Mystery/Thriller Book Reviews

Page Two of Two

Tracking Time by Leslie Glass

Dutton, October 2000.
Hardcover, 320 pages.
ISBN: 0525944699.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.


Tracking Time
by Leslie Glass NYPD Detective April Woo has her hands full with her latest case. A bright young psychiatrist, Dr. Maslow Atkins, went out for his evening jog in Central Park, and hasn't been heard from since. April is out of her jurisdiction, but her instincts tell her that Maslow is still alive somewhere in the park. After a much-publicized K-9 search of the park fails to turn up Maslow, the full weight of the press and her superiors falls on Woo's small but sturdy shoulders. As she investigates further, April discovers that the only people who have knowledge of the doctor's disappearance are a disturbed young woman called Allegra, and two very spoiled, wealthy, sociopathic adolescents: Brandy and David. When another victim is found murdered in the park, April knows that time is running out to solve the case and to find Maslow Atkins alive.

This is one cop series which just keeps getting better and better. April Woo is a fascinating woman of many contradictions. Raised in Queens by her formidable traditional Chinese mother (Skinny Dragon to April) and her quiet, chef father, April is torn between her American upbringing and her mother's wishes (well, demands really) that she marry a nice Chinese doctor and settle down to have lots of children. Despite her diminutive size, she's a tough cop -- and a smart one. Tracking Time is an edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller; the precocious and sociopathic teens Brandy and David are chilling, especially in light of the Columbine massacre and other current events which show that clearly there are more than a few disturbed and violent teens in our society today. April's love interest, Mexican American NYPD Detective Mike Sanchez, is a compelling and likeable character, and Skinny Dragon always provides some welcome comic relief with her impossible demands and bizarre superstitions. If you haven't made the acquaintance of April Woo, by all means do so. Highly recommended.

--Claire E. White


Trust Fund by Stephen Frey

Ballantine, January 2001.
Hardcover, 341 pages.
ISBN: 0345428293.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.


Trust Fund
by Stephen Frey Bo Hancock, a financial wizard, is also the black sheep of his billionaire family. Hancock heads Warfield Capital, a multi-billion dollar investment firm which is the basis of the family's wealth. Unfortunately for Bo, his father favors his brothers Teddy and Paul, especially now that Paul is campaigning for the U.S. presidency. It looks likely that Paul will win, but the family isn't taking any chances of having Bo foul things up. They want Bo and his drinking problem out of the way. So Bo's control-freak father, with the support of his brothers, sends Bo off to nowheresville Montana. The family replaces him at Warfield and concentrates on the presidential race. However, everything is not as it seems at Warfield; Paul has some wrongdoing in his past that could damage his presidential bid, and there are plenty of enemies that would love to see the Hancocks and Warfield Capital fail. A year later, after the sudden death of his father, Bo fights his way back into the helm at Warfield only to find a slew of financial problems he has to solve. Not to mention the fact that someone is trying to kill him and ruin the reputation and financial stake of his self-absorbed family.

Stephen Frey is familiar to many readers as a writer of fast-paced, exciting financial thrillers, including The Takeover, The Inner Sanctum and The Vulture Fund. The plot of Trust Fund is not quite on par with Frey's last novel, The Insider, which was much more original and more focused. One highlight in Trust Fund is Bo Hancock, an interesting character who has to overcome a drinking problem and the ridicule of his brothers to solve his family's problems, save his marriage and avoid financial ruin. Despite a somewhat mediocre plot, fans of Stephen Frey's and financial thrillers will still enjoy this one.


Mystery Reviews
Page One | Page Two

Click Here to Return to the Book Reviews Index







More from Writers Write


  • Prince Harry Easily Tops Bestseller Lists With Spare


  • Stephen King Compares Elon Musk to Tom Sawyer


  • U.S. Postal Service Honors Shel Silverstein With Forever Stamp


  • Twitter Reveals Edit Button Under Development


  • Oprah Named 2022 PEN/Faulkner Literary Champion


  • Writing Contests
    upcoming contests
    Write Jobs
    find a job
    Writing Memes
    funny writing-related memes
    Stephen King Quotes
    quotes from the master
    Grammar Tips
    improve your writing
    Writing Prompts
    spark your creativity