It's Bill Smith's turn to take center stage in this sixth entry in S.J. Rozan's memorable Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series of mysteries, and the tough and taciturn private eye really comes into his own. Smith has cloistered himself in his remote cabin in upstate New York, where he escapes from his private devils by fishing, hunting, and practicing Mozart and Bach on his piano, when he is sucked into two local crime cases.

The first involves Tony Antonelli, the brother of a young man whom Smith once helped out of trouble. Tony finds the body of a murdered local hoodlum in the cellar of his roadhouse. His brother Jimmy suspiciously goes missing and becomes the leading suspect. The second case involves a reclusive older woman (who turns out to be a world-famous painter). She asks Bill to track down some of her early works, which had been stolen from her studio. There's also a very nasty sheriff who hates Smith, a moderately tolerant state trooper who grudgingly helps, a corrupt executive of a babyfood company and his sad, dangerous teenage daughter, plus a crew of smalltime crooks who give the lie to the myth of rural safety. Lydia doesn't get called in from the Big Apple until quite late, and when she arrives she attracts stares in the local 7-Eleven "as though she were a black-petalled orchid that had sprung up in the daisy patch. Back in the car, Lydia grinned, said, 'Not many Asians up here, huh?' 'Especially in black leather,'" Bill answers."

The plot might have one or two tangles too many for its own good, but as usual Rozan proves herself to be one of the best descriptive writers in the genre, bringing to indelible life everything from a modern painter's latest work, to a depressed countryside where the last stone quarry is about to close down and grind away a few more dreams.

Other books in this award-winning series: A Bitter Feast, Concourse, Mandarin Plaid, and No Colder Place. --Dick Adler


From Library Journal
Stone Quarry is an extremely well-done production of quite a well-written mystery. Rozan's descriptions of the people and countryside of Schoharie County, NY, are just outstanding. William Dufris's performance brings audiobook narration to a new level entirely, having taken the time to develop Rozan's characters thoroughlyDtheir voices, accents, and speech patterns. The result is more a dramatic recital than what one expects from audio storytelling. Bill Smith and Lydia Chin combine to explore a series of disappearances, murders, and the theft of a priceless series of paintings in rural upstate New York. The author captures the effects of the continuing economic decline in the rural areas of the state on citizens too poor or uneducated to escape, as well as the strange mix of hope, mud, and the penetrating chill that marks its early spring. Listeners should expect adult language and situations. Full of action, intrigue, and quite an amount of charm, this novel is highly recommended.DCliff Glaviano, Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
S.J. Rozan is a writer gathering a strong following for her Lydia Chin and Bill Stone mysteries. Listening to Bill Dufris's performance, the reasons are evident. Dufris teases out the nuances of the characters and yet doesn't hesitate to draw a clear and distinct portrait of Stone, who allows himself to get involved in "working" in the one place where he's always gotten away from the world, a rural community in upstate New York. A mysterious woman who keeps her identity secret and the always-in-trouble kid are handled compellingly, along with the country characters. Dufris masters the changes in pace in the story, drawing listeners in with each new twist. He's good at women's voices, giving them enough distinct tone and rhythm, then switching to Stone's hard city-edge. Great suspense, great performance. R.F.W. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
The superlatives keep coming for the detective duo of Lydia Chin and Bill Smith, now clearly established as one of the best PI parings in contemporary mystery fiction. This sixth adventure provides yet more proof of that assessment, as Rozan demonstrates again the superior plotting, deft characterizations, and beautiful use of setting that distinguish her series. The action this time moves from Manhattan to upper New York state, where Smith (taking his turn as narrator) owns a secluded country cabin; events are put in motion when Bill is hired by an eccentric local dairy farmer, Eve Colgate, to recover some stolen paintings. There's a catch, of course: Eve is, in fact, the famous reclusive artist, Eva Nouvel, and the paintings are early canvases never before seen. The situation becomes complicated when the theft seems to be related to the disappearance of Jimmy Antonelli, kid brother to Smith's long-time acquaintance, local bar owner Tony. When the murder of a local thug is linked to Jimmy, Smith has his hands full--and calls Lydia for help--trying to recover the paintings, protect Eve's true identity, and find Jimmy before the trigger-happy sheriff does. Rozan handles the complicated plot elegantly, keeping the reader guessing up to the end. And for those interested in Bill and Lydia's personal relationship, there are some tiny steps forward. Crime fiction fans of all kinds--from the coziest to the most hard-boiled--sing the praises of this series; recommend it highly to any mystery readers who aren't yet hooked. Those that are will be standing in line. Stuart Miller


