The Firemaker

I came to Peter May via his rather bleak "Lewis" trilogy, with a dour Hebridean detective returning to his home island and uncovering dark deeds. It all seemed so authentically Scottish that I couldn't really imagine him writing anything else.

Then I discovered that, more than a decade earlier, he'd written a set of thrillers set in China in the late nineties, in which none of the characters are Scottish. I was intrigued, picked up a copy of "The Firemaker"and discovered a whole new side to Peter May.

In "The FIremaker", Peter May shows great skill in merging genres and tropes to produce something new and interesting.

It has many of the hallmarks of a RomCom; a cute-meet between the two principals that set them at odds, a plot that keeps show more forcing them back together, and a finely paced set of will-they? won't-they? moments that stoke up the unresolved sexual tension in the best tradition of such things.

This is overlaid with massive culture clashes as the small, blonde, female American pathologist, running from her troubled past to her first assignment in China, meets ambitious and newly promoted Chinese Policeman who is dedicated to his work and wants to help build the new China.

Wrap all of that around political intrigue and a set of gruesome murders that seem connected but make no sense together and you have the makings of a very good book indeed.

This was the art of the exotic thriller being practiced at its best. The resarch was used to add an authentic sens of place without ending up feeling like a lecture on China and its recent history. Neither the American nor the Chinese culture walks away unscathed or undefenced. The people seem real and the plot unfolds with enough surprises to keep me turning the pages. The ending... well see for yourself. It works but is perhaps more RomCOm than Thriller.

I'cw already downloaded the next book in the series and hope to be returing to Peter May's China very soon. show less

Perhaps I came to this with unreasonable expectations: I loved May's Lewis trilogy.

Here, he goes even further out of the way: to China. Good idea. But straight black hair and a Chinese name does not a Chinese make.

After a good 40-50 pages at the beginning of the novel, in which the cultural differences between China and the west are explored, as soon as the police investigation proper begins, suddenly it is as if none of this had ever been: we are presented with any old cop in Chinese clothing. Nothing of the police procedural that follows seems even remotely connected to the context established in the opening chapters.

Furthermore, May insists on telling, not showing. Huge chunks of dialogue are used to present the author's research, show more whether of feng shui, 'saving face', autopsies, whatever.

May even seems to acknowledge this inadequacy by referring explicitly to 'lectures' given by characters who are 'smug' - but the impression given is either that May doesn't mind his characters looking stupid (bad), or that he can't be bothered to write properly (worse), or that he thinks his audience is stupid (worst of all). I mean, the passage where the ethics of GM crops are discussed would disgrace a sixth-form debating society.

Nor are the characters worth following: Margaret Campbell is insultingly sketchily drawn, and unpleasant with it. The fact that she's suffering a mysterious heartache which has driven her to China is simply not enough.

Sorry to rant, but I'd really been looking forward to this. And it's just rubbish. show less

This is a great start to a fancinating series set in China. Margaret Campbell adds a CSI feel against the background of modern China as she struggles to help solve a murder. Her culture shock and relationship with her Chinese police partner are interesting and well developed.

The Firemaker by Peter May is the first in a series of crime novels that feature Chinese Police Inspector Li Yan and American Margaret Campbell, a doctor of forensic pathology. Dr. Campbell has left America to recover from a personal tragedy and is in Beijing to conduct a series of lectures at the People’s University of Public Security.. When a bizarre crime occurs Margaret is asked to assist in the autopsies. There is wonderful chemistry between Lt Yan and Margaret right from their first meeting and as the story develops so does the chemistry.

The city of Beijing is practically a main character in the story. As the investigation moves around the city, it comes alive on the pages. With detailed descriptions of parks, hotels, show more restaurants and clubs, university and government buildings, the city becomes a reality and gives the reader a real sense of place.

The Firemaker has been sitting on my shelves for some time, often picked up but never quite getting slotted in to actually read, partly due to it‘s having such a boring cover.. In this case judging a book by it’s cover was a mistake. This was an top-notch thriller with an interesting plot line that had real believability behind it. From Li Yan’s description I immediately pictured the Chinese actor, Chow Yun Fat, who has long been a favorite of mine. Margaret is written as having little to no knowledge of China and so many points of Chinese culture and life are pointed out to her.. Nothing is forced down the reader’s throat, just sprinkled throughout the story.

