Stealing Time

I really liked this mystery! April Woo is a wonderful heroine...complex, victimized by a mother who just happens to be Chinese (but sounds a lot like many mothers I have known), and fighting her insecurities just like the rest of us. The New York background is well drawn, and the plot is crafted intricately and maintains suspense. Leslie Glass is a writer who crafts her prose well, too. "Stealing Time" is one good book.

Once again Leslie Glass has produced a fast paced lst rate mystery centered upon a heroine, Dectective Woo, of complexity -- a modern professional woman who struggles to preserve loyalty to her family yet separate psychologically from family myths and outdated cultural expectations which distress her.The reader is provided a double treat: the opportunity to track down the "bad guys" while enjoying this heroine's psychological growth.

I recommend this book to any mystery buff who enjoys a plot of medium complexity, some interesting characters, and a touch of humor. The book is one of a series featuring NYPD detective April Woo, who is not anyone's idea of a stereotypical Chinese-American female. She, however, must deal with multicultural pressures including her own zany mother who's prescription for any medical ailment is "dragon bones and sour herbs". The mystery involves a missing child and a beaten mother and brings April back to her old haunts in New York's Chinatown where the reader is introduced to a number of sinister characters. There is no gratuitous violence; there is not a long list of suspects or crimes. I had one disappointment with the plot. The book devotes much time in building up the reader's compassion for one of the characters only to have the character killed off; I would have liked a happier ending. But it held my attention and I look forward to more in the series.

By far the best in this compelling series, STEALING TIME is a gripping read. I am constantly shocked by Glass's masterful ability to bring her reader inside the complex and realistic character of April Woo again and again. Unlike many other mystery series I have tried, the TIME series creates a true fictional world inhabited by believable and engaging characters; it remains the only modern mystery series that captivates my attention. STEALING TIME is a gem. Cheers, Ms. Glass! Keep up the good work!

Heather Rose Popescue, a Chinese-American married to Anton, an abusive male, gives away the baby she has passed off as her own. She knows Anton will be furious, but she is determined to do the right thing from now on. That is an understatement as she is beaten into unconsciousness for refusing to have sex with the Popescue who comes into her home. The case is assigned to Sargent April Woo with extreme pressure to quickly solve the case: discover Heather's attacker and find out the location of the missing baby. However, April soon learns that Heather never gave birth to the missing child and Anton is too clever to leave the marks on her face that the culprit left. April digs deeper even though she has to place her own life on the line to catch the true perpetrator. STEALING TIME provides readers with a gigantic growth in April's role as a police officer and as a woman. She now heads up the investigation and it is her career that is on the line if she fails to produce the answers. Though he is finally her lover, Mike Sanchez is no longer her partner. Readers will begin to woo Leslie Glass, who keeps getting better with each new novel. Leslie Glass has the talent to take her to the top of her chosen profession.Harriet Klausner