From Kirkus Reviews
Rozan's highly regarded traversal of p.i. subgenres leaves the city for the poisoned arcadia of upstate Schoharie, where Bill Smith's been vacationing for 18 years without disturbing any dust. Now, all of a sudden, he's up to his .38 in three very different cases. First, reclusive farmer Eve Colgate wants him to recover six paintings that were stolen from her placepaintings whose theft she can't afford to report to the police. Second, local baby-food magnate Mark Sanderson, a man who doesn't take no for an answer, wants Bill to find his missing daughter Ginny, 15. And third, Frank Grice, the crook whose hold over young Jimmy Antonelli Bill helped to keep secret when Jimmy was arrested a few months ago, wants to pound Bill to a pulp after Bill helps Jimmy's brother Tony fight off a couple of musclemen Grice sent to intimidate Tony. Despite all these cases, though, what keeps Bill busiest is Wally Gould, a Grice lieutenant who's a lot more trouble dead than alive, especially when his corpse turns up in the basement of Tony's bar with Jimmy's keys nearby. Obviously, Gould's murder is connected to at least one of Bill's cases. But it isn't until after he's talked his partner Lydia Chin into coming up to help him that he realizes it's tied in to all three. Though Rozan only borrows from the best, Bill and Lydia's sixth features a few too many echoes of The Big Sleep (the constant shootings and beatings, the tangled mystery, the last buried secret) to scale the heights of No Colder Place (1997) and A Bitter Feast (1998). -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
"Classy...well-built plots...sturdy characters...out in the woods, with nothing but space between him and the sky, Smith isn't just tough. He's alive."--The New York Times



Book Description
Bill Smith's country cabin in upstate New York is far from the city's savage streets--a retreat where a weary P.I. can play Mozart on his upright piano and let nature heal him. But when Eve Colgate, a local farmer and painter, asks him to find stolen items--six paintings which could reveal Eve's highly guarded thirty-year-old secret--he caves. When Smith's partner, Lydia Chin, comes in on the action, she brings along her cool courage and sharp mind. It's a simple case--until the runaway daughter of a hotshot politician and the murder of a local hood change the playing field. Now the stench of corruption fills this rural paradise, as Bill and Lydia scour through dangerous secrets and greedy corridors for the stone-cold truth...



From the Publisher
"Stone Quarry is S.J. Rozan at her best. She has created a story in which the tension and intrigue never lets up. She constantly has you looking over your shoulder into the dark."--Michael Connelly, author of Angel's Flight "With the Bill Smith and Lydia Chin mysteries, S.J. Rozan has written the most consistently compelling series of traditional detective novels published in this decade. Stone Quarry combines the sure, controlled prose of Ross MacDonald with the fury of early Hammet. Now is the time to discover what Rozan's loyal readership has known all along." --George Pelecanos, author of The Big Blowdown "S.J. Rozan can write sentences that make my jaw literally drop. She's as good a prose stylist as I've seen in a long, long time." --Dennis Lehane, author of Prayers for Rain "In a departure from her usual gritty urban settings, S.J. Rozan blends the elegiac beauty of upstate New York with a gripping tale of rural corruption. A solid addition to a solid series." --Margaret Maron, author of Home Fires Burning "The finest of the new private eye writers, the one who brings a fresh eye and a singular approach, the one who's unafraid of subtlety, the one who remembers to combine all the elements--character, plot, setting, description and distinctive narrative voices--and who, most importantly, remembers to tell a story." --The Drood Review

