The Runner

November 16, 2009
In May's engaging fifth entry in his contemporary China series (Snakehead
, etc.), American-born forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell is trying to take it easy, awaiting the birth of her first child. Her soon-to-be-husband, Section Chief Li Yan of the Beijing police, isn't so lucky—he's overwhelmed with dead bodies. Li reluctantly enlists Margaret's aid after five Chinese athletes turn up dead. Suspecting that a suicide and several “accidents” are murder, Li must discover the truth while preventing a major scandal as the country prepares for the Beijing Olympics. Worse still is the imminent arrival of Li's estranged father and Margaret's mother for the couple's nuptials. A fluid plot, rounded characters, and deft handling of two very different cultures make this a winner. Readers should note that the sixth installment, Chinese Whispers
, was published in the U.S. in 2009.

December 1, 2009
China's medal prospects wane as six Olympians perish within a month.

Three members of China's sprint-relay team are killed in a car crash. A cyclist dies in a freak swimming accident. A weightlifter succumbs in flagrante delicto with the wife of a member of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee. And a champion swim competitor hangs himself from the practice diving platform. A suicide and a series of tragic accidents? Li Yan, Section Chief of the Beijing Municipal Police, thinks not. He calls on his pregnant lover, American pathologist Margaret Campbell, to oversee and review the autopsies. Why did everyone except the weightlifter have shaved heads? Why did the bodies show thickening of the microvasculature? The answers may be connected to other riddles, like the burglary of a certain photography shop and the attempt by world-class runner Dai Lili to make contact with Margaret. But solutions are stymied by governmental censuring of Li for his relationship with a foreigner, the familial upheaval caused by the xenophobia of both Li's father and Margaret's mother and the duplicity of Li's second-in-command, Assistant Deputy Section Chief Tao. Readers puzzled by the oddly paced relationship between Li and Margaret should note that the events in this fifth episode precede those in the sixth (Chinese Whispers, 2009, etc.).

Despite the peculiar chronology of American publication, each installment of the Chinese Thrillers series provides rewarding views of the Beijing landscape and insights into cross-cultural relationships.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 1, 2009
Mays newest Li Yan and Margaret Campbell novel takes place shortly before the Bejing Olympicsa year earlier than the previous installment in the series (Chinese Whispers, 2009)and finds Margaret pregnant with the couples child. As China gears up for the Olympics, incredible pressure is put on the athletes, and no one is surprised to learn that an elite swimmer has committed suicide. But Li Yan, head of Beijings serious-crime squad, finds the case suspicious, especially after a top wrestler dies of a heart attack, and other accidental deaths of athletes come to light. Desperate for expert assistance, Li recruits pathologist Margaret, despite her condition, to perform the autopsies. Mays Chinese thrillers continue to rank among the best crime fiction set in modern China, but this one, though suspenseful and well plotted, is not a great starting place for new readers, who should begin with The Firemaker (2005). Established series fans, however, will be well pleased with the return of Li Yan and Margaret. Recommend the series to readers of Qui Xiaolongs Inspector Chen novels, set in Shanghai.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)