Product Description

It's a foggy early September evening when Dr. Maslow Atkins, a psychoanalytic candidate and student, is assaulted and disappears in Central Park. The only people who know what happened to him are Pee Wee, an inebriated homeless man hoping for a handout; Brandy and David, two wealthy private school kids who roam the Internet and Central Park; and Allegra, Maslow's disturbed young patient who's obsessed with him.

Investigating outside her jurisdiction of Midtown North and without authority in the sacred confines of the Central Park Precinct, NYPD Detective Sergeant April Woo prompts a media frenzy and the rage of the whole department with a K-9 search that yields nothing. Nothing, that is, except the keen interest of Brandy and David, who think they can tease the cops, bluff the tracking dog, and get away with murder.

April's gut instinct still tells her that Maslow is alive, and she won't stop until she finds him. Working against the clock and demons of her own, she and psychoanalyst Dr. Jason Frank become embroiled in a surprising and lethal tangle of family secrets and adolescent rage. Nobody escapes unscathed, for no family's story is as innocent as it seems.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3685715 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10
• Format: Abridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 4
• Binding: Audio Cassette

Amazon.com Review
The appealing Chinese American NYPD detective April Woo is back in this popular series. Psychiatrist Jason Frank has asked for her help in finding Maslow Atkins, a training analyst who's gone missing after a therapy session with his patient Allegra Caldera, a highly disturbed young woman. Maslow was last seen setting off for an evening run through Central Park, so April calls in a canine tracking unit. The dog's discovery of the body of a homeless man who was the only known witness to Maslow's abduction causes a rift between April and her boyfriend Mike Sanchez, the homicide cop who abruptly pulls rank to take over the case. But April stays on Maslow's trail anyway, and soon finds that although Allegra seems to be the logical suspect, two out-of-control teenagers from affluent families may also be involved in the kidnapping and murder. When Allegra turns out to be connected to Maslow in ways neither he nor Jason Frank suspected, the plot takes another fascinating turn.

What makes author Leslie Glass's police procedural series unique (Stealing Time, Judging Time, Loving Time) is the cross-cultural relationship between April and Sanchez, a romance doomed to failure, according to Skinny Dragon, April's endlessly fascinating mother. It took several books in the Time series for April to fall into Mike's well-muscled arms, and if Skinny Dragon has her way, there'll be plenty more before she dances at their wedding. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly
Six books into Glass's April Woo series (Stealing Time; Judging Time; etc.), the NYPD detective remains one of the more promising yet frustrating characters in crime fiction. Woo is caught between three culturesAher native Chinese, her adopted American and that dictated by the Job. Woo lives at home with her parents, tethered by Chinese morality and lifestyle, yet she is one of the most hard-driving, career-minded detectives on the force. Despite such unusual qualities, she is not particularly companionable. In her latest outing, she's cold and standoffish, stranded in a so-so plot in which she just barely takes center stage. Woo is on the hunt for a missing psychiatrist, Maslow Atkins, who disappears in Central Park during an evening jog. Chief among the suspects is Allegra Caldera, one of Atkins's patients, who may be stalking him. Unknown to Woo, Allegra is also the victim of foul play, kidnapped by the same hoods who snagged Atkins. Together, they are imprisoned in a tiny cave in Central Park, not quite dead but badly beaten. Their tormentors are two spoiled, thrill-seeking teens, David Owen and Brandy Fabman, products of privileged Manhattan backgrounds. Woo struggles through the case, worrying about her minor missteps, fretting about how she's perceived by the higher-ups, wringing her hands over her failings as a daughter and lover. The search ends predictably and without much punch, yet the strength of Glass's story lies in her cultivation of themesAbroken families, culture clash, ambition and prideAas well as her strong portrayals of secondary characters. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Riveting… with a plot as real as today’s headlines, nail-biting suspense, and palpable tension, TRACKING TIME is a classic page-turner." -- Romantic Times, October 2000

Customer Reviews

An excellent installment in this great series
Psychiatrist Dr. Maslow Atkins uses running in Central Park just before twilight to relieve some of his stress. One particular day, a patient, Allegra meets Maslow at the entrance to the park. He reminds her that he will see her in his office tomorrow. However, the next day Maslow fails to show up for an appointment with his mentor Dr. Jason Frank, who calls his friend Lieutenant April Woo to see what happened to Maslow.

April conducts a search even employing a K9 team but all she learns is that a wino witnessed two people attack a third person that might be Maslow. April meets Allegra at the doctor's office, but has no grounds to detain the woman who they find out later is Maslow's half-sister. Allegra is the next one to vanish. April believes two teens associated with both victims have something to do with the incidents, but no one can find them either.

With each new work, the April Woo tales seem to get better which is no mean feat since the quality has always been sky high. April continues to mature, as she becomes stronger due to her new experiences. Her newfound independence begins to separate her from a dependence on her Chinese relatives and the rest of the Chinese community. Leslie Glass uses her beguiling heroine to provide a humanized police investigation that turns TRACKING TIME into a wonderful treat for anyone who enjoys a great story starring a strong individual with a touch of romance to add flavoring to a tasty stew.

Harriet Klausner

The Best In The Series
Tracking Time, the most recent book in this series that features Detective Sergeant April Woo suceeds not only as a thrilling suspense novel but a disturbing look at today's society. April takes on the whole department as she searches for missing psychoanalytic student Maslow Atkins and uncovers shocking family secrets and teen violence right out of today's headlines.

Tracking Time is well-plotted with the added dimension and depth of well sketched characters and relationships that keeps you turning the page.

ANOTHER EXCITING ENTRY IN THIS GREAT SERIES
When Dr. Maslow Atkins, a young New York psychiatrist, goes for his jog in Central Park and does not come out, an immediate investigation is prompted...

Leading the investigation is detective sergeant April Woo.

After being urged by friend Jason Frank, to look into the psychiatrist's disappearance, April will dive into every aspect of Maslow's life, as well as his patient's...including a young girl who likes to cut herself and harbors a dark secret.

Even when the entire police force puts pressure to close the case, April, will proceed to look for the missing doctor and solve the case.

"Tracking Time" is another great entry in an already excellent series. April Woo is the toughest, smartest and most genuine of all characters in suspense fiction, and Leslie Glass continues to turn out fresh, suspensful plots with each new novel she writes.

Any fan of suspensful, police procedurals should look to the April Woo series for a great read.