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4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the better Aprl Woo mysteries- 2nd in the series, April 5 2004
April Woo, a Chinese-American police detective is a fascinating character who grows and evolves throughout the books in the series. It's a nice change of pace to read a mystery series in which the characters do not simply remain static, but rather have all the dynamics of real people who experience intense situations and are changed by them as a result. Ms. Glass' characterization is superb. You see the main characters as real people because they have depth. You get to know their quirks, foibles, and motivations. April's ambivalence between her duty as a cop and the demands of her over-bearing and very "old-country" Mother are intriguing. While you empathize with April's exasperation toward her Mother, the exchanges between them are hilarious. Therefore, you don't feel annoyed or worn out from their clashes. You're simply left smiling and realizing your own Mom isn't so bad after all! The other 2 lead characters are also realistically drawn. Psychiatrist Jason Frank, M.D. is highly intelligent, yet his life is far from perfect. He & his somewhat self-centered (and occasionally pouty) struggling-actress wife, Emma, are opposites. This results in mild arguments and even a brief estrangement in this book. Jason is very likeable, but is self-centered in his own way. Not a shallow, superficial way like
Emma, but rather in that he is so conscientious that his medical career and patients come not only before his own needs, but also before that of Emma's. And despite being a Psychiatrist, Jason does not seem entirely well-adjusted. His big quirk is his huge antique clock collection driven by his obsession with time, hence the title of the books. Albeit, given that his patients are allotted one hour time slots & therefore he does not have the "luxury" of running late like most physicians, his obsession is understandable. Detective Mike Sanchez is also nicely developed over the course of the first few books. Sanchez is a possible love interest for April. It's very believable because Glass develops the prospective romance slowly. It is a book that should still appeal to men because the romance is not cheesy or predominant. Unlike some books, which are primarily romance but are disguised at thrillers/mysteries (i.e. Sandra Brown, whom I like, but only in small doses because she is rather formula-like) or those which are equal parts mystery & romance (i.e. Linda Howard, whose book "Mr. Perfect" was exceptional but was definitely geared to the female reader). I have read the first 3 April Woo books and am almost done with the 4th and so far April Woo hasn't "hit the sheets with anyone" but given Ms. Glass' style, I'm sure it will be tastefully done. I seriously doubt that Glass would resort to the smarmy, overused phrases and graphic style found in those steamy, yet cheesy, formula romance books. Her writing is very real -- not "over-the-top". "Hanging Time" was not quite as good as "Burning Time" (the first book in the series), however it is less graphic/gory. If you find books like Thomas Harris' "Silence of the Lambs" and James Patterson's "Kiss the Girls" too disturbing you should probably pass on "Burning Time", however you should be able to handle "Hanging Time" unless you have a very weak stomach. (In which case you should try Mary Higgins Clark's mysteries. If those are still too intense for you, mystery is probably not your genre!) Although the mystery is fairly easy to figure out, the book is still very entertaining and superior to most detective novels.
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