A Clean Kill [Paperback]

Leslie Glass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 2005

Manhattan's Upper East Side isn't a neighborhood that NYPD detective April Woo and Precinct Captain Mike Sanchez associate with grisly crimes-until the wife of a celebrity chef is slashed to death in her fashionable townhouse. The obvious suspect is her long-time nanny.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (June 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451411897
• ISBN-13: 978-0451411891
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #910,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Her Best, June 12, 2005

By 

Flush Barrett-Browning (Tennessee Valley) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Clean Kill (Paperback)

A Clean Kill is the June 2005 paperback entry in Leslie Glass's April Woo police procedural series.

April is the American Born Chinese [ABC] New York City detective, daughter of the infamous 'Skinney Dragon' [who is guaranteed to make your mom look good], and newlywed wife of hunky Hispanic precinct captain Mike Sanchez.

Maddy Wilson, wife of a celebrity chef, is found slashed to death in the shower of her fashionable town house; the next day her best friend is murdered. The obvious suspects? their nannies.

I didn't find this one to be up to Glass's usual standard: the characterizations were very shallow, lots of threads were left hanging, and it was one of those 'wham, bang, thank you ma'am' endigs.

Some of the books in this series are quite good. If you're looking for a good police porcedural with a strong female main character, I suggest that you start with one of the earlier books.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very disappointing, June 9, 2005

By 

Antigone Walsh - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Clean Kill (Paperback)

I am a big fan of the April Woo suspense series and was anticipating this release. However, it appears that the author has lost interest in April and this novel does not do the series justice.

Newly married to long time love and fellow NYPD Captain Mike Sanchez, April is called upon to investigate the brutal murder of the beautiful wife of a celebrity chef. The investigation quickly focuses upon the nanny and odd owner of the au pair agency. Uncharacteristically cranky and eager to depart for her much delayed honeymoon, April also interviews the decedent's lover/drug dealer/guru/muscle-bound trainer and her unbalanced socialite best friend. When the friend is murdered, the investigation is sent into high gear with a ridiculously predictable conclusion.

I fear that this novel may sound the death knell for this series. As with popular television shows, when the characters finally marry, the excitement and tension disappear. One of the more delightful aspects of the earlier novels was the author's humorous depiciton of April and her very traditional chinese mother and family. Although the mother makes a brief and gratutitous appearance, the interaction is neither affectionate nor entertaining. I, for one, would have liked to have seen the wedding, with April trying to juggle the cultures, Chinese, Hispanic, law enforcement and American. Although the initial murder is promising, the killer is easily identifiable early and the ultimate motivation is pat and unsatisfactory. Killing just because one is crazy just doesn't pass muster.

So skip this book and try one of the earlier April Woo novels for truly suspenseful entertainment.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Face Paced Novel!, August 18, 2005

By 

RLH (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Clean Kill (Paperback)

Although you could see the ending of this one, I still found the book to be immensely enjoyable and read it in a day. The introduction of Eloise Gelo gives the series a new direction to go in as Woo must train someone who handles police work much like herself. If your a Woo fan, I don't think you'll be disappointed with this installment of the series - it was well-written, character-driven and fun!