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S. J. Rozan has a mantle full of literary awards, most of them acquired as the result of her novels featuring Bill Smith and Lydia Chin. She has been taking a break from this series of late, and if her fans are understandably disappointed that this newest work is not a Smith/Chin title, they should not be downtrodden.
IN THIS RAIN, while another stand-alone book for Rozan, interestingly introduces another couple who easily could form the basis for a second ongoing series. Joe Cole is a former New York City building department inspector who found himself at the center of a major scandal involving Manhattan's construction industry, which resulted in the death of a child. Ironically enough, Cole was innocent of the charge of which he was convicted and imprisoned for three years. His culpability in a related matter, more an error of omission than an actionable offense, continues to weigh on him. Cole, newly released from prison, is content to live out his days doing mindless roadwork by day and carefully gardening the area around his rural cottage by night.
Cole's quiet, if not necessarily idyllic, existence is shattered by a series of apparent accidents, one of which is fatal (surrounding Mott Haven, a Manhattan building project). Ann Montgomery, Cole's former Building Department partner, suspects that the incidents are not accidents at all, but works of sabotage carried out by Walter Glybenhall, a major Manhattan developer for whom Mott Haven is but his latest project. Montgomery initially suspects that Glybenhall is using the occurrences as a catalyst for an insurance fraud scheme. He must tread carefully, as Glybenhall's influence extends right into the office of the mayor of New York. Montgomery quietly enlists Cole as an unofficial advisor, and his methodical if enigmatic investigation soon establishes --- at least to Montgomery's satisfaction --- that Mott Haven's difficulties are not the result of happenstance.
It soon appears, however, that Glybenhall's interests go beyond Manhattan and into Harlem, where he apparently covets the last undeveloped piece of land in the neighborhood for a gentrified condominium and entertainment project that he feels will make him the premier developer of New York City. The land, incidentally, is also coveted by a group of local activists who see it as being better utilized as affordable community housing rather than as a theme entertainment center. When a series of apparently unrelated murders occur, one of which strikes close to Montgomery, it slowly becomes clear that the trail of deceit extends far beyond the parameters Montgomery originally suspected.
Matters are complicated when the evidence, which initially seemed to lead directly to Glybenhall, unexpectedly exonerates him. Montgomery is certain of Glybenhall's complicity, yet her investigation appears to be biased due to her family's unfortunate history with the man. Undaunted, she takes a calculated risk that will either reveal the extent of the duplicity and the identities of those involved in the plot, or put her career and possibly her life in terrible danger.
The plot of IN THIS RAIN is a complex one, as would befit the various elements --- construction, architecture and New York City politics --- that comprise the main plot. But Rozan knows her territory well and her narrative is surefooted and appropriately world-weary. As with Rozan's other works, however, the unrelenting grimness of her storyline is interwoven with unrelated, disparate elements that by turns subtly educate the reader and stir the pot without disturbance or distraction from the main plot thread.
Cole's gardening hobby/therapy provides not only a quiet counterpoint to the intrigue that dips and swirls through the novel but also serves as an unexpected backdrop for one of the multiple climaxes that brings Rozan's story to an explosive conclusion. A couple of other elements --- the science of architecture, New York's diamond district --- also provide additional and fascinating elements to a tale well worth reading.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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