A Death in China

Rating:
Summary: Thrills and Intrigue Across the Pacific
Review: Hiaasen and Montalbano again show their ability to write a thriller with twists and turns enough to satisfy most readers. Tom Stratton is a college professor on a guided tour of China. During the tour, he meets his old mentor, David Wang, brother of a deputy minister in the Chinese government. They agree to meet again, but Wang turns up missing. As Stratton tries to find his friend, he uncovers a whole snake-den of double dealing and murder involving David's brother. Immediately, Stratton becomes a target for murder, beginning with being locked in a closet with a king cobra. His desperate flight gets him back to the United States, but death follows him. You jump right in during the early chapters, and the authors never let up. All in all, a satisfying tale of intrigue and action.

Rating:
Summary: Unmemorable
Review: Hiassen fans will be disappointed. This book has none of the characteristic twisted, insane humor of most of his work. In fact, it is a rather formulaic spy/action/thriller book. If it were a movie, it would star Jean-Claude VanDamme. This is not to say that it is a bad book, per say, but it is very predictable. It has all of the usual elements, and though it does have some interesting bits here and there, it is ultimately just another predictable spy/action/thriller book.

Rating:
Summary: An atmosphere of China
Review: I thought this was a good book. It has elements of both a murder mystery and a thriller/spy novel. It is definitely not Hiaasen writing his usual Florida based hilarious but hard to describe action. But if you are interested in getting a feel for life in China, at least from what I could see of it during a week visit to Peking in 1987, while reading a well written book, then give this book a try. I intend to look up other non zany Hiaasen books.

Rating:
Summary: Not typical Hiaasen, but a good thriller
Review: Lots of action, suspense, and mystery. A good read, well written. Not a "can't put it down", so only 4 stars. But if you're looking for something to take to the beach this summer, you could do worse.

Rating:
Summary: Not typical Hiaasen, but a good thriller
Review: Lots of action, suspense, and mystery. A good read, well written. Not a "can't put it down", so only 4 stars. But if you're looking for something to take to the beach this summer, you could do worse.

Rating:
Summary: Not typical Hiaasen, but a good thriller
Review: Lots of action, suspense, and mystery. A good read, well written. Not a "can't put it down", so only 4 stars. But if you're looking for something to take to the beach this summer, you could do worse.

Rating:
Summary: Clever Travel Reading
Review: This is the perfect book for reading on a long plane ride or in the middle of a sleepless night. Although formulaic, there were some very clever aspects to the plot and it was hard to put the book down. Those who have visited China will particularly enjoy the descriptive writing.