- MP3 CD
- Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks; MP3 Una edition (Feb 2010)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 144172558X
- ISBN-13: 978-1441725585
- Product Dimensions: 19 x 13.7 x 1.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,571,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Runner
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Product Description
The Mirror on THE FIREMAKER
'A gripping thriller'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Stunningly original, highly topical and extremely well written' - Scotland on Sunday on THE FIREMAKER 'A gripping thriller' - The Mirror on THE FIREMAKER 'Intense and fascinating' - Good Book Guide on THE FIREMAKER 'Is the book any good? The answer is a very solid...yes...it's engaging, topical...and certainly qualifies Peter May as a name to watch.' - Shots 'A gripping page-turner which combines edge-of-the-seat suspense with a fascinating picture of modern China making its painful transition to a market economy.' - Irish Independent on THE KILLING ROOM 'A fascinating series.' - The Sunday Telegraph on THE KILLING ROOM
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The most exciting thriller I've read in a very long time. I found it absolutely unputdownable. The descriptions of China were so real, I had to occasionally look out of the window and make sure I was still in Edinburgh.
I don't read much crime and now I know the reason why - most of the British settings and plots are totally predictable - halfway through and I've worked it out! - been there, done that and have the T-shirt. Li Yan, the Chinese detective is a superb character and what really got through to me was not only a fiendishly clever plot with some villains who took me by surprise. Great, great story!
I don't read much crime and now I know the reason why - most of the British settings and plots are totally predictable - halfway through and I've worked it out! - been there, done that and have the T-shirt. Li Yan, the Chinese detective is a superb character and what really got through to me was not only a fiendishly clever plot with some villains who took me by surprise. Great, great story!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Super Pulse-racing, Pulse-stopping Thriller
19 April 2010
Format:Paperback
The story opens with members of the Chinese Olympic swimming team cycling to practice through the winter cold. We don't just read about that cold, we feel it to the bone. When the get to the pool we smell the chlorine, we sense their excitement, tomorrow they are going to swim against the Americans. Then to their horror they see their best swimmer hanging by the neck from the high dive, apparently a suicide. This is followed by another apparent suicide, a weightlifter dies in the arms of his mistress.
Why are Olympic athletes killing themselves? This is the question that Li Yan, back in China with his now pregnant American mistress, pathologist Margaret Campbell must answer. Though their relationship is frowned upon by the Chinese authorities, they need Margaret's skills, they need Li as well. But even as they need them, the authorities cannot understand why one of their own would want to marry a foreigner and this aspect of Chinese culture is as much a part of this wonderful story as is the investigation into doping, Triads and corruption that grab the reader by her eyeballs and keep her fingers blistering through the pages as this book races to a pulse-stopping ending that you'll never forget.
Why are Olympic athletes killing themselves? This is the question that Li Yan, back in China with his now pregnant American mistress, pathologist Margaret Campbell must answer. Though their relationship is frowned upon by the Chinese authorities, they need Margaret's skills, they need Li as well. But even as they need them, the authorities cannot understand why one of their own would want to marry a foreigner and this aspect of Chinese culture is as much a part of this wonderful story as is the investigation into doping, Triads and corruption that grab the reader by her eyeballs and keep her fingers blistering through the pages as this book races to a pulse-stopping ending that you'll never forget.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
excellent police procedural
5 Feb 2010
Format:Hardcover
As China prepares to host the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the country is filled with pride and excitement even though traffic will be stopped for the Games. However, as the countdown begins to the contests, gold medal contender Sui Mingsham is found dead by the pool; an apparent suicide. Soon afterward an Olympic weightlifter is found dead. Three more top level athletes have also died.
Pressure is on Beijing police Section Chief Li Yan to solve ASAP what appears to be the work of a serial killer as five accidents/suicides seems improbable before nations pull out of the Games out of fear for the safety of their athletes. He asks his pregnant American fiancée forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell for help on solving the deaths that he believes are murders. Complicating their lives is his father and her mother have come to Beijing for the wedding.
This is a great entry in one of the best police procedurals on the market today. The story line is faster than Usain Bolt can run the 100 yet also contains a deep look at Beijing on the brink of hosting the Olympics. The lead couple is a terrific pair as their cross Pacific romance grows stronger. Fans will relish this super saga while seeking the backlist that includes The Firemaker, Snakehead and Chinese Whispers (which apparently occurs after The Runner since the lead pair has a baby son in that tale).
Harriet Klausner
Pressure is on Beijing police Section Chief Li Yan to solve ASAP what appears to be the work of a serial killer as five accidents/suicides seems improbable before nations pull out of the Games out of fear for the safety of their athletes. He asks his pregnant American fiancée forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell for help on solving the deaths that he believes are murders. Complicating their lives is his father and her mother have come to Beijing for the wedding.
This is a great entry in one of the best police procedurals on the market today. The story line is faster than Usain Bolt can run the 100 yet also contains a deep look at Beijing on the brink of hosting the Olympics. The lead couple is a terrific pair as their cross Pacific romance grows stronger. Fans will relish this super saga while seeking the backlist that includes The Firemaker, Snakehead and Chinese Whispers (which apparently occurs after The Runner since the lead pair has a baby son in that tale).
Harriet Klausner
Great Cultural Backdrop, Good Mystery, Couple of Flaws
2 Aug 2010
Format:Hardcover
Once again, Peter May puts together a strong mystery while illuminating key cultural differences between China and the USA. He also paints a fascinating picture of how China has "opened" up to a capitalist economy while maintaining its authoritarian communist political structure. The relationship between quixotic Chinese cop Li Yan and cranky but brilliant forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell continues to provide interest, although their utter lack of communication at times needs to be better explained. I also liked the touch of having each of them dealing with a difficult parent in the book as they prepare for the wedding.
If there is a flaw in these books it is the author's need to tie up all the loose ends by killing off all the bad guys at the end. There is a killing in just the last few pages that seems tacked on and confusing in light of the dead man's character. I've read four of these thrillers, and there's always a wild, overly violent series of killings at the end, with little explanation of what happened to our main characters. I suppose this is designed to keep us reading the next one, but it leaves you feeling unsettled at the very end, and seems overly sensationalized.
I also think the science involved is very far out, futuristic, but I suppose it's possible.
Overall, the two main characters are very strong, but we could use more scenes with them together to develop their relationship for the reader, and the ending is a little confusing. But the cultural differences are fascinating and the picture of 21st century Beijing (with the necessary historical background to help us follow it) are worth these other flaws.
If there is a flaw in these books it is the author's need to tie up all the loose ends by killing off all the bad guys at the end. There is a killing in just the last few pages that seems tacked on and confusing in light of the dead man's character. I've read four of these thrillers, and there's always a wild, overly violent series of killings at the end, with little explanation of what happened to our main characters. I suppose this is designed to keep us reading the next one, but it leaves you feeling unsettled at the very end, and seems overly sensationalized.
I also think the science involved is very far out, futuristic, but I suppose it's possible.
Overall, the two main characters are very strong, but we could use more scenes with them together to develop their relationship for the reader, and the ending is a little confusing. But the cultural differences are fascinating and the picture of 21st century Beijing (with the necessary historical background to help us follow it) are worth these other flaws.
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