The Firemaker: The explosive crime thriller from the author of The Enzo Files (The China Thrillers Book 1) (Yan & Campbell, #1) (Murder in China, #1) (China Thrillers, #1)

by Peter May

THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LEWIS TRILOGY AND THE ENZO FILES
AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021

'Peter May is one of the most accomplished novelists writing today.' Undiscovered Scotland
'No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.' New York Journal of Books

The first of Peter May's China critically acclaimed thrillers featuring Beijing detective Li Yan and American pathologist Margaret Campbell.

LI YAN

A grotesquely burned corpse found in a city park is a troubling mystery for Beijing detective Li Yan. Yan, devoted to his career as a means of restoring the respect his family lost during the Cultural Revolution, needs outside help if he is to break the case.

MARGARET CAMPBELL

The unidentified cadaver in turn provides a welcome distraction for forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell. Campbell, married to her work and having left America and her broken past behind, throws herself into the investigation, and before long uncovers a bizarre anomaly.

THE FIREMAKER

An unlikely partnership develops between Li and Campbell as they follow the resulting lead. A fiery and volatile chemistry ignites: exposing not only their individual demons, but an even greater evil - a conspiracy that threatens their lives, as well as those of millions of others.

LOVED THE FIREMAKER? Read the second book in the series, THE FOURTH SACRIFICE
LOVE PETER MAY? Buy his new thriller, A SILENT DEATH.

• ISBN10: 0857053965
• ISBN13: 9780857053961
• Publish Date: 21 April 2016 (first published 6 May 1999)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Quercus Publishing
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 560
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Firemaker is a re-release of the first book in the China Thrillers series by Peter May. Reformatted and published by Quercus US publishing, it's a hefty 560 pages and available in ebook and paperback formats.

This book started very slowly for me. I have been a fan of Peter May's other series for years, so I was really looking forward to this one. There seemed to be an awful lot of 'telling' instead of 'showing'. The characters spend a distressing amount of time talking about feng shui and honor and losing face, etc. After establishing the setting, the plot does pick up, but that first 100 or so pages were nearly a deal breaker for me, which shocked me. It did get a lot better and I really did wind up devouring the last 80% of the book. Peter May is a deft and very gifted writer.

I also had some trouble working up any attachment for the characters. They're introduced as professional colleagues and everyone spends the majority of their time antagonizing and belittling one another. They're all pretty unpleasant (except for Li Yan's uncle, Yifu. He's such a cool character and really comes alive in the book).

Despite the slow start and sarcastic characters, there were many good points. The background research is meticulous and accurate. The setting really comes alive.
I'm a bioengineer working in a histopathology lab and I was impressed that the author spent the time to provide good background (a little dated now, of course, the book was originally published almost 20 years ago). The plot is a bit over the top, but it is a police procedural thriller.

Three and a half stars, rounded up. Very well written.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.