The Firemaker

Travel Guide

BookTrail Travel to Bejing

Travel with author Peter May to China in #Authorsonlocation

Beijing life  – such a vivid setting evoked with sights, sounds and smells of the outdoor restaurants, the heat of the sun, the dust of the streets and the noisy chaos of  the crowds and busy scenes.

The setting described so colourfully and in such detail:

“The sun was dipping lower in the late afternoon, dazzling though the dust and insect that caked the windscreen”

With the streets and settings so clear, you could even get your own way around the city. You might want to be careful of sitting down and eating some of the delicacies on offer however after having reading this novel. The city is in the process of change and the signs are everywhere:

Forbidden City

The cultural differences between America and China are examined at every turn. Cultural sayings, proverbs, differences in police work and the changes that Beijing is facing such as on the issue of human rights. This novel was first published in 1999 so that some mentions are now out of date but interesting to see which changes have made and how things have stayed the same.

The intricate procedural work of the Beijing detective, Li Yan and the American pathologist, Margaret Campbell and their complex relationship gives an insight into the topics of genetic modification  and post-mortems.

And not forgetting the Chinese food, the pancakes and the other ‘ delicacies’