Review by Booklist Review
The third book in the Singaporean mystery series finds Rosie Aunty Lee only slightly sidelined from running her cafe due to a twisted ankle. Keeping off her feet gives her more time to listen to the woes of a trio of former animal-shelter volunteers being sued by a mad Englishwoman whose husband left her after she euthanized their dog. Then the woman is murdered in her hotel room, and the three friends are suspects. Chatty Aunty Lee uses her friendship with Inspector Salim Mawar of the Neighborhood Police Hub to learn more about the case. Yu, an acclaimed playwright, layers details of foods, festivals, and family obligation in a warm, international cozy.--Keefe, Karen Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Yu's savory third Singaporean mystery (after 2014's Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials) finds Rosie "Aunty" Lee in a grumpy mood since she twisted an ankle and can't actively run her cafe, Aunty Lee's Delights, which is now being supervised by Cherril, Aunty's new business partner. Meanwhile, Allison Fitzgerald, an expat English woman who left Singapore years before after a dispute over a dog she and her then-husband adopted, has returned to the island nation intending to sue Aunty, Cherril, and a friend of Cherril's for breaking up her marriage. When Allison turns up dead in her hotel room, Aunty once again shifts into sleuthing mode. Yu feeds her elaborate plot with abundant red herrings, but fans of culinary mysteries may wish she had made more of the restaurant setting and provided recipes for the lovingly described cuisine. Similarly, the paucity of local color may disappoint armchair travelers. Still, fans of Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher will find much to enjoy. Agent: Priya Doraswamy, Lotus Lane Literary. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
The third installment in the Aunty Lee Singaporean mystery series finds Aunty Lee still serving up Chinese-Malaysian specialties in her café while keeping her nose in everybody's business. A British expat is murdered and her past run-in with the Singaporean police over an animal cruelty issue means that old animosities return to the fore. When Aunty Lee's employee Cherril becomes a suspect in the crime, our restaurateur's sleuthing instinct kicks into high gear. She invites the victim's sister to stay with her and looks into the pasts of both women. With help from obliging local policeman Insp. -Salim Mawar, Aunty Lee plans a final dinner party and a reveal worthy of Agatha Christie. VERDICT -Uneven storytelling and an unexplained cast of peripheral characters are balanced by delicious descriptions of Singaporean food, and by the intriguing glimpse into Singaporean culture provided by Yu (Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials). Unfortunately, these scenes aren't supported with background information, leaving readers to search on their own for explanations. A classic cozy in a Malaysian setting with a quirky sleuth, this series has potential for improvement.-Sarah Cohn, Manhattan Coll. Lib., Bronx, NY © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Don't let her sweet demeanor fool you: beneath the matronly manner is a steely sleuth. At the popular Singapore cafe Aunty Lee's Delights, part-owner Cherril looks forward anxiously to a reunion with her old friends Josephine DelaVega and Brian Wong. Also expected is Allison Fitzgerald, who's hired a high-powered lawyer to sue the other three for breaking up her marriage. Josephine and Brian once ran an animal rescue group called Animal ReHomes, from which Allison adopted a difficult dog she later put down. Impaired by a twisted ankle, Aunty Lee nevertheless displays keen interest in the quartet's reunion. But Allison never arrives because she's dead in her hotel room. Moments after this news arrives, Allison's sister, Valerie, shows up, totally unaware of her death, followed shortly by Inspector Salim, Aunty Lee's friendly adversary in crime-solving. Salim may have a squad of detectives, but Aunty Lee has Nina, the faithful sