues left in orange-colored plastic bags all over New York’s boroughs, and closely-timed secrets, provided by last-minute phone calls from the kidnapper we ride along like a passenger in the back seat, pouring over the bags contents, bent on solving the puzzle and playing the game.

An engrossing story that you won’t stop until you reach the electrifying finale. ( )

Bill Smith’s longtime partner. Lydia Chan, has been kidnapped.

The kidnapper, a man Smith sent to jail a decade ago, is hell-bent on revenge. From the opening chapter Rozan has created a thriller at a frantic pace that builds to a crescendo that we ride on like a rollercoaster.

We are led on a whiplash tour of New York at the whim of a crazy man. Along the way we pick up a cast of nefarious characters, Asian pimps and their Chinese call-girls, Lydia’s kid cousin and his Italian girlfriend, ex-wives, dogs and time-worn drunken former cops.

By following the clues left in orange-colored plastic bags all over New York’s boroughs, and closely-timed secrets, provided by last-minute phone calls from the kidnapper we ride along like a passenger in the back seat, pouring over the bags contents, bent on solving the puzzle and playing the game.

An engrossing story that you won’t stop until you reach the electrifying finale. ( )