The Killing Room [Paperback]

Peter May (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2001

Beijing detective Li Yan travels to the capital of China's economic revolution to investigate, and finds the most horrifying catalogue of killings ever uncovered in the Middle Kingdom. American pathologist Margaret Campbell arrives to conduct the autopsies, only to discover her relationship with Li threatened by the policewoman leading the investigation. But each of them is faced with their own personal nightmare when the investigation uncovers a ruthless killer of inhuman capacity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In May's rewarding third mystery to feature American pathologist Margaret Campbell and Chinese deputy section chief Li Yan (after 2007's The Fourth Sacrifice), 18 women's bodies—or at least pieces of them—turn up buried at a Shanghai building site. A creepy medical student working as a night watchman on the site is a logical suspect, but he appears innocent—at least of these crimes. Campbell coaxes the identities of four of the women from their body fragments, and each is a poignant yet apparently unrelated story. Campbell also discovers a grisly fact: all the victims had some or all of their internal organs removed—while they were still alive. May offers a little politics, a little romance and a lot of autopsy details, perhaps too much for some, though they are clearly conveyed and pertinent to the case. The plot skips here and there, with some surprising revelations leading to a slightly predictable but gratifying finale. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

'A masterwork of sheer momentum ... compelling' -- Glasgow Herald (The Fourth Sacrifice) 'Stunningly original, highly topical and extremely well written' -- Scotland on Sunday on THE FIREMAKER 'Intense and fascinating' -- Good Book Guide on THE FIREMAKER 'Is the book any good?The answer is a very solid...yes...it's engaging, topical...and certainly qualifies Peter May as a name to watch.' -- Shots

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Coronet (May 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340768657
• ISBN-13: 978-0340768655
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,376,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars chinese mystery, May 9, 2009

By 

Sheila Sirey (san Jose, Ca) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Killing Room (Hardcover)

This mystery is a bit chilling. It brings up the obvious but not so obvious problems with the one child policy and how China is struggling with their over population and how people respond as well as the more personal story of expatriates who live and love China.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating look at Chinese culture, March 18, 2008

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Killing Room (Hardcover)

When the bodies of eighteen women are discovered in a mass grave at a construction site in Shanghai, Deputy Section Chief Li Yan is sent to establish if the corpses relate to an unsolved similar murder in Beijing. He requests that American pathologist Margaret Campbell be allowed to assist with the forensics. Their on again-off again relationship remains rocky, especially because of local Deputy Chief Nien Mei-Ling, who Margaret finds a formidable competitor for Li Yan's heart. While examining the bodies, Margaret discovers that all of them had organs removed while they were still alive.

I particularly like two aspects of May's books. One is the culture clashes between Li Yan and Margaret Campbell. Despite their strong feelings for each other, they are just very different people. I learn a lot about Chinese culture through Margaret's eyes and would probably make the same missteps she does.

The other is May's ability to explore social and cultural problems in Chinese society. He tries hard to portray both sides of a controversial subject without taking sides. In this book, and a bit of the previous book, The Fourth Sacrifice, that subject is the single-child policy enacted to reduce the population in China. Li Yan's sister previously dropped off her daughter with him when she found she was pregnant with a son. Li Yan remains the child's guardian in this book.

I found more humor in this book than the previous two in this series. The competitions between Margaret and Mei-Ling for the attentions of Li Yan were laugh-out-loud funny. I also find it interesting that these books are written by a Scottish man living in France, writing about an American woman living in China. And he does it very well.

Armchair Interviews says: Super read as a mystery with a lot of cultural learning thrown in.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent Chinese police procedural, February 21, 2008

By 

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

This review is from: The Killing Room (Hardcover)

Already upset that a killer was freed because of either corruption or incompetence in the Procurator's office, Ministry of Public Security Deputy Section Chief Li Yan is not in the mood to talk to anyone. However Detective Wu tells his superior that the dismembered girl found in the shallow grave near the Summer Palace was not buried alone; upwards of twenty females share a grave with her. The powers that be demand Li fix the mess that was shown internationally as a New York bank CEO was the VIP digger in a sea of body parts.

Shanghai Public Security Serious Crime Squad Deputy chief Mei-Ling is assigned to assist Li, who learns from her that there are eighteen torsos and sixteen heads so far. Li's on and off Irish girlfriend pathologist Margaret Campbell arrives following the wake of her deceased father. Although the two ladies compete for the affection of Li, the trio works together realizing that someone apparently conducted autopsies on the female victims while they still lived; the cause of death in each case is the autopsy. They know preventing the monster from more killings comes before straightening out their personal relationships.

This excellent Chinese police procedural will please fans of that sub-genre immensely as this is a top rate whodunit in a country in which connections impedes the strong investigation much more so than in the United States where influence gets a great lawyer. The story line is action-packed and the triangle cleverly developed to allow the reader to understand the motivations including personal demons of the investigating team. However, as with THE FOURTH SACRIFICE, the novel belongs to Peter May's deep insightful look at modern China's Socialist market economy in which Shanghai is filled with Porches, sex shops, discos and nightclubs standing near traditional mom and pop stores.

Harriet Klausner