Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder

Title: Inspector Singh Investigates - A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder

Author: Shamini Flint

Genre: Mystery / Thriller

First Published: 2009

Inspector Singh is a Singaporean policeman who gets sent to Malaysia to investigate the murder of a Singaporean ex-model’s husband. Chelsea Liew was the “IT” girl of Singapore until she ended her career and married a high profile Malaysian businessman. After many years of a violent marriage, it finally ended when Chelsea’s husband was found murdered near their mansion. The Malaysian courts accuse Chelsea of murder and remand her in prison whilst Singh begins on a quest to find the truth and solve ‘whodunit’ once and for all.

I wasn’t expecting much when I first picked up this book. For one thing, I’ve had many lukewarm experiences when it comes to new authors and the summary on the cover of this book didn’t sound all too mysterious to begin with anyway. After reading a few chapters, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was fairly engaging and managed to hold my interest well beyond page 120. I think Flint did a great job in bringing the reader to the scene. The prose was interesting and she has the knack for expressing scenes and human emotions in a captivating manner. I also liked the links this story had to several social issues such as women’s rights (in a Muslim country) and environmental awareness.

The only thing lacking for me was the fact that the mystery wasn’t solved with genuine sleuthing capabilities. Rather, the whole mystery was unravelled by the fault of the killer himself. I adore genuine mysteries solved with an ingenious mind, so this bit was a little disappointing for me. I also didn’t like much of the conclusions drawn about Malaysia (by the author) via the character of Inspector Singh. Though some of it may ring a truth or two, not all of it was accurate to my mind. Nevertheless, there’s a high chance I might be picking up Inspector Singh’s next adventures: A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul and The Singapore School of Villainy.

A little bit about the Author (taken from the inside cover):

Shamini Flint lives in Singapore. She began her career in law in Malaysia and also worked at an international law firm in Singapore. She travelled extensively around Asia for work, before resigning to be a stay-at-home mum, writer, part-time lecturer and environmental activist.

 

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Title: The Gargoyle

Author: Andrew Davidson

Genre: Romance, Mystery/Thriller

Published: 2008, 465 pages 

Challenge: Thriller & Suspense Challenge 2010


From the Cover

On a dark road in the middle of the night, a car plunges down into a ravine. The driver survives the crash, but suffers horrible burns over much of his body. As he recovers from hospital, planning his suicide, a strange woman appears at the foot of his bed, insisting she saved his life a century ago. Spanning medieval Germany, Japan, Iceland, and beyond, The Gargoyle is a mesmerising novel of death, history, obsession, and faith..

My Thoughts

Let me just begin with these four little words... I LOVED THIS BOOK. It's been awhile since I've read a novel that is filled with such raw passion and intriguing mystery, and this book definitely has both. Written in the first person, The Gargoyle centers on the narrator (nameless) and a woman called Marianne Engel. When the narrator finds himself scarred for life and hospitalised due to severe burns, a woman by the name of Marianne Engel mysteriously appears in his life. Marianne Engel is an exotic and beautiful woman who claims that she was born in Germany in the year 1300 and has known the narrator for hundreds of years. The narrator is an atheist and pessimist who thinks that his life is no longer worth living due to his grotesquely disformed figure, post car-crash. Whilst he thinks that Marianne is suffering from psychological issues, he can't help but become mesmerised by her countless stories of love, war, courage and history. As the narrator goes through the process of physical healing, Marianne closely becomes an ally in his process of emotional recovery as well.

What's most interesting about this book is that it is dark and twisted, yet invokes passion and beauty all at the same time. I guess this is mainly due to the two main characters above, where one has given up on life, whilst the other breathes life. There were two main things that kept me turning the pages furiously:

1) The constant flits between the past and the present. This is where the reader is taken from the hospital room to the pages of history, and where the mystery of how Marianne came to know the narrator is slowly unraveled.

2) The various stories of undying love and passion (as narrated by Marianne) orginating from Italy, London, Japan and Iceland. My favorite one (and I think this is true for many others who have read the book) would be the tale of the Japanese woman, Sei. 

An extremely commendable debut from Davidson, this is a highly recommended book that should not escape anyone's attention. On a final note, I found this cool book trailer from Doubleday with comments from Davidson himself. Enjoy the show!

The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie

Title: The Pale Horse

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

First Published: 1961, 332 pages

Challenge: Thriller & Suspense Challenge 2010


From the Cover

When an elderly priest is murdered, the killer searches the victim so roughly that his already ragged cassock is torn in the process. What was the killer looking for? And what had a dying woman confided to the priest on the death bed only hours earlier?

Mark Easterbrook and his sidekick Ginger Corrigan are determined to find out. Maybe the three women who run The Pale Horse public house, and who are rumoured to practise the ‘Dark Arts’ can provide some answers?

My Thoughts

Mark Easterbrook is a writer who through the acquaintance of a doctor and a novelist finds himself embroiled in the mysterious murder of a Priest. Through some amateurish sleuthing and with the help of his new friend Ginger, he links several other murder cases to the Priest’s death and discovers convincing clues to suggest the killings took place via witchcraft – the perfect crime where there is no murder weapon, and where the killer cannot be linked to the crime scene.

I quite enjoyed reading this book in Christie’s many collections of cozy mysteries. The way in which Christie linked magic to murder was pure genius, and it gave a completely different atmosphere to what you’d normally find in a mystery/crime novel. As usual, Christie’s books are full of red herrings and keeps you guessing ‘til the very end. Overall, an interesting yet light an easy read that is perfect for a lazy weekend.

Random by Craig Robertson

Author: Craig Robertson

First Published: N/A (ARC)

Pages: 329 pgs 

From the Jacket: A serial killer known as The Cutter has Glasgow in his grip. His modus operandi changes with every victim and the police are utterly baffled. But when he attacks a member of the criminal underworld, The Cutter suddenly finds himself on the run from a group hellbent on bloody retribution. With his carefully laid plans falling apart, he decides to take action – with terrifying consequences…

I remember being pretty excited to be reading this book. For one thing, it was my first complimentary book that came in my mailbox (courtesy of Book Chick City and Simon & Schuster UK for signing up for the Thriller & Suspense Challenge), and for another thing, the first 100 pages were so riveting (see Teaser Tuesday # 1), it practically had me gripping the edge of my seat with my free hand.

The story starts off with the killer having dinner in a restaurant with an unidentified lady. Upon making payment for the dinner at the desk, he reaches his hand into the bowl full of business cards and pulls out a name… Jonathan Carr. Salter, Fyfe and Bryce Solicitors. 1042 Bath Street….the killer’s first victim, maimed with a carjack swung to the back of his neck and died from suffocation with his mouth sealed shut by a duct tape and his nostrils squeezed tight with a few drops of super glue. The killer later cuts off the victim’s finger as a souvenir - an absolutely gruesome and heartless murderer. After another carefully planned murder, the killer strikes again, only to discover that he had killed a person connected to the Glasgow Mafia. It was from this point onwards that I started to lose the plot. I thought that the introduction of the underground criminals into the storyline was boring and unnecessary. Although from the jacket it sounded like the killing of one of the Mafia’s men was a major hindrance to the murderer’s killing spree, it really didn’t do much to enhance the action, and was to the contrary quite dull and idealistic in parts.

What’s interesting about this book though is that the entire story is written from the killer’s perspective which gives the reader an insight into the dark and twisted mind of a psychotic serial killer. I also appreciated the research done into ensuring that the murders were believable – some of them were truly ingenious. I could also relate to one of the potential victims (scarily enough), who was selected by the murderer from Facebook! Yup, it’s definitely possible, especially made so when you read about it in Random.

Berried Alive by Kate Kingsbury

I picked this up at a warehouse sale organised by my local MPH bookstore for 5 Ringgit! (a book in Malaysia usually costs a whopping RM30 on average so this was a steal!). I’ve never actually read a book by Kate Kingsbury before. This particular one happens to be under her Manor House Mysteries, and fits perfectly under my Thriller & Suspense Challenge.

The scene is set during World War II, England, in a small village called Sitting Marsh, and centres on Lady Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton. It was a hard and trying time for the villagers of Sitting Marsh, and the growing number of American soldiers on their turf was starting to annoy the wits out of them. Especially so for a particular somebody…. As it turns out, 4 of these American Servicemen were found mysteriously dead. Lady Elizabeth, being the perfect Lady of the Manor that she is, finds it upon herself to snoop around in an attempt to solve the mysterious deaths.

What I liked about this book was that it was an easy read – a short and sweet Cozy Mystery (only 202 pages long), with an assortment of interesting characters. Apart from the main character, Lady Elizabeth, there was Martin: the befuddled butler; Violet: the no-nonsense housekeeper, Polly: the heartbroken maid who keeps thinking she saw ghosts; Rita: the contemptuous control freak; and the most appealing character of all……Major Earl Monroe, the dashing and unattainable American soldier who has a particular penchant for Lady Elizabeth. It's really cute how Elizabeth constantly finds herself having dirty thoughts about the Major, and how she tries to contain her feelings because of his married status and the reputation she needs to uphold. Scandal brewing? Maybe, but there was definitely more mystery than a scandalous romance, although the insinuated fling was a nicely added touch.

I’d recommend this if you’re wanting a light and easy read that’s entertaining enough to keep you ploughing on. Having said that, it’s not exactly a cleverly plotted murder, and some may find it a little predictable. Even the title itself is kind of a give-away, but to be fair, the author does reveal the source of the deaths quite early on in the mystery.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Author: Stieg Larsson (Translated from Swedish by Reg Keeland)
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
First published: 2005
Pages: 644 pgs.
Challenge: Thriller & Suspense Challenge 2010

Mikael Blomkvist is a financial investigative journalist who with his business partner, Erika Berger, owns the Milennium; a financial magazine known for publishing independent articles of critique in the Swede business society. After writing a condemning article on Wennerstrom, a powerful business man, Blomkvist finds himself slapped with a libel suit and consequently sentenced to 3 months in prison. The unflattering media attention on him catches the interest of another Swedish mogul; Henrik Vanger.

Vanger, who has since retired from the business world, is plagued by a mysterious event that happened more than 30 years ago and gets in touch with Blomkvist, hoping that the latter would assist him in unravelling the truth to the mystery that has been haunting him for years. But before he makes the acquaintances of Blomkvist, he appoints an independent company to perform a thorough character investigation of the journalist, and in comes Salander; a 24 year old social enigma who happens to be an extremely intelligent agent and a resourceful researcher.

Along the way, Blomkvist and Salander cross paths and together they find themselves entwined in one of the most twisted and revolting crimes in Swedish history….

My Thoughts on this exciting mystery novel:

Yup. You got it. The Girl in the Dragon Tattoo was exciting, fast-paced and one of the most ingenious crime novels I’ve read for a while. I wanted to read this book after seeing a rave review about it by vvb32 and I’m sure glad I did. This is my first novel by a European author (who’s not British) and I was pleasantly surprised to say the very least. Like vvb32 though, I wanted to knock my head against the wall when I read the first few chapters as it tended to drag too much on the characterisation of each character. (I felt that the intro on Salander’s boss, as well as Blomkvist’s first meeting with Vanger could have been alot shorter). But once I got through that, Steig Larsson had me instantly hooked. I liked Blomkvist’s nature and how he approached the mystery. A word of warning though, the truth to the mystery is quite shocking and repulsive, and some readers might find certain parts of the book disturbing. Oh, and I wouldn’t do justice without giving the translator i.e. Reg Keeland the credit that he deserves. Not many translators out there are able to preserve the originality of a story in a different language, but I think Keeland did a great job as the novel was thoroughly captivating.

The Hollow

Author: Agatha Christie
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
First Published: 1946

The last time I read an Agatha Christie book was probably 5 years ago, on my honeymoon. I was on a cruise with my husband from Singapore to Phuket, and I suddenly developed a severe eye infection. I had a swollen eyelid and my eyeball was red and teary. The discomfort was enough to kill any romantic mood I was feeling, so instead of attending the gala dinners and lively shows, my husband and I decided to visit the ship’s library and spend the nights reading on our suite’s balcony. That’s when I picked up my last Agatha Christie book.

I’ve always loved Christie’s novels and my favourite hero is none other than Hercule Poirot – the little Belgian detective with a touch of OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). The Hollow is a Poirot book but unlike most of the books under the Poirot Series, this one doesn’t feature Poirot as much as the others do.

The Hollow is an estate located on the outskirts of London, managed and owned by Sir Henry and Lady Lucy Angkatell. As the Angkatells host their weekend family gathering at The Hollow, an unexpected event occurs – a guest is shot dead. Whilst Poirot and the Police struggle to find the killer, they find themselves entangled in a web of family secrets.

As mentioned, there was very little Poirot being featured. A lot of the book was focused on the main suspects, which is a refreshing perspective compared to other Poirot books that tend to circle around the Belgian detective’s thoughts. Here, Christie gives readers a chance to self-evaluate the minds of each character in detail, sort of like a psycho-analysis if you like. The little bit that bugged me though was that I managed to guess who the killer was slightly more than half-way through the book. Nevertheless, the surreptitious but wonky characters and Christie’s writing flair will keep you flipping through the pages at super-fast speed. I'd say not one of the best Christie books around, but still worth a read.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

I was shopping for kid’s books a few months back when I saw that Dan Brown’s latest book i.e. The Lost Symbol was on 20% discount (and that was for the hard cover *smiles*). Being a big fan of his Da Vinci Code, I jumped at the opportunity of course.

The Lost Symbol features the return of Professor Langdon, the Harvard symbologist, in another thriller/adventure that takes him through the secrets of Masonry and hidden history in Washington D.C. There’s also a teeny-weeny bit of romance going on for him here…but don’t get your hopes up too high. As I mentioned, it’s just a teeny bit, about half-way through the book when he is reunited with his mentor’s sister.

My thoughts on the Book: I was expecting more from this one. Da Vinci Code was such a hit for me that I kind of expected this to hit me even better. The plot, for me, was a tad familiar and it felt like I was reading parts of Da Vinci code all over again, except that the setting was in a different city. It’s just not as thrilling when you read a plot almost the second time round. Anyway, the book is still worth reading. If you’re not a fan of non-fiction, reading this will give you some insights on Masonic rituals and an introduction to Noetic Sciences, as the author has kept true to the facts. As usually expected with Dan Brown, the artwork and monuments described in the book are also real. So, yes, it’s still an interesting book….just not as interesting as The Da Vinci Code, I think.