“The Firemaker” is part of Peter May’s series set in China. I have read and loved his books set in Scotland, but somehow had not read any of the China series. May tells a great story, and I loved this one, as well. I enjoyed reading a mystery in the midst of the complex and diverse life in Beijing.

The main character, Margaret Campbell leaves America to get away from some personal problems, but she is not prepared for the cultural differences she finds in Beijing. She is stereotypically uninformed, and her relationship with Li Yan is fraught with social missteps. This relationship gives May the opportunity to scatter interesting Chinese culture throughout the book and to develop an appealing sense of place. Along the way, the characters learn to accept each other’s decorum and work together.

The pace is slow, but steady. May’s writing style creates a story that is both compelling and educational. He gives readers a unique insight into the culture and the people of China through the eyes of his characters. Of course, it ends with a cliffhanger that pulls readers right into the five books that follow in the series.

I received a copy of “The Firemaker” from Peter May, Quercus, and NetGalley. I loved this book almost as much as May’s Enzo Files (set in France) and Lewis Trilogy, and stand-alone books (set in Scotland). Now, on to reading the rest of the China series.

MAH.

Però consiglio i due volumi successivi (li potete leggere anche autonomamente, non è che questo volume offra un grande contributo all'umanità, eh), dove non mi è venuta voglia di prendere a pizze Li Yan e consorte (ma prendetemi con le pinze, li ho letti a 19 anni e non rispondo di me :D)

First 75% was fine. I enjoyed the research he had obviously done into China and its recent history. I also liked how he used that as a backdrop to the story.

As a thriller writer, May does a good job, but when he tries his hand at writing romance, he just seems to copy and paste from Mills & Boon. "Salty tears" and "Hot passionate kisses" are just a lazy way of filling the pages. I'm sure he also tried "Hot, salty tears" at one point, but I was skimming by that point to get the book finished.

He kills off characters with amazing regularity with only a few "Hot, salty tears" to mourn their passing. Then they are forgotten.

Like so many reviewers I've read, I really enjoyed the Lewis trilogy, but this is nowhere near as interesting as them. The Firemaker didn't entice me to go on any further with his China series.

A corpse is found burning in a highly travelled park in Beijing, leaving the man that used to be alive completely unrecognizable. Detective Li Yan has recently been promoted and assigned to the case on his first day. Before he knows it, two other cases that seem to have a link drawing the three together, have been assigned to him as well. A whirlwind first day leaves Li with more dead bodies than suspects and little evidence to steer him in any direction.

Enter Dr. Margaret Campbell, American pathologist stationed on a teaching assignment in China for the next six weeks. Her specialty is burn victims and she is quickly poached by the Section One police department to work alongside Li to identify his charred corpse. Margaret and Li have clearly distinct and differing personalities that cause them to butt heads immediately. In a race against the clock and a country filled with social norms Margaret can’t seem to grasp, will she and Li be able to put aside their differences and catch a killer?

THE FIREMAKER is the first book in Peter May’s China Thillers series and my first introduction to him as a writer. When Quercus posted that they were looking for people to read and review this novel I immediately jumped at the chance. What drew me to it? Well for starters, I am well known for judging a book by its cover and THE FIREMAKER has one that sucked me in immediately. I’ve also seen Peter May’s books around for years and thought their plots were something along the lines of my reading interests, but never bit the bullet. Why not start at the beginning of one of his series’? May’s writing style did not disappoint! The story was thoughtfully written and paced at a level to keep the reader engaged. I’m not typically a fan of romance in my crime fiction reads, but there was something about the relationship between Li and Margaret that made me want to cheer them on. It was a relationship very reminiscent of a long-time favorite show of mine, Bones (disclaimer: I haven’t read too much Kathy Reich, so I don’t want to compare their novels and chose the show based on Reich’s work instead). If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller, this isn’t for you. If you’re looking for a mystery set in a country known for its culture and characters that make you want to learn more about them, then this is something you’ll love.

A huge thank you to Quercus for providing me a free copy of THE FIREMAKER in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Poměrně brzy jsem přišla na to, o co jde a navíc nešlo o klasickou detektivku, bylo to něco mezi thrillerem a červenou knihovnou.

I eventually enjoyed this book a lot, but I nearly gave up near the beginning. It was slow to get going and the two main characters really annoyed me. The relationship part of the story was a bit obvious, but improved as a few surprises added to the plot. I enjoyed the descriptions of Beijing and the cultural side of Chinese life was fascinating. A very good thriller from this author, who has definitely found a new fan in me.