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.

Simon Vance's performance will leave listeners breathless in the fifth episode of Peter May's China series. Vance brings his superior narrating skills to May's police procedural starring the detective team of Li Yan, chief of the Beijing Municipal Police, and Margaret Campbell, a forensic pathologist who is Li Yan's American fiancée. China's top athletes are being murdered. Three members of China's sprint-relay team, a cyclist, a top swimmer, and a world-class weight lifter are dead. A female runner appeals to Margaret, fearing she will be next. Vance is splendid in this engrossing story of Beijing life, internal police politics, Chinese Triads, genetic research, and brutal megalomaniacs who stop at nothing to succeed--not even murder. Vance makes THE RUNNER top-notch listening. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine