Aunty Lee, owner of Aunty Lee's Delights, twisted her ankle, and her new partner Cherril is helping her run her restaurant, along with some hired help and Aunty's trusted domestic helper Nina. But when a murder is committed in a hotel, and the dead woman has ties with some of Aunty's friends, the elderly restaurateur's detecting instincts resurface, and there is no wasting time after a second murder occurs.
Ovidia Yu certainly puts the cozy in mystery in AUNTY LEE'S CHILLED REVENGE. I find this astonishing given that a main character is exceedingly disagreeable, rude, prejudiced in every way, and still the atmosphere of the book remains comfortable and pleasant; it takes superior writing skills to make that sort of situation work. Aunty Lee is an endearing dumpling of an old lady, an amateur sleuth, a nosy busybody, but never too much so. Every character in AUNTY LEE'S CHILLED REVENGE is thoroughly fleshed out, and I absolutely adored the imperturbable Nina, Aunty's Filipina assistant; she's a perfect counterpart to her boss. Even though this is the third instalment in this series, I never felt I was missing anything, apart of having deprived myself of two other great books.
Ms. Yu integrates local tidbits of lore, customs, Singlish expressions, and of course all that mouth- watering food! All this is so skilfully done that it gives the feeling of being in Singapore, of getting to know the place but also the characters, which I found extremely clever in building up the suspense, sprinkling clues along the way as we get to know everyone and everything better. I also love the mix of multicultural characters; it's so nice for a change. At some point, I figured out one part of the mystery, and as to the outcome, I was as wrong as could be! There are some absolutely shocking plot twists, however of such logic, I was simply astounded at how Ovidia Yu blended it all in to form an extraordinary, and very entertaining, story.
I have been a reader of mystery novels almost since I learned how to read, I am extremely hard to please and very picky. AUNTY LEE'S CHILLED REVENGE was the first book I'd ever read by Ms. Yu, and I must say it is one of the most cleverly plotted, ingenious, meticulously constructed suspense I have ever read. I definitely consider myself a fan of Ovidia Yu's now: such genius does not come along every day! I consider AUNTY LEE'S CHILLED REVENGE one of the ten best mystery novels ever, and believe me, I have read a lot!
Rosie βAuntyβ Leeβfeisty widow, amateur sleuth and
proprietor of Singaporeβs best-loved home cooking
restaurantβis back in another delectable, witty mystery
set in Singapore.
Slightly hobbled by a twisted ankle, crime-solving
restaurateur Aunty Lee begrudgingly agrees to take a rest
from running her famous cafΓ©, Aunty Leeβs Delights, and
turns over operations to her friend and new business
partner Cherril.
The cafΓ© serves as a meeting place for an animal rescue
society that Cherril once supported. They were forced to
dissolve three years earlier after a British expat killed
the puppy sheβd adopted, sparking a firestorm of scandal.
The expat, Allison Fitzgerald, left Singapore in
disgrace, but has returned with an ax to grind (and a
lawsuit). At the cafΓ© one afternoon, Cherril receives
word that Allison has been found dead in her hotelβand
foul play is suspected. When a veterinarian, who was also
involved in the scandal, is found dead, suspicion soon
falls on the animal activists. What started with an
internet witch hunt has ended in murderβand in a tightly
knit, law-and-order society like Singapore, everyone is
on edge.
Before anyone else gets hurtβand to save her businessβ
Aunty Lee must get to the bottom of what really happened
three years earlier, and figure out who is to be trusted
in this tangled web of scandal and lies.
"Somebody killed the puppy killer!"
Aunty Lee announced, coming into the back kitchen where
Nina and the helpers were packing food into bento style
meal packs. There were seldom many customers in the lull
between brunch and high tea, but if anyone did come, Nina
had a selection of 'Specials' for them to buy.
Nina had worked for Aunty Lee and her late husband for
years. Back in the days when Aunty Lee sold yam cake and
pineapple tarts and achar out of her Binjai Park house it
was thanks to Nina she had not given away more than she
sold. Now it was still the business-minded Nina who
managed the shop accounts. Thanks to careful investments
of her pay, Nina was already one of the largest
landowners in her village back in the Philippines. On her
last visit home, it had seemed that every friend and
neighbor had a husband for her to settle down with. They
could not understand why, if she no longer needed the
foreign money, did Nina want to go back to Singapore?
"What happened to her?" Nina had not understood
Singaporean rage over the case. With people in the world
struggling to afford food and medicine it was difficult
to get worked up over a dog that had been humanely put
down. Even now she had more important things on her mind
than what had happened to the woman. "Why are you walking
around? What are you looking for?"
"Salim didn't say yet. But I'm sure she was murdered or
why would they send him here to question the sister,
right? I want to give them something to drink. For the
shock, you know."
"I'll get it. You go and sit down." Nina did not call her
'Madam' and Aunty Lee, pleased, sat where she was.
While waiting for the kettle to boil, Nina put a mug of
homemade soya bean milk in the microwave to heat for
Aunty Lee. She was tired of being angry with Aunty Lee,
but the old woman was like a puppy that had to be
disciplined for its own safety.
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