Introduction

First in a delightfully charming crime series set in 1930s Singapore, introducing amateur sleuth Su Lin, a local girl stepping in as governess for the Acting Governor of Singapore.

1936 in the Crown Colony of Singapore, and the British abdication crisis and rising Japanese threat seem very far away. When the Irish nanny looking after Acting Governor Palin's daughter dies suddenly - and in mysterious circumstances - mission school-educated local girl Su Lin - an aspiring journalist trying to escape an arranged marriage - is invited to take her place.

But then another murder at the residence occurs and it seems very likely that a killer is stalking the corridors of Government House. It now takes all Su Lin's traditional skills and intelligence to help British-born Chief Inspector Thomas LeFroy solve the murders - and escape with her own life.

'Simply glorious. Every nook and cranny of 1930s Singapore is brought richly to life, without ever getting in the way of a classic puzzle plot. But what's a setting without a jewel? Chen Su Lin is a true gem. Her slyly witty voice and her admirable, sometimes heartbreaking, practicality make her the most beguiling narrator heroine I've met in a long while.' Catriona McPherson

'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. Ovidia Yu's teenage Chinese sleuth gives us an insight into a very different culture and time. This book is exactly why I love historical novels.' Rhys Bowen

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Excerpt

‘Don’t women know how much things cost?’ Le Froy asked. He was talking not about his new gas stove or the headless, footless chicken (‘Thought it would save you some work’) with which he had presented me, but about the late Lady Palin’s bills, which I would be paying with Miss Nessa’s money later that afternoon. I could have said something about men not knowing the value of things ? chicken necks and claws made good stock and ‘phoenix claws’, stewed with ginger, cloves and star anise, were a delicacy.

‘Rich people don’t have to worry about money.’

‘Au contraire. Rich people worry more about money than poor people. That’s how they get rich.’

I thought he was trying to annoy me and concentrated on adding more of the finely pounded red chillies to the sauce I was stirring. I had already made clear that the shopkeepers in town (including Uncle Chen and Shen-Shen) ran an account, paid monthly, for families like the Palins. The only things not put on it were alcohol and tobacco, and I doubted Lady Palin had bought either.

‘I don’t mean women like you, of course. Or any of your good Mission ladies,’ Le Froy continued, apparently oblivious. ‘But society women like Lady Palin, buying hats and dresses, stuff for dresses, ribbons . . . and with her never going to church or attending the socials, when did she wear all those things? That’s like you buying half a pig and twenty gallons of coconut milk to feed four people.

‘This chicken, for instance . . .’ he prodded the curried chicken in rich yellow-gold sauce that I placed in front of him ‘. . . you can probably tell me exactly how old it is, how much it cost and probably who I bought it from, can’t you?’

‘That’s different,’ I said sullenly, only adding, ‘sir,’ when he was about to continue. ‘And the woman probably charged you too much for an old bird.’ But curry was good for flavouring and tenderizing old birds. view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

1. Did you find it easy or difficult to relate to the characters, the location and the time period?
2. What do you think of the relationship between the people of Singapore and their British colonizers? (eg some career options only open to white people) Have you observed similar imbalances based on race, money or status? How does that make you feel?
3. Do you agree with Su Lin’s reputation for ‘bad luck’, given that without the death of her parents and limp from polio a girl from her background would have been married off without being sent to school? Would she have been better off if her parents had lived?
4. The fragrant frangipani tree, often planted in graveyards in the old days, still carries romantic associations with ghosts and lost love. But many today plant them in their gardens. Would the old stories bother you?
5. Did anything about the book make you feel uncomfortable?
6. If you were to write a book set in this time period (1930’s, between the two wars) inspired by your own family’s experiences, where would you set it?
7. It’s often said that the one thing all Singaporeans take seriously is food. Did you find any of the food in the book appealing? Can you trace any of your favourite dishes to your parents’ and grandparents’ childhoods?

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