FROM THE PUBLISHER

For the past twelve years that private investigator Bill Smith has owned his cabin in the woods in a small upstate New York town, he has used it as an escape, a place of refuge, never letting city life or his work intrude. All that changes, however, when Eva Colgate, a local farmer, summons Bill to meet with her. She wants him to quietly recover some recently stolen possessions - items that, if known to be hers, would expose her past as well as a secret she has kept hidden for thirty years.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Bill Smith's peaceful, upstate New York cabin retreat in Schoharie is a haven for the New York City PI. But in his sixth adventure, following last year's A Bitter Feast, Schoharie proves as dangerous as any city alley, and Smith needs all his toughness and the help of his partner, Lydia Chin, to handle the violence he confronts. Eve Colgate, a reclusive artist, asks Smith to investigate a theft that included six valuable paintings. At the same time, Smith gets involved in the troubles of Jimmy Antonelli, a kid he'd helped before, and Jimmy's older brother, Tony, who owns Antonelli's bar. When Schoharie's biggest big shot, Mark Sanderson, insists that Smith find his young runaway daughter, the PI has a smorgasbord of crimes on his plate. The pressure intensifies and one or more of Smith's clients may end up dead, so he asks Lydia to join him. Shamus- and Anthony-winner Rozan pushes the action and the plot at an invigorating pace and manages to explore the myriad ways in which violence can warp human relationships. Her sharp descriptions of upstate New York's idyllic scenery and struggling farmers form a striking background for her hard-edged hero and his barely concealed soft spot. This is a first-rate mystery that bolsters Rozan's already solid reputation and should win her new fans. Agent, Steve Axelrod. Author tour. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Stone Quarry is an extremely well-done production of quite a well-written mystery. Rozan's descriptions of the people and countryside of Schoharie County, NY, are just outstanding. William Dufris's performance brings audiobook narration to a new level entirely, having taken the time to develop Rozan's characters thoroughly--their voices, accents, and speech patterns. The result is more a dramatic recital than what one expects from audio storytelling. Bill Smith and Lydia Chin combine to explore a series of disappearances, murders, and the theft of a priceless series of paintings in rural upstate New York. The author captures the effects of the continuing economic decline in the rural areas of the state on citizens too poor or uneducated to escape, as well as the strange mix of hope, mud, and the penetrating chill that marks its early spring. Listeners should expect adult language and situations. Full of action, intrigue, and quite an amount of charm, this novel is highly recommended.--Cliff Glaviano, Bowling Green State Univ. Libs., OH Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Rozan's highly regarded traversal of p.i. subgenres leaves the city for the poisoned arcadia of upstate Schoharie, where Bill Smith's been vacationing for 18 years without disturbing any dust. Now, all of a sudden, he's up to his .38 in three very different cases. First, reclusive farmer Eve Colgate wants him to recover six paintings that were stolen from her place—paintings whose theft she can't afford to report to the police. Second, local baby-food magnate Mark Sanderson, a man who doesn't take no for an answer, wants Bill to find his missing daughter Ginny, 15. And third, Frank Grice, the crook whose hold over young Jimmy Antonelli Bill helped to keep secret when Jimmy was arrested a few months ago, wants to pound Bill to a pulp after Bill helps Jimmy's brother Tony fight off a couple of musclemen Grice sent to intimidate Tony. Despite all these cases, though, what keeps Bill busiest is Wally Gould, a Grice lieutenant who's a lot more trouble dead than alive, especially when his corpse turns up in the basement of Tony's bar with Jimmy's keys nearby. Obviously, Gould's murder is connected to at least one of Bill's cases. But it isn't until after he's talked his partner Lydia Chin into coming up to help him that he realizes it's tied in to all three. Though Rozan only borrows from the best, Bill and Lydia's sixth features a few too many echoes of The Big Sleep (the constant shootings and beatings, the tangled mystery, the last buried secret) to scale the heights of No Colder Place (1997) and A Bitter Feast (1998).