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April Woo is an American-born Chinese woman trying to make her own way in the world. She is a lieutenant for the New York Police Department and has a good track record of catching criminals. She is also a newlywed, married recently to her former partner Mike Sanchez, now a captain at a separate NYPD precinct. Due to circumstances beyond their control they have yet to go on their honeymoon and they are both ready to leave at the weekend. Now it is being jeopardized, once again, by an investigation. This time it involves the brutal murder of a celebrity chef's trophy wife. The case then takes an unexpected turn and other people in the chef's circle die. The killer may be hiding in plain sight and it will take NYPD's finest to catch the murderer. Hopefully, for Woo and Sanchez's case, the case will be solved in the next few days. The strength of Leslie Glass's April Woo series usually involves culture clashes especially with April's traditionalist and superstitious mother. A CLEAN KILL mostly focuses on an upscale world -- that of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. In this particular case the war is between two groups -- the trophy wives versus the live-in help. Both are insecure in their standings, both knowing that they can be removed from their luxury homes at any time. Glass puts a jab on both ends of the spectrum feeding the stereotypes of these two groups. Unfortunately, it does not enhance the story. The main problem the book has is that readers are going to feel cheated with its conclusion. The author might have had a plan, but it seems that she deviated a bit. There is very little revealed throughout the story that leads the character to the conclusion the plot takes readers. It is unconvincing and leaves a bitter aftertaste swallowing something that briefly came out of nowhere. The author still has a good eye for character development and there are tight police procedural aspects but that is all you will get. A CLEAN KILL is not one of the best, but there are still good April Woo books still around. You might have better luck there.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, July 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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