If your teenage son went missing without a trace, the first thing you would do is call the police for help in finding him, right?  Well, not if you were in tense contract negotiations with the police union.  Carole McCann, New York City’s first female mayor, wants to ensure her son is found as quickly and quietly as possible, lest her reputation be destroyed.  Enter Bill Smith and Lydia Chin, the nimble private investigator duo tasked with the case.  S.J. Rozan’s THE MAYORS OF NEW YORK, told from Bill’s perspective, follows the plucky pair as they attempt to crack the case before it’s too late.   

If you are a longtime fan of Rozan’s PI mystery series, you will be delighted to pick up the latest novel and hunt for clues alongside Bill and Lydia. If you’re newer to Bill and Lydia, fear not – each case can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. THE MAYORS OF NEW YORK shines in its depictions of different neighborhoods and communities within New York and their informal mayors. Just as fun as trying to chase down leads is following the wheeling and dealing that each informal neighborhood mayor does in return for releasing tidbits of helpful information. S.J. Rozan, a native New Yorker herself, brings the city alive in this book with her vivid descriptions of person, place, and food.  

Mysteries narrated from Bill's perspective tend to have a more pessimistic and jaded tone and are typically imbued with more of Rozan’s socio-political commentary on issues the community is currently facing. THE MAYORS OF NEW YORK follows suit, with a harder-hitting resolution that will not be every reader’s cup of tea.   

On the whole, if you are looking to play private investigator and aren’t intimidated to dive into the seedier underbelly of New York for an unflinching look at who holds power (and over whom), S.J. Rozan’s THE MAYORS OF NEW YORK is the next read for you.