The Mayors of New York

A Lydia Chin/Bill Smith Mystery

S. J. Rozan

The new crime novel from the award-winning S. J. Rozan, where private investigators Lydia Chin and Bill Smith find themselves thrust into the mystery behind the disappearance of the teenage son of the mayor of New York.

In January, New York City inaugurates its first female mayor. In April, her son disappears.

Called in by the mayor's chief aide—a former girlfriend of private investigator Bill Smith’s—to find the missing fifteen-year-old, Bill and his partner, Lydia Chin, are told the boy has run away. Neither the press nor the NYPD know that he’s missing, and the mayor wants him back before a headstrong child turns into a political catastrophe. But as Bill and Lydia investigate, they turn up more questions than answers.

Why did the boy leave? Who else is searching for him, and why? What is his twin sister hiding?

Then a teen is found dead and another is hit by gunfire. Are these tragedies related to each other, and to the mayor's missing son?

In a desperate attempt to find the answer to the boy's disappearance before it's too late, Bill and Lydia turn to the only contacts they think will be able to help: the neighborhood leaders who are the real ‘mayors’ of New York.

S. J. Rozan has won multiple awards for her fiction, including the Edgar, Shamus, Anthony, Nero, and Macavity, the Japanese Maltese Falcon, and the Private Eye Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award. S. J. was born and raised in the Bronx and now lives in lower Manhattan.

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Endorsements & Reviews

"Mayors of New York provides a different take on the private detective novel, flawlessly interweaving the grit of NYC, intricacies of politics and the juxtaposition of those in power vs. those with none. Rozan keeps the reader on the edge of their seat with an action-packed, entertaining, and suspenseful thriller from start to finish. The 15th installment in the Lydia Chin and Bill Smith series is not one to miss."

Criminal Element

"Jaded, morally challenged adults can make formidable adversaries, but then so can run-of-the-mill teenagers. The pool of potential baddies is doubly deep in S.J. Rozan's The Mayors of New York, another brisk, droll, and diverting title in the Lydia Chin/Bill Smith mystery series. Inevitably, The Mayors of New York has its share of Gotham-style politics and, as ever, the series offers a sightseeing tour of the Big Apple."

Shelf Awareness

"While politics are at the crux of The Mayors of New York, Rozan goes deeper in showing how evil can hide in plain sight. The Mayors of New York contains plenty of predators and prey, each believable. This is a series that shows no signs of slowing down as The Mayors of New York proves." Oline Cogdill, The Sun Sentinel

"It’s suspenseful, it’s twisty, it’s soaked to the core with the complexities and contradictions of New York, and it’s ridiculously good."

Neil Nyren, The Big Thrill

"Rozan allows the Big Apple to shine by depicting its diversity and the many 'mayors' that rule the city’s neighborhoods, from Chinatown to upscale enclaves in the Bronx. The characterizations are brilliant, and Bill’s voice narrating is a total delight." Booklist, starred review

"PIs Smith and Chin tackle a pair of hot potato mysteries in Edgar winner Rozan’s excellent 15th outing for the duo. Rozan has never been better at quip-filled dialogue that Rex Stout would be proud of, and once again excels at evoking the tangled power dynamics of contemporary New York City. This superior series shows no sign of losing steam." Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Lydia Chin and Bill Smith hit the big time, in good ways and bad, when they’re hired by New York City’s mayor—at least, the official one. As usual, Rozan is less interested in hiding the culprits than in providing a consistently brisk and illuminating tour of the city, gently probing the underside of any number of rocks, and supplying a triple-barreled climax that will answer all your questions and then some. Professional-grade work from two of the best private eyes on the scene."

Kirkus Reviews