I am discovering that Peter May writes interesting novels, often mysteries, in many settings, many cultures, and appears to do so well. In the new introduction to Firemaker, May discussed his time in China, his research and relationships with members of the Chinese Police who assisted his understanding of their society and how they worked. And May passes much of this along through his story. I believe I have begun to grasp some of the fundamentals of Chinese society that are quite different from my own but explain how we simply view some aspects of life in different ways. I am not discussing politics here but rather philosophy or spirituality.

Well on to Firemaker! This is an eminently readable and quite addictive book. Involving Chinese police, a trio of odd murders, an American forensic pathologist on a six week visit to the Beijing school to share her expertise, and the plot that throws them all together with expected and unexpected results. Li Yan, the lead detective, is not quite sure how to deal with Margaret Campbell, the blond and blue eyed woman who easily performs autopsies. Margaret is not sure how to deal with Li Yan who seems so brutal...and then there are the rules for everything in China. But she believes she can help. And as she helps, she also learns:

Li shrugged. “The Cultural Revolution ruined many lives
in China....”
Margaret shook her head... “What exactly was the Cultural
Revolution?” And she was immediately embarrassed by her
ignorance. “I mean, I know I should probably know.... I never
realised how little I knew about the rest of the world until I
came here.”
Li glanced at her...and thought for a moment. “You know how
it is, as a young person, to feel you have no control over your
life,that everything is run by old people? And that by the time
you are old enough to change things,you are too old to enjoy
them? Well, the Cultural Revolution reversed all that. It gave
power to the young, to change things while they were young...
Young people came from all over China to Beijing to become
Red Guards and parade in front of Mao... But really, they were
just children with all discipline removed. They went crazy. They
attacked people just because they were ‘intellectuals.’ They
could come...and take over your home...
Many people were
put in prisons or sent to labour camps. Others were killed—
just murdered. And nothing would happen to those who
killed them because the legal system had fallen apart, and
most policemen were in prison themselves or had been sent
to labour in the countryside. ( loc3350)

This is a lengthy aside in a mystery novel but this background adds much important information to Li Yan’s personal history and to the history of all of China where so many lives were lost or irrevocably changed.

But modern times have reached Beijing as the story of Firemaker makes clear. This crowded urban space is busy tearing down the past and building for the future. They have a police force with all of the latest tools but can use an alternate point of view, a different way of thinking and a highly skilled pathologist in the right place at the right time in solving these murders and their complex motivations.

Recommended along with all of Peter May’s work. I plan to read this entire series.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This book became unreadable for me due to the over the top gruesome opening. Totally unnecessary.
This is a good author and has written very entertaining books. This one seems to be targeting the most salacious reader of horror. Too bad.

The Firemaker is a re-release of the first book in the China Thrillers series by Peter May. Reformatted and published by Quercus US publishing, it's a hefty 560 pages and available in ebook and paperback formats.

This book started very slowly for me. I have been a fan of Peter May's other series for years, so I was really looking forward to this one. There seemed to be an awful lot of 'telling' instead of 'showing'. The characters spend a distressing amount of time talking about feng shui and honor and losing face, etc. After establishing the setting, the plot does pick up, but that first 100 or so pages were nearly a deal breaker for me, which shocked me. It did get a lot better and I really did wind up devouring the last 80% of the book. Peter May is a deft and very gifted writer.

I also had some trouble working up any attachment for the characters. They're introduced as professional colleagues and everyone spends the majority of their time antagonizing and belittling one another. They're all pretty unpleasant (except for Li Yan's uncle, Yifu. He's such a cool character and really comes alive in the book).

Despite the slow start and sarcastic characters, there were many good points. The background research is meticulous and accurate. The setting really comes alive.
I'm a bioengineer working in a histopathology lab and I was impressed that the author spent the time to provide good background (a little dated now, of course, the book was originally published almost 20 years ago). The plot is a bit over the top, but it is a police procedural thriller.

