Customer Reviews

A Killing Gift

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4 star:		(1)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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

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.

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.

April Woo, NYPD detective, and her fiancé, NYPD Lieutenant Mike Sanchez, were attending the retirement party for Lieutenant Alfredo Bernardino. He had been April's boss and mentor.

When Bernardino left the party without his retirement gifts, April rushed after him to take them to him. What she found was him dead. She took off her shoes and rushed out in the dark to find the killer and was almost killed herself.

Jack Devereaux and his dog helped save April. She fears he may be in danger if the killer thinks he was seen.

Mike is assigned the case. April begins investigating when she is supposed to be recuperating. Finally Mike tries to let her help.

The killer used martial arts skills. April had not been able to attempt using hers. He had taken her by surprise and was very powerful.

Then a second victim is struck down in the same place in a similar fashion. Birdie Bassett had inherited her husband's fortune against his children's wishes. They didn't like Birdie and had planned to fight the will.

Bernardino's wife had died a month ago, shortly after winning the lottery. Could there be a connection?

Some of Bernardino's money is missing so they investigate his children, DA Bill Bernardino and FBI agent Kathy Bernardino. They also look into his known friends and contacts.

I like April Woo. She is a fun character with a mother that is a hoot. She is warm and caring but also a cop.

The setting of New York is always an enjoyable setting. These crimes are very believable in this setting.

The friction between Mike and April adds to the story and helps us get to know them as a couple, not just individuals.

This was a new series to me and I am happy I have gotten to know April Woo. I look forward to reading the next book. I highly recommend this book.

I am an avid reader of all kinds of murder myesteries, but being part Asian, it is always fun to read a book where the main character is Asian. In fact, in all the mainstream murder mysteries, this is the only leading Asian heroine. April Woo is an American-Chinese raised in New York and is now Lieutenant in the homicide squad. Not only is the story gripping, but the characters are wonderful and so are the side plots - April's overpowering know-it-all Chinese mother (very credibly depicted by Glass), April's on going love affair with hispanic partner, side plot of psychiatrist that helps her on her cases and so on. So far, all of Glass' novels have been a gripping great read. I can't wait for the next one!

The latest April Woo mystery (2003). This one is one of the best ones yet. Sanchez is soon to be Captain and Woo will soon sit for her Lt. Test. This story will test the bounds of the rules when April starts to investigate some things on her own.

Lt. Bernardino is mysteriously killed at the end of his retirement party. At the same time April is attacked by the killer. The killer almost succeeds in killing April but in the end is interrupted and just damages her neck and voice. This of course sends "Skinny Dragon Mother" into hysterics and makes her cook up some of those scary smelly recipes to help with the Yin and Yang.

As usual Glass has made fantastic characters that draw you into the story and want to help figure out who did it. I love how she infuses the story with April's culture but also takes into account the feelings of people. You are able to see how in real life situations you have to follow up on all of the leads.

Another winner from Glass. I can hardly wait for the next one.

I didn't get into this story at all. First time reading this author's work and also my last time! I felt very detached from the beginning as the murder plot took no surprising twists & turns, no gasps, no red herrings. April Woo, the Chinese detective, seems too distracted from her real case, that is, to solve who murdered her boss and also a second murder.

She keeps worrying why she could not defend herself & almost became a murder victim herself. She seems to go on a merry go round with her investigations with no sense of emotion attached to her case. There were times when I skipped paragraphs that seem too irrelevant to me.

The stereotype on Chinese families is carried to the extreme here! I just want to give this author a whack on the head!!! Oh, come on, I've seen Chinese families in action, they speak much softer than most races and they are civil minded. Skinny Dragon, April Woo's mother, is a terrible caricature of the Chinese. I dread to think of what readers will go away thinking of the Chinese if you keep reading her series.