American pathologist Margaret Campbell and her former lover, Beijing detective Li Yan, are forced to work together again when they discover that a huge illegal trade in Chinese immigrants is taking place in Texas.  Margaret wants to just do her job and solve the mystery of where the Chinese immigrants came from. Li Yan wants to help his fellow countrymen in making sure that no more Chinese lives are lost. Will Margaret and Li be able to get past their history and work together, or will they both be too distracted by each other to figure out who is behind the trade in Chinese immigrants?

Peter May has written several mystery novels over the years. Snakehead originally came out in 2002 as the 4th installment of the China Thrillers Series.  The characters of Margaret Campbell and Li Yan are strong and have been well developed. It is clear that there is chemistry between the characters, and that chemistry enables them to endure a lot of heat both professionally and personally.

The mystery of who is really behind this $100 million trade in illegal Chinese immigrants is slightly predictable but full of action that makes Snakehead an enjoyable mystery novel. The action makes readers eager to turn to the next page to see what happens.