I ended up liking this better than I thought I would when I started reading it. The last 50 or so pages, when all of the threads started to come together to form a complete picture, made it really, really hard to put down. Highly recommended for anyone who likes political intrigue with their suspense. ( )

After being somewhat disappointed by her last novel, Absent Friends, I was much more captivated by In This Rain. Again the short chapters give the novel a jumpy and unconnected feel, but at least the authors concentrates on three characters who are easier to understand and to follow.

This is tale of a New York City building inspector who is wrongly imprisoned for taking bribes. He is trying to get on with his new life, but is dragged back into the inspection of three mysterious accidents in a low income housing building site by his former partner. The mayor has promised a large and prestigious building site in Harlem to a growing developer if they can successful complete the current project. But there is antagonism to this fait accompli from the local black community leaders. Several gang members have also been killed. The investigation is headed by Ann Montgomery. She hates the developer who many years ago seduced her mother. The investigation leads from the accidents all the way to the murder of Ann's best friend. The action is quite exciting, but I found the villainous developer to be a hackneyed version of most arrogant businessmen. Still the rest of the characters are appealing and believable and the conclusion is slightly twisted, but still foretold. ( )

I am still hoping that Rozan will go back to her Bill Smith/Lydia Chin books but this New York set book about building inspection/investigation has a good mystery and a nicely romantic subthread, with some fairly intricate political plotting and a very pleasingly twisty plot, with a couple of great reveals and a satisfying albeit catastrophic conclusion although with an element of tragedy that gives it a poignant edge.