A little bit of medical thriller elements thrown in, as well.
Eadie B. (eadieburke) - , reviewed The Firemaker (China Thrillers, Bk 1) on + 1635 more book reviews
I found this book a very interesting read. I loved the interplay between Margaret Campbell and LI Yan. Learned a lot of 'how not to act in China' through Margaret's mistakes. I have read Peter May's The Lewis Trilogy and didn't know what to expect for the Beijing series but May does not disappoint. He has well-developed characters and many surprises at the end. If you are interested in finding out about China's laws and history, then you will be sure to enjoy this book. I can't wait to read the 2nd in the series in order to find out what's next for Margaret and Li Yan.
As a fan of Peter May's "Enzo" novels, I was looking forward to this thriller, the first in a series set in China. However, the beginning of the book was highly irritating as the main American character is idiotic and ignorant about Chinese culture, almost a stereotypical "ugly American" despite being well educated. Despite that, I found the Chinese characters well drawn, and the well-plotted story was a fast read after I got about halfway in.