Customer Reviews

Firemaker

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dr. Margaret Campbell is in Beijing to teach a six week forensic pathology course at the police academy. Her specialty is identifying burned bodies. When three dead bodies turn up, one of them completely burned, Margaret is asked to do the autopsies. Lead detective on the case is Li Yan, a newly promoted Deputy Section Chief, who is trying to live up to the reputation of his uncle who is a bit of a legend in the Beijing police. All three bodies are identified as professional hits yet do not seem to have anything else in common. Cultures clash as Margaret, an American, doesn't understand the proper etiquette for dealing with her Chinese associates. She and Li Yan need to ignore their growing attraction to find out who killed these men and why.

Forensic pathology plays a strong role in the solution to the crime. Details of the autopsies are done with clinical precision and, as a medical doctor, Margaret is able to provide detailed scientific explanations of health issues, uses of medications, and the dangers of dabbling with Mother Nature.

I especially liked the way May used Margaret to demonstrate how not to behave in China. Margaret responded to situations in a way that I feel is typically American. I am certain I would have made the same mistakes. As Margaret begins to understand the Chinese culture and history, so does the reader.

If you get a chance to see May during his tour, you must do so. You will enjoy listening to tales of his research trips to China with stories of strange foods and mysterious limo rides into spy compounds. But, regardless whether you get that opportunity, this is definitely a book you shouldn't miss. There are five more books in this series that have been published in the UK. We can sincerely hope for an accelerated release schedule in the US to get us quickly caught up with this wonderful author.

This book works. The descriptions of China put me there. I cared about the characters and the relationship that builds between them. Margaret blunders while learning how things work in China were honest. The mystery was intriguing with building suspense, and the plot is plausible, which makes it all the more terrifying. I also learned, which I enjoy, about the Social Revolution and genetic engineering. I don't often compare authors, but fans of Tess Gerritsen will definitely enjoy this, but so will anyone else who likes an extremely well done mystery.

My wife had said, "You've got to read this book, it's brilliant!" but since I had gotten out of the habit of reading I didn't hold out much hope of getting round to it. I picked it up at 4.30 one afternoon and 9 hours later at 1.30 the following morning I finished it. I quite literally could not put it down! The story - not only a "Whodunit?" but also a "Why'dtheydoit?" pulls you in and will not let you go. The setting described so colorfully and in such detail that you could feel the heat and dust, smell the outdoor restaurants, and practically find your own way round Beijing. The characters drawn so skilfully and sympathetically that you NEED to discover what happens to them. The theme so scary, it may put you off eating certain food items forever. Wonderfully written, great twists in the story, exotic locations - someone has to make this into a movie! There must have been an extraordinary amount of detailed research in a wide range of subjects to create such a plausible plot.

I was disappointed with this book--the plot was standard fare, fast-paced and somewhat interesting. And if it weren't for the setting, I think I would've been more inclined to give it 3 stars.

Much was made of Peter May's extensive network in the Beijing policy system, as well as his research. However, the tone of the book, the fetishizing of Asian culture, the gross stereotypes--non-stop from the prologue onwards--("The dark Oriental eyes," "Amazingly tall for a Chinese, almost six feet!",) the liberal sprinkling of Chinese words, made me feel like I was reading Crichton's "Rising Sun," albeit minus the blatant paranoia and nationalism. Margaret Campbell, one of the main protagonists, commits one cultural offense after another, until one cannot help but think that, in fact, her crime isn't that of being an American, but an incredibly insensitive, rude b***h. I can only imagine what May's Chinese associates thought after reading his book.

Perhaps the book would have worked better had it been set in the Opium Wars, when the West truly thought of the East as "The Orient" and the ways of the Chinese, indeed, all Asians, were a complete mystery.

For better mysteries set in China, check out Qiu Xialong's "Loyal Character Dance"--Qiu, now an ex-pat, doesn't pound you over the head with the setting, and thus actually does a better job showing the confusing and intricate nature of a quasi-Socialist state.

I like May's writing, and enjoyed this book right up until it... stopped. That's right, it didn't end, it stopped. There is another 50-60 pages of story that needs to be told on this one. We've come, as readers, to know and care about the major characters and they are left on a windy hillside. Where's the wrap-up? The Epilogue doesn't do it. Perhaps the author decided to tell the rest of the story in the next book (which I have not read) but if so it wasn't made clear that this is a "to be continued" situation. I agree with the other reviewer who said this book is weak. It pains me to have to say so, because I like this author and these characters, but I just can't accept being left up in the air like this. This one is a symphony missing the final movement.

I won't repeat the review by Publisher's Weekly (above under Editorial Reviews) but will only add that it sums up this unfortunate mystery quite well. This book is an "airport read" in every way, with a plot that opts for the gruesome, sexy, and conspiratorial (of the usual government cover-up variety) over solid plotting and good writing at every turn. The descriptions of today's China are the only bright spots.

why I'm so out of sync with the majority opinion, but for me the ending, and the coming together of the threads, are implausible, although the explanation of the connection between the murders is a very clever find.

In the PB edition the last two pages and the epilogue have obviously been written with a movie sequel in sight.

If the author's description of the Chinese (or Beijing only?) police methods and ambiance is accurate, he is to be commended for revealing a little-known aspect of that country's culture, but outside of that and of some geographical details, you can get the same info reading any serious travel guide or even newspaper. In fact, it seemed incredible to me that the US pathologist could be so ignorant of Chinese mores and customs. So one star for both atmosphere and the cliché-ridden romantic touches, and four/three stars for plot development (the beginning is rather fast-paced, but then it slows down and is diluted as the book gets burdened with the details of the pathologist's sentimental background, and of her ongoing affair).

I was uncertain between two and three stars for the whole book, but really, I don't think countries decide vital matters in the way depicted there (although of course for each country one can cite a Lysenko, a Great Leap Forward and a Cultural Revolution, an invasion of Irak, ... , and so maybe another star might have been in order).

But now the babysitter see smoke filtering through the leaves...the flicker of flames through the green gloom...The children have run ahead...She runs after them into a clearing where the flames lick upward from a buddled central mass...The babysitter feels beat on her face, and shelds her eyes from the glare, trying to see what it is that burns so fiercely. At its heart, something moves. Something strangely human...And she realizes that it is a charred black band reaching out toward her.

Margaret Campbell, a Chicago forensic pathologist, has been invited by the Chinese government to teach at the Beijing police univeristy. She has accepted the six-week assignment with misgivings but is desperate to escape a troubled life in America. Arriving in Beijing, she checks "Nothing to declare" on the health declaration they gave her on the plane-nothing, that is, "except a broken heart and a wasted life, neither of which was contagious."

She gets off to a bas start when her car knocks senior detective Li Yan off his bicycle. In a furious clash, he dresses her down in perfect English. But Li soon finds himself reintroduced to Margaret by his superiors when the newly promoted detective's first case requires Margaret's special expertise to identify a horribly burned corpse. Thrown together to track down a killer. Margaret and Li must bury their personal and cultural differences when they uncover a conspiracy that threatens not only their lives, but the lives of millons.