Three and a half stars, rounded up. Very well written.

The Firemaker by Peter May
By Jack | March 1, 2018 | Book Review

I was very surprised to see The Firemaker by Peter May available as an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) on Netgalley. I thought this was an older book. But I have been a fan of Peter May since reading his Lewis trilogy so I was interested.

The Firemaker is the first book in his set of China thrillers set in the 1990 and early 2000s. I checked and this series was published between 1999 and 2004. The reason for an ARC is this is a re-release in early 2018. The best explanation for why he decided on a re-release is the Introduction by the author.

I was not particularly interested in Chinese culture but being familiar with Peter May’s writing, I thought I would give this a try. I am glad I did.

As I expected, the writing is wonderful and the mystery is complex and very good. I did not expect to find Chinese culture so fascinating. Perhaps the author’s methods made it so.

I found the opening few pages a bit slow with the introduction of an American visiting pathologist in China but the story quickens with a grisly murder and the mystery keep deepening until the end.

The new edition would contain the author’s introduction which I enjoyed. But you can probably find an older edition at lower cost – maybe even free if you use your public library.

I like Peter May's writing but this book has aged badly. I was in and out of China in this period and his experience seems nothing like mine, to the point that I find this book unpleasant to read. I will not review online.

I recently read The Blackhouse by Peter May and was glad to be given the opportunity to read his republished earlier work The Firemaker on NetGalley.

May sets The Firemaker in China of which he has personal knowledge. This makes the book both educational and entertaining. The descriptions of life In Beijing and Chinese culture are fascinating.

Margaret Campbell, an American forensic pathologist from Chicago, is invited to teach in Beijing for six weeks. She arrives totally unprepared for life in China. Circumstances bring her to work side by side with Li Yan, recently promoted to deputy section chief, on a case where a person was ignited on fire in a city park. Her expertise is in burn victims. Humorous at times the two of them clash big time. They end up uncovering a conspiracy and get into a lot of trouble throughout the book.

I found the book to be slow at times. Also the romance that develops too quickly between Li and Margaret was unnecessary. Otherwise, The Firemaker was quite enjoyable. My favorite character was Li’s uncle recently retired from the police force. I loved the manner in which he dispensed his wisdom.

I’m looking forward to continuing this series after I finish the Lewis trilogy!

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

Many thanks to Quercus, Peter May, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Gene Splicing! I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Written by Peter May and published by Quercus, a division of Hatchett Book Group, New York in 2017, the book is the first of a series of police procedurals set in Beijing, China in the late 1990s and early 21st Century. The series of six so-called “crime thriller” novels is known as “The China Thrillers.” This, the first, novel was written and copyrighted in 1999. The protagonists are a Chinese police detective named Li Yan and an American forensic pathologist named Margaret Campbell. The two get off to a rocky start when Dr. Campbell’s chauffeured car hits the detective on his bicycle and causes ruined clothing and a minor injury. Campbell accuses the cyclist of not looking where he was going, causing him to lose face in front of other Chinese. This is not a recipe for cordial relations between two professionals who must later work together.

The first half of the book is pretty good. The plot develops nicely, as does the relationship between the two protagonists. New details are revealed to us in measured doses. Unfortunately the story begins to change from what had appeared to be a police procedural murder mystery to a romance between the two characters, and then to a sinister plot by powerful forces that leaves a number of people dead. I probably should have guessed that the story would devolve into a sort of science fiction when I saw the author’s emphasis on “super-rice,” and his strident political warnings about the evils of genetically modified grains and vegetables (GMOs). His specific assertions about the dangers, which are woven into the plot, are far-fetched. This detracted greatly from the quality of the book, in my view. The novel has no clear genre. Is it a police procedural? Or maybe a thriller? Perhaps it is a soft-core romance novel. On the other hand, it clearly represents an alternate reality science fiction story. Actually, the plot is chaotic.

This author clearly possesses writing skills, but he lacks focus. He also does not seem to know how to end a story. The ending of this one is abrupt and unsatisfying. Clearly, the author intends his readers to read the next novel in the series to learn what happens next, but I believe he could have done a better job of ending the story. This was an unedited proof, so I wasn’t surprised to find a couple of minor editing errors. I was just disappointed in the plot turns and the ending of the story. No more than three stars for this one.

I like Peter May's Lewis Island books and was really looking forward to this one. This is set in China when American forensic pathologist, Margaret Campbell, accepts a short teaching stint at the People's University of Public Security in Beijing. She is recovering from a personal tragedy and is cranky, out of sorts and not the least bit interested in China's customs and way of life. She just wanted a change of pace and is quite convinced of her American superiority. She is a pain to be around. Assigned a former Red Guard escort, both helper and spy, she makes everyone's life miserable.

A man found burned to death in a public park brings newly promoted Deputy Section Chief Li to his first investigation in the new job. As Campbell is an expert in burn victims she is brought into the investigation and the two clash bitterly. She is convinced of her American superiority and he of his Chinese knowledge.

The investigation takes lots of twists and turns and many personality clashes. There is a component of genetic altering of a food supply that is both very scary and realistic. It is an issue that will present itself in our near future and I am not sure we are prepared for it. The ending was spine chilling.

This was an interesting novel with some unusual ideas. It made some entertaining reading.

Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

“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.

This is, no bones about it, a super series and now readers in the US have a chance to start at the beginning. Li Yan and Margaret might seem like an odd couple - he's a Chinese detective and she's an American forensic pathologist- but they have so much in common, most notably a need to find truth. This first installment will make you want more. The characters are well rounded, the mystery complex, and best of all, May clearly has a very deep knowledge of China and the Chinese system. This was quite unique when it was initially published as not many others were writing procedurals set in places like China. Let me assure you this has held up from when I first brought a copy home from London. Yes technology ha advanced and governments have changed but at root this is quite contemporary. Thanks to the publisher for the DRC. Two thumbs up!

4 stars

Margaret Campbell is traveling to China to start a six-week stint teaching forensic pathology to students at the university there. After her exhausting trip, she is whisked away by a young woman named Lily who is representing the university. On the way to meet her boss, the car they are in collides with a police officer.

The police officer they crashed into just happens to be Li Yan. He was on his way to an interview for a promotion. He got the promotion to Deputy Section Chief. He is first assigned in leading his new team are three deaths. Two are obvious murders and then there is this strange case of a man who was burned alive. Suicide? Or murder?

Since the victim was burn case, Margaret is called in to look at the corpse. She quickly recognizes a signet ring he was wearing. After a phone call to the US, she announces that the man was Chao Heng. He was a researcher in microbial genetics. His death was a murder.

When Margaret Campbell first arrives in China, she is an irritating character. She has no respect whatsoever for other cultures. She is loud, brass and very insulting to the Chinese people who she comes into contact. Slowly, she begins to get the idea, even has a grudging respect for certain aspects of the culture.

Teamed up with Li for the duration of the investigation, Margaret is surprised to find herself liking him. She is frustrated at the slowness and what she sees as the inefficiency of the Chinese system. Copying something takes hours and securing a slide projector for her lecture series is maddening.

When some startling facts come to light about the autopsy of Chao Heng and the significance of the facts for the billions of Chinese, Li and Margaret realize that there is a conspiracy at the highest levels of government. Soon they are running for their lives.

As with all of Peter May’s novels, this book is well written and plotted. However, I didn’t care for it as much as his other books that I’ve read. The suspense is almost non-existent at first but it builds all the way to an exciting chase and a somewhat surprising ending. I didn’t care much for Margaret’s character. Even as she mellowed in the story, I couldn’t forget how boorish she was in the beginning of the book. The character Li was more likeable. I really liked his uncle. I enjoy Mr. May’s writing and will continue to read his novels.

I want to thank NetGalley and Quercus (US) for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read and enjoy.