Burning Time (April Woo)

I was made aware of Leslie Glass' novel by a Japanese friend of mine, who had read her translated books and thought that the Asianness of the book was great. We're both big mystery fans, so I quickly went out and bought whatever Glass novels I could find. Being half Asian, it is great to not only see a leading Asian character, but also see someone capture the Asian culture and essence so well. April's mother is somewhat like my mother (and definitely like many of my friend's Chinese mothers!), she always makes me laugh - especially her dialog, which is just so true to form. I would be very interested to find out how Glass learned so much about Chinese culture??Compared to her other books (I'm afraid I haven't read then in chronological order), this one came across as a bit more gruesome and gory. However, I enjoyed it nevertheless. It's a good murder mystery, with solid characters, what else can one ask for?

This was my first exposure to Leslie Glass - great first impressions! I really enjoyed the book, the characters were well defined and the plot was exciting and twisted. April Woo is a great character - strong, independent and smart! Other reviewers have correctly compared this author to Thomas Harris (Hannibal series) - April is similar to Clarice, the serial killer plot is well thought out and moves at a great pace. I have already purchased Hanging Time and can't wait to get started!

Has she ever written a bad book? I'm amazed at the suspense.

This is the first book I have read by Leslie Glass and was pleasantly surprised. My husband also read the book and liked it very much. The plot is believable, as are the characters. The book moves along at a quick pace and I liked how the author went back and forth among the characters. I'm looking forward to reading Leslie's other books. The vilain was quite creepy without being too gory.

This book introduces Detective Woo, a twentyish Chinese American detective and Dr. Frank, a fortyish psychiatrist in a true to life police milieu which serves as the crossroads to characters of varied ethnic origins and social classes. Leslie Glass knows how to tell a suspense story a la Silence of the Lambs. But the books deapth comes from the way Glass shows the gradual emergence of trust in the detective hero. She learns how to work with men without working under them. And of course love conquers all. Excellent read. Why this is not a movie yet I can't imagine.