The Silent Bride (April Woo Suspense Novels) [Paperback]

Leslie Glass (Author)

Book Description

Series: April Woo Suspense Novels | Publication Date: June 4, 2002

NYPD Detective April Woo-the heroine of Leslie Glass's Tracking Time, Stealing Time, and Judging Time-is back to solve the case of a serial killer who targets young New York City brides.

Leslie Glass is "one terrific writer." (Tami Hoag)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The seventh installment in Glass's April Woo mystery series (Tracking Time, etc.) finds the 31-year-old NYPD detective on the trail of a deranged killer after a wealthy, young Orthodox Jewish bride is gunned down on her wedding day. Police initially suspect it's a religious hate crime, but Woo and her Latino lover, Lt. Mike Sanchez, swiftly shift gears when another bride is shot dead in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral less than a week later. In the midst of the investigation, Sanchez proposes to Woo despite his disapproving Catholic mother and Woo's own traditional, overbearing parents. Complicating matters further, Woo is asked to serve as maid of honor for her demanding sister-cousin, Ching, whose upcoming wedding has now been pronounced cursed by Woo's superstitious mother, Skinny Dragon. The author's flair for capturing cultural idiosyncrasies and developing quirky characters is highlighted best by her cast of suspects, which include a famous Chinese dress designer (Ø la Vera Wang), a flamboyant florist with a penchant for adopting attractive young refugee boys from war-torn countries and a kleptomaniac wedding planner who's also an expert marksman. With its rich characterizations and well-drawn setting, this rollicking mystery is a plentiful source for comic thrills and suspenseful chills.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Once again, Leslie Glass delivers a fascinating, high voltage, suspense procedural." -- Toby Bromberg, Romantic Times, June 2002

If you haven't yet succumbed to the Woo/Glass one-two punch, this story about murder and marriage should win you over. -- Chicago Tribune

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (June 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451410378
• ISBN-13: 978-0451410375
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #248,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Weddings That Weren't, January 3, 2003

By 

sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Silent Bride (April Woo Suspense Novels) (Paperback)

Leslie Glass improves with every April Woo novel. April has developed into a unique character, her stories show increasing depth and excellent research, and even her romance with the long-suffering Mike Sanchez is finally showing some sparks of maturity. With a myriad of colorful characters "The Silent Bride" is her best yet.

April and Mike are called upon for a high profile murder of the bride at an Orthodox Jewish wedding. The well-to-do, deeply devout family are not obvious suspects, nor is the groom who 1) was standing at the other end of the aisle when the shot was fired and 2) barely knew his bride to be. (This was an arranged wedding.) A hate crime is suspected, but less than a week later another bride is shot and killed entering St. Patrick's cathedral. This high society wedding had almost nothing in common with the first murder except the wedding planner, gown designer and florist. The planner is light-fingered and a crack marksman, the florist has a flamboyant lifestyle and likes to "adopt" boys from Third World countries, and the gown designer is enough like the real-life Vera Wang to make me take her off the suspect list immediately. The problem is why would any of them do something that would probably destroy their businesses?

I had a soft spot I didn't know about for brides. It was almost as shocking to think of a bride being killed as it would be a child. And the author does not let you off easily. Bride #1 was totally innocent, had never been on a date, a dreamy quiet girl. Bride #2 was spoiled, but likeable and had her whole life in front of her. April's sister/cousin who was to be married in a week was perhaps a designated third victim. This ratcheted up the sense of urgency nicely. The florist's "boys" came under observation, and the author gives a chilling picture of young men who have suffered horrible psychological damage, seen their whole family destroyed, made to serve in an army at 10 years of age, then being "rescued" and sent to the U.S. by well-meaning people, but with very little desperately needed guidance and help.

I hope this is the big breakout for Leslie Glass. April Woo has grown up and is ready to take her place among the big boys.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars absorbing and fast-paced, June 10, 2002

By 

Amy (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Silent Bride (April Woo Suspense Novels) (Paperback)

This is an absorbing and suspenseful read. A top notch police procedural, starring Detective Sergeant April Woo of the NYPD. I have read other books in this series, and I immediately picked up "The Silent Bride" when I saw that it was the next April Woo novel. I really like April, and she has grown so much though out the series.

The action begins on page one, when the first bride is shot, and does not let up until the final page. This is one book that you will not be able to put down once you pick it up. The cast of suspects will keep you guessing "whodunit," and the action is pretty much non-stop.

April is a sympathetic, believable character and the depth of her relationship with both her boyfriend Mike Sanchez and her family enriches the novel. April and Mike are considering the possibility of their marriage, and the complications relating to their conflicting family backgrounds provide personal tension which adds to the professional tension of the case. April's cousin is also going to be married, and so this case has some very personal implications and meanings for April. The book is the seventh in the April Woo series, but it stands on its own well. You don't have to head read the other books in the series to appreciate "The Silent Bride", but I recommend the books.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome back, April Woo..., September 22, 2002

By 

lifewontwait "Diane Pekarcik" (CHESTERLAND, OH USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Silent Bride (April Woo Suspense Novels) (Paperback)

First I'd like to thank Leslie Glass for continuing the fine April Woo series without using "Time" in the titles--now my friends and I will be able to buy them immediately without having to check to make sure they're not ones we've already read! This one's an excellent addition to the series, with some real progress in the April/Mike relationship, and a wonderful twist to help make Skinny Dragon at least a little accepting of it. Very interesting to see how the characters' extensive varieties of cultural differences and ways of thought contribute to this plot. This should have a warning label that it is not to be read the night before your wedding! The book is very intense and suspenseful; if you enjoyed the other April Woo books, you won' t be disappointed with this one, and will be glad to know another is on its way.