The Firemaker is an exciting and interesting crime thriller, with a little romance thrown in, and some great information on a country that I know very little about. This was a excellent read. show less

Margaret Campbell is a Chicago forensic pathologist in China for six weeks to lecture at the Beijing police university. Senior Detective Li Yan is newly promoted to Deputy Section Chief. When a man is found burned to death in a public place, Margaret, a specialist in burned victims, performs the autopsy and declares it murder. Two other murders follow and at all three scenes the stub of a Marlboro cigarette is found. Margaret and Li Yan join forces and discover much more than murder, but something that could impact millions.

Margaret was such an annoying character and I had a hard time liking her. Instead of reading the briefing materials carefully prepared for her to ease her into Chinese culture, she barges in as an obnoxious American show more and makes enemies before she even gets to her hotel. The descriptions of China were excellent. The mystery was intriguing with building suspense, and the plot is plausible and relevant. I also learned a lot about the about the Cultural Revolution and genetic engineering. If you are a fan of Peter May's excellent Lewis Trilogy you shouldn't go into this series thinking it's going to be as good. I don't think it is, but I do think it has potential so I'm planning to pick up the next book in the series, The Fourth Sacrifice. show less

The mystery is pretty transparent (especially if you're worried about genetically modified food) and the sex scenes made me cringe--lots of heavy breathing and breasts and buttocks straining against thin fabric as the two main characters succumb to a passion they cannot deny. I've never read a Harlequin romance and now I don't have to. So why did I stick with this book? The descriptions of Beijing were fascinating--May made me want to go there, something I've never before had a desire to do. He obviously knows the city well, and his descriptions of food stalls made me desperately hungry for authentic Chinese food. Like most detectives, his main character struggles with authority, but in China, where the community is valued above the show more needs of the individual, this isn't celebrated the way it is here. So I think Li has potential. Margaret Talbot, on the other hand, with her tight T-shirts and amazing bosoms, is a stereotypical ugly American: loud, arrogant , uninformed. Not that such people don't exist--they do--they just don't make very interesting characters. show less

A burned corpse in a park in Beijing is the beginning of a strange mystery for Beijing detective Li Yan and forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell. Together they must work out who the man is if it was suicide or murder. And if it was murder, who would want to kill him? Since they got on the wrong foot with each other at the first meeting must they also find a way to work together without frictions with is easier said than done.

Peter May's Lewis trilogy is one that I truly enjoyed reading so I was quite eager to read The Firemaker when I got the chance to it. It was very interesting to read about Beijing. This is I'm quite sure the first crime book I have read that takes place in Beijing and the difference in the way of life there to show more ours in the west is fascinating. Peter May begin the book with telling the reader about his journey to China and his great interest in the country. And, I can tell that in the book with the details and how well he was written about the cultural difference between China and the west.

Margaret Campbell has left America to get away from some personal problems and she is absolutely not ready for the cultural shock that she is in for in Beijing. She should have read up more about what to do and what not to do before she sat foot in Beijing, but she didn't and that means that right from the start is she upsetting pretty much everyone. You know when you tell someone what not to do and the person instead go ahead and do it? Yup, that's Margaret Campbell in this book. For instance, the first time Margaret met Li Yan she makes him lose face. And, it just goes downhill from that one...

Still they and up working together and, despite their first annoyance with each other is there a spark between them and the more they work together, well let's say that they find each other quite acceptable towards the end.

The case with the burned body was an interesting one, unfortunately, I came to feel that it took forever to get somewhere with it. The book is pretty thick and the investigation was a bit slow and sometimes during the middle and towards the end that I feel almost a bit of desperation for the story to get somewhere. And, then finally, the investigation started to take off and then it took a horrible turn for Li Yan and Margaret.

So, in the end, the case was interesting, but the book felt a bit slow now and then. I did, however, like Li Yan and Margaret quite well. Sure Margaret's overbearing attitude was a bit annoying, but she started to respect the Chinese culture more and more towards the end of the book.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy for an honest review! show less