The Fourth Sacrifice

By: Peter May

Narrated by: Peter Forbes

The Chinese police have once more been forced to enlist the services of American forensic pathologist Margaret Campbell, this time to investigate a series of four horrific ritual executions in Beijing.

Detective Li Yan is determined to discover just how one of the victims in particular, an American diplomat, became caught up in the slaying. And he is arguably even more determined to have nothing to do with Campbell, whom he finds simultaneously too foreign and too . . . familiar.

The personal polarity that once attracted Yan and Campbell again strengthens their professional partnership. Yet the closer they draw to the truth, the greater the danger posed by a killer prepared to do anything to conceal it.

Critic reviews

Praise for Peter May:

"He is a terrific writer doing something different."—Mark Billingham

"From the first page I knew I was in safe hands. I knew I could trust this writer."—Sophie Hannah

"Peter May is a writer I'd follow to the ends of the earth."—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times

Ok

Story was decent but too much talk, rehashing emotions, and romancing. Not enough actual doing things.

Great addition to the series!!

I absolutely love this book series. After The Firemaker, I could not wait to read The Fourth Sacrifice and see what happens between Margaret and Li Yan. I will definitely be continuing on with the series. Peter May does a good job of keeping you guessing about the "whodunit" until the last page.

Agree with need for female editor

Someone wrote here that he needs a female editor or friend to keep him from writing both embarrassing and insulting female characters. This story was marred by passages that seemed taken from a poorly written romance novel. May is better than this and his early books were excellent without a hint of this problem. His mysteries are otherwise well developed and this has a good basic story.

Disappointed

Not easily navigated. soft conclusion. The ending was forced. I would not purchase it again.

A big come down from Lewis Man trilogy

After Lewis Man I thought I would enjoy anything by Peter May. This was a very conventional murder mystery. The only thing that made it the least original was its setting in China with a Chinese male cop sharing the role of protagonist unequally with a female American forensic pathologist.