The
Runner
A Li
Yan and Margaret Campbell Mystery
Peter
May
Poisoned
Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-604-2 (1590586042)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-604-4 (9781590586044)
Publication Date: February 2010
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): A top chinese swimmer kills himself of the eve of an international event -- shattering his country's hopes of victory against the Americans. An Olympic weightlifter dies in the arms of his Beijing mistress -- a scandal to be hushed up at the highest level. But the suicides were murder, and both men's deaths are connected to an inexplicable series of "accidents" which has taken the lives of some of China's best athletes.
Review:
Would you be willing to give up a job that you love for the woman that
you love, who is also expecting your child? That is the choice that Li
Yan has to face in Peter May ‘s The
Runner,
the fifth novel in the China Thriller series.
Set in Beijing, China, we learn more about the volatile relationship
between Li Yan, a head investigator for the Beijing Police Department,
and Dr. Margaret Campbell, a pathologist who recently left her job as
the head coroner of Brown County Texas to be with Li in China. Li and
Margaret are planning their wedding. However, marriage is forbidden
between a Chinese law official and a non-Chinese citizen. Li will lose
his job when he marries Margaret, a fact that he has not chosen to tell
her. Amidst the wedding plans, Li is called on to solve the mysterious
deaths of five Chinese athletes. These deaths seem unrelated at first,
but is five top athletes dying in one month just a coincidence? Lily, a
top female runner attempts to contact Dr. Campbell because she has
something important to tell her. But Lily disappears before she has a
chance to speak with her, and Margaret wonders if the information she
had was related to the deaths of the Chinese athletes. Also, someone is
leaking information to the press. Is someone in Li’s
department out to get his job?
Add to this mix Li’s belligerent father, who blames his son
for leaving him after his mother’s death.
Margaret’s prejudiced mom also helps to add to the stress
that Li and Margaret feel. How will these two prospective in-laws
manage to get along for the wedding? Will the wedding take place before
Margaret delivers their baby? Will Li sacrifice his career to marry
Margaret? You will have to read The
Runner
to find out.
I enjoyed this book and would give it five out of five stars. The Runner
gave Margaret an important role in solving the murders. I could easily
empathize with the pre-wedding stress she was going through trying to
keep her mother, future father-in-law, and fiancé happy. She
did all of this while being eight months pregnant! The conclusion kept
me guessing until the very end, and I was wrong about who Li should and
should not trust. So, if you love a good mystery set in a foreign
country, then The Runner
is for you!
Special thanks to Ruth Miller for contributing her review of The Runner and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2010 — Ruth Miller — All Rights Reserved — Reprinted with Permission
Have you read The Runner? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
The
Firemaker
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), September 2005
ISBN-10: 0-312-34294-2 (0312342942)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-34294-4 (9780312342944)
The
Fourth Sacrifice
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), February 2007
ISBN-10: 0-312-36464-4 (0312364644)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-36464-9 (9780312364649)
The
Killing Room
St. Martin's Minotaur (Hardcover), February 2008
ISBN-10: 0-312-36465-2 (0312364652)
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-36465-6 (9780312364656)
Snakehead
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), February 2009
ISBN-10: 1-59058-606-9 (1590586069)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-606-8 (9781590586068)
The Runner
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), February 2010
ISBN-10: 1-59058-604-2 (1590586042)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-604-4 (9781590586044)
Chinese Whispers
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), October 2009
ISBN-10: 1-59058-608-5 (1590586085)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-608-2 (9781590586082)
Omnimystery
keywords for The Runner
...
Location(s) referenced: Beijing, China.
