Burning Time (April Woo Suspense Novels) [Paperback]

Leslie Glass (Author)

Book Description

Series: April Woo Suspense Novels | Publication Date: July 1, 1995

A serial killer leaves a college coed to die in the California desert, his signature of fire seared into her flesh....

A beautiful Chinese-American detective, recently transferred from Chinatown to the Upper West Side, is assigned a routine missing-persons case...

A famous doctor returns home from a lecture to discover that his actress wife has been living a secret life....

Now, the paths of the cop, the killer, and the psychiatrist are about to converge....

A savage killer is on the loose in New York City.  His calling card is a tattoo of flames; his trail of victims leads from the scorched sands of Californa to
the blistering heart of Manhattan.

Only Detective April Woo can block this vicious madman's next move.  And with the help of psychiatrist Jason Frank, this NYPD policewoman will prove that the predator she's hunting is no ordinary killer--but then, April Woo is no ordinary cop.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

All superficial characterization and sadism, this thriller about a serial killer, its plot founded entirely on coincidence, is charmless in the extreme. When a man and a woman show up at NYPD headquarters to file a missing persons report on their college-age daughter, detective April Woo does the paperwork. Woo eventually learns that California cops have found the daughter's apparently fire-branded body near San Diego. Shortly thereafter, a New York psychiatrist approaches Woo with several disturbing letters sent to his porno-star wife. The letters have a San Diego postmark, prompting Woo to connect them with the murderer (3000 miles away, but not for long.) Horrific, if predictable, descriptions of the pyromaniac killer and his methods of torture are interspersed with updates on Woo's investigation. Glass ( To Do No Harm ) attempts a multicultural angle by casting Woo as a Chinese-American in conflict with her old-fashioned immigrant mother, but the tension between them is hackneyed at best. From its farfetched premise to its suspenseless action-drama climax, the novel is a chore to wade through.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

With the same intensity as Silence of the Lambs, Glass' thriller thrusts the reader into the terrifying world of the psychopathic killer. A young college girl is brutally burned, tortured, and left to die in the California desert. Thousands of miles away, beautiful actress Emma Chapman stars in a steamy art movie and suddenly begins receiving fan mail from someone who has an unnerving knowledge of her past. NYPD detective April Woo is assigned the case when Emma's husband decides the letters have taken on a menacing tone. Woo doesn't think Emma's in danger until she inadvertently finds a tenuous connection with the California murder. Then Woo realizes she's dealing with a sicko pyromaniac who's targeted Emma as his next victim. There's a heart-stopping, eye-popping race to see if Woo can outwit the killer before he ends Emma's life, and for just a few seconds, Glass stuns her white-knuckled readers into almost believing the good guys may not win. Glass is a masterly storyteller who combines a high-intensity plot with an engaging, attractive heroine whose personal predicaments lend a bit of welcome relief to the relentlessness of the hunt for the psycho. Emily Melton --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (July 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553561723
• ISBN-13: 978-0553561722
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,002,287 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gory but good, May 13, 2002

By 

Isabella K. Badenoch "izi" (Vientiane, Lao PDR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Burning Time (April Woo Suspense Novels) (Paperback)

I was made aware of Leslie Glass' novel by a Japanese friend of mine, who had read her translated books and thought that the Asianness of the book was great. We're both big mystery fans, so I quickly went out and bought whatever Glass novels I could find. Being half Asian, it is great to not only see a leading Asian character, but also see someone capture the Asian culture and essence so well. April's mother is somewhat like my mother (and definitely like many of my friend's Chinese mothers!), she always makes me laugh - especially her dialog, which is just so true to form. I would be very interested to find out how Glass learned so much about Chinese culture??

Compared to her other books (I'm afraid I haven't read then in chronological order), this one came across as a bit more gruesome and gory. However, I enjoyed it nevertheless. It's a good murder mystery, with solid characters, what else can one ask for?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great "Time", May 16, 2001

By 

Rochelle (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burning Time (April Woo Suspense Novels) (Paperback)

This was my first exposure to Leslie Glass - great first impressions! I really enjoyed the book, the characters were well defined and the plot was exciting and twisted. April Woo is a great character - strong, independent and smart! Other reviewers have correctly compared this author to Thomas Harris (Hannibal series) - April is similar to Clarice, the serial killer plot is well thought out and moves at a great pace.

I have already purchased Hanging Time and can't wait to get started!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The good novel that could have been great, December 5, 2003

By 

Sebastian Fernandez (Tampa, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Burning Time (April Woo Suspense Novels) (Paperback)

Glass does a great job in getting the reader into the story, creating an interesting plot and intricate characters. Nevertheless, towards the end the action is too rushed and events unfold without a clear connection. It seems to me as if the author had to comply with a deadline and could not finish the book in the way it deserved. This series will get another chance from me, and hopefully the experience will be better next time!