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!