Un accident de chantier découvre une fosse contenant les corps démembrés de plusieurs jeunes femmes. Li Yan et Margaret Campbell sont appelés pour mener l’enquête. Un 3e volume sombre et tendu qui sème habilement indices et fausses pistes, mêle vie quotidienne chinoise et chocs culturels, ainsi que vie privée et professionnelle des protagonistes. On peut cependant regretter une similitude dans les intrigues de la série et un couple d’enquêteurs dont les relations évoluent peu jusqu’à présent. ( )

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50 omicidi ( )

Inspector Li is called in to "close" a particularly gruesome case of multiple murders involving multiple body parts. Identification of the victims from the hacked up body parts is the initial phase of the investigation and clues proceed slowly from there. Margaret C, American forensic pathologist-- and Li's girlfriend -- is also part of the investigating team.
Interesting interwoven narratives: first of all solving the crime, then the romantic relationship which is at times a triangle, and the fascinating backdrop describing the social and physical environment of China --and Shanghai in particular. It wasn't a pleasant read since the crimes were so horrific, but a gripping and interesting tale nonetheless, literally a page turner that I lost some sleep over. My only complaint is that the author drew out the finale annoyingly padding the ending with extra pages of extraneous description. ( )

I really enjoy Peter May's China-based mysteries. They're a great mixture of basic procedural tactics, the strong personalities of the investigators, a little romance, Chinese investigative techniques, and forensic science. The writing is very simple and straightforward, which is actually welcome since the complexities of Chinese ways, names, and places are often difficult enough to keep straight.

The plot of The Killing Room is pretty yukky... several bodies and body parts are discovered mixed in the material used in a new building in Shanghai being erected for a Chinese-American venture. Inspector Li is summoned from Beijing to lead the investigation, he's paired with a beautiful female detective on site, his on-and-off American girlfriend Margaret is called in from America to provide expert pathology services, and the race is on to solve the high profile crime.

I won't spoil the plot for you, but I will say that I really like the way the author uses the interpersonal relationships between the players to keep the tension high in what may otherwise be a straight-ahead procedural. I also feel the milieu of Shanghai (and China in general) adds a number of layers to the story: investigative techniques, legal system, language, politics, and even on the romantic side of the story. The characters are all very strong and well-developed and each contributes to the ultimate conclusion in significant ways. The ending, as with all good mysteries, wasn't something the reader could have figured out on the basis of the initial facts. The story built toward it, though, and and it ended satisfactorily. The romance between Li and Margaret continued to blow hot and cold through this book and provides an interesting sub-plot.

Peter May has written 3 series, one set each in France, China, and Scotland. He's not what I'd consider to be a flashy writer, but if you enjoy procedural mysteries you can't go wrong with any book from any of his series. ( )

From Amazon:

When the mutilated and dismembered bodies of eighteen women are discovered in a mass grave in Shanghai, Li is sent to establish if the corpses are related to an unsolved murder in Beijing, and he finds the most horrifying catalog of killings ever uncovered in the Middle Kingdom.

Once more, Margaret is unsure of her mercurial relationship with Li, and if it will threaten their professional collaboration. Having just suffered the heartbreak of burying her father, she arrives in Shanghai to find any partnership with Li threatened by another woman named Mei-Ling. Born in the Year of the Tiger, Mei-Ling seems to have her claws firmly fixed in Li. How can Margaret, a mere “foreign devil,” compete with Mei-Ling, the deputy head of Shanghai’s serious crime squad?

My Thoughts:

I really like the way the author uses the interpersonal relationships between the players to keep the tension high in what may otherwise be a straight-ahead procedural. I also feel the milieu of Shanghai (and China in general) adds a number of layers to the story: investigative techniques, legal system, language, politics, social policies, and even tension on the romantic side of the story. The characters are all very strong and well-developed and each contributes to the ultimate conclusion in significant ways. The ending, as with all good mysteries, wasn't something the reader could have figured out on the basis of the initial facts. The story built toward it, though, and and it ended satisfactorily. The romance between Li and Margaret continued to blow hot and cold through this book and provides an interesting sub-plot. ( )