The Runner (China Thrillers Series #2) »

Peter May won the Scottish Young Journalist of the Year Award at 21 and had his first novel published at 26. He went on to become a successful Scottish television dramatist. He lives in France with his wife Janice Halley.

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. In this fifth China Thriller, Chinese detective Li Yan and American pathologist Margaret Campbell are back in Beijing confronting a sinister sequence of murders which threatens to destroy the future of international athletics.

Publishers Weekly

In May's engaging fifth entry in his contemporary China series (Snakehead, etc.), American-born forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell is trying to take it easy, awaiting the birth of her first child. Her soon-to-be-husband, Section Chief Li Yan of the Beijing police, isn't so lucky—he's overwhelmed with dead bodies. Li reluctantly enlists Margaret's aid after five Chinese athletes turn up dead. Suspecting that a suicide and several “accidents” are murder, Li must discover the truth while preventing a major scandal as the country prepares for the Beijing Olympics. Worse still is the imminent arrival of Li's estranged father and Margaret's mother for the couple's nuptials. A fluid plot, rounded characters, and deft handling of two very different cultures make this a winner. Readers should note that the sixth installment, Chinese Whispers, was published in the U.S. in 2009. (Feb.)