A Killing Gift [Mass Market Paperback]

Leslie Glass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 3, 2003

Just when NYPD lieutenant Bernardino was ready to retire, he won the lottery. But when word of his good fortune gets out, the sharks start circling... and one of them wants to collect on an old debt.

Now, April Woo must track her friend's murderer by searching her own tightly knit family of fellow officers for motives-and a suspect. A suspect who's enraged, elusive-and who's driving April in a terrifying search for the truth...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Combining nerve-wracking suspense and wry humor, A Killing Gift, the latest installment in Leslie Glass's April Woo mystery series (after The Silent Bride), finds the intrepid NYPD detective in pursuit of a serial killer with martial arts expertise. After discovering the corpse of a recently retired colleague and nearly getting herself killed in the process, April wastes little time recovering before digging up clues with her fiance/partner, Mike Sanchez. When the body count rises, a chilling pattern emerges, and the couple realize that the victims all share a connection to a local university. Once again, Glass delivers a unique narrative filled with sharp dialogue, quirky characters and shades of oriental mysticism. Glass brings the Big Apple and its inhabitants to life as only a native New Yorker could, and Manhattanites-as well mystery aficionados-may well find Woo to be one of the most compelling heroines to grace the genre in years.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The pace is fast, the characters gritty and the intensity of the stories grabs the reader." -- Romantic Times Bookclub

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (June 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451410912
• ISBN-13: 978-0451410917
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,859 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great police procedural, June 12, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Killing Gift (Mass Market Paperback)

New York Police Sergeant April Woo organizes the retirement party for Lieutenant Alfredo Bernadino leaving after almost four decades on the force. He plans to live simply though his beloved wife over fifteen million dollars in the lottery after taxes just before she died. Alfredo slips out quietly during the party but an assailant kills him. April notices he left and races after her mentor in time to see him murdered.

April tries to catch the killer but he almost overpowers her. Jack Devereaux, who just inherited millions from the father who never acknowledged him, saves her life and once again becomes a media sensation. April and her partner and lover Mike Sanchez work together to find the perpetrator. When a second person, who has inherited a fortune is killed, the police think they have a culprit who targets people who suddenly have gained plenty of publicized money. To make matters even more curious, phone records show someone has called both the deceased lieutenant and Jack, two people who have never met and have nothing in common except they attended the same university, one that the second victim was being courted for a donation.

In A KILLING GIFT April and Mike have finally gotten their act together and are living together, making plans to buy a house, get married and have a baby. Both are more open about their feelings and that adds another personal dimension to the story line. This is one of the best installments in the series because readers see the police slowly but surely build a case. Leslie Glass writes some of the best procedurals on the market today and her latest will embellish that reputation.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder Mystery, November 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Killing Gift (Mass Market Paperback)

A killing Gift is a mystery. It had a lot of twist and turns to it. A lieutenant after 38 years on the police force was murdered. What was good about the book was I never knew who killed this man. So if you are into intrigue it's interesting. Sometimes I didn't like the story because I couldn't figure out who was the killer. I didn't like Lieutenant Bernandino's son Bill. He acted like a complete idiot. When the killers were finally caught, the motive for the killing was so off balance, I'm still confused on why they killed him.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, August 7, 2003

By 

A. Christie "bibliofiend508" (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Killing Gift (Mass Market Paperback)

April Woo plans a retirement party for her former boss. Unfortunately, he ended up getting murdered on his way home from the party. Her former boss had suddenly come into some big money. Other wealthy people die. April investigates, links up the murders and solves the crimes to everyone satisfaction.

The strength of the April Woo series has always been the compelling cast of characters Leslie Glass employs. April Woo, a smart police detective who becomes meek and subservient in the presence of her Chinese mother, Skinny Dragon. April's mother has to be one the most terrifying mothers on the planet and their scenes together are always funny. Mike Sanchez, the Mexican detective and partner to April in more ways than one. Past April Woo books have been rife with culture clashes with a comedic turn. They have been highly enjoyable books. There is something missing in this one. Besides the primary cast, I felt no connection to any of the characters. The story felt disjointed and chaotic. At the end, I was just glad the book was over.