Aunty Lee proves revenge is a dish best served cold
Aunty Lee’s Chilled Revenge - A Singaporean Mystery by Ovidia Yu William Morrow Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date: April 5, 2016 Review Despite a sprained ankle, Rosie "Aunty" Lee is more than ready to tackle a challenge, whether it is cooking delicious dishes for her restaurant or solving a murder. Her natural inquisitiveness and amiable but tenacious demeanor serve her well. Often she is able to elicit answers in even the most recalcitrant suspect/witness by plying them with food and comfort. The Singapore police respect Aunty Lee and tolerate her nosing into their investigations. Ovidia Yu immerses the reader in Singapore's unique blended culture. It provides a fascinating study of the interplay between people of different ethnic backgrounds. Cultural differences play an instrumental role in Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge. When Cherril, Aunty Lee's friend and business partner holds a meeting at the cafe, Aunty Lee is naturally interested. Cherril, Josephine and Brian were all active in an animal rescue group several years before. All were present when Allison Fitzgerald, an American expat, was revealed as killing the dog she adopted. The subsequent internet backlash drove Allison Fitzgerald out of Singapore. Now she is back and wants to sue the trio for breaking up her marriage. Before she is able to meet with them, Allison is discovered at her hotel, brutally murdered. Her sister is howling for Cherril and her friends arrest, blaming everything alternate on the animal activists and Allison's ex husband. Although clearly unstable and definitely unpleasant, Aunty Lee invites Vivian to stay with her during the investigation - all the better to uncover the truth. Ovidia Yu's characters have depth and complexity, even those with lesser roles. Her attention to detail and understanding of human nature and prejudices makes the events culminating in murder believable. If you are looking for a good mystery that explores a fascinating culture, look no further. Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge is a fabulous choice. 4/5 I received a copy of Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. --Crittermom Description Rosie “Aunty” Lee—feisty widow, amateur sleuth and proprietor of Singapore’s best-loved home cooking restaurant—is 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 café, Aunty Lee’s Delights, and turns over operations to her friend and new business partner Cherril. The café 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 she’d 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 café one afternoon, Cherril receives word that Allison has been found dead in her hotel—and 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 murder—and in a tightly knit, law-and-order society like Singapore, everyone is on edge. Before anyone else gets hurt—and to save her business—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.
