The Firemaker: The explosive crime thriller from the author of The Enzo Files (The China Thrillers Book 1)

Name: The Firemaker: The explosive crime thriller from the author of The Enzo Files (The China Thrillers Book 1)
Price: 0.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4 (8463 reviews)
Author: Peter May

by Peter May

Mystery Thriller Thriller

4.0 (8,463)

4.0 stars from 8,463 reviews. One of the highest rated Mystery Thriller books we track.

453 pages~7.6 hr readPublished by Hachette UKPublished 2012-06-14

$0.99Deal86% off peak

Last checked: May 2, 2026

Price history: $0.99 – $6.99

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Price range: $0.99 – $6.99

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Perfect for you if...

You enjoy crime thrillers with genuine international settings and cultural depth, not just exotic backdrops.
You're drawn to procedural crime fiction where the detective work feels meticulous and grounded in real forensic science.
You appreciate slow-burn mysteries where the personal stakes of the protagonists matter as much as the case itself.

Maybe not for you if...

You want fast-paced action from page one. This book takes time building Li and Campbell's partnership before the stakes truly escalate.
You're looking for a standalone novel. This is the first in a series, and whilst it resolves its central mystery, the characters' arcs continue across multiple books.
You prefer stories set in familiar Western cities. The Beijing setting and Chinese cultural elements are central to the narrative.

About this book

The first book in Peter May's China Thrillers series, featuring Beijing detective Li Yan and American pathologist Margaret Campbell. Li Yan, a detective devoted to his career as a way to restore his family's respect lost during the Cultural Revolution, discovers a grotesquely burned corpse in a city park. He needs outside help to solve the case. Margaret Campbell, a forensic pathologist who left America and her troubled past behind, finds the unidentified body a welcome distraction from her work-focused life. As she examines the cadaver, she uncovers a bizarre anomaly. An unlikely partnership forms between Li and Campbell as they pursue the investigation. Their volatile chemistry exposes their personal demons while uncovering a larger conspiracy that threatens both their lives and those of millions of others.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$0.99 – $6.99

Currently on sale at $0.99 — 86% off peak. Price has dropped 5 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 552 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently around #27K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller. Sales have softened 20% recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 4.0★ from 8,463 reviews

Gaining approximately 27 new reviews per month. Steady word of mouth growth. Rating has remained stable at 4.1 over the tracking period.

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Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $0.99. It typically returns to around $6.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.