"Margaret Campbell, an American forensic pathologist, is doing a six-week lecture stint in Beijing. The last thing she expects, or is equipped to deal with, is a serial killer. Teaming up with a local police detective (with whom she had a seriously rocky start), Margaret gets a crash course in the many levels of Chinese society. This is the first installment of a series that has been very popular in Britain (six novels have been published), and it's easy to see why. Margaret Campbell is a well--crafted heroine, plain speaking and sharp witted, and her partner, Li Yan, possesses all the cultural graces and knowledge of Chinese society Margaret so sorely lacks. The author plays up the cultural differences and the odd-couple nature of their relationship, but he never gets too silly about it. It's a pleasure to be introduced to these two investigators, and readers will eagerly await the publication of further installments in the series." --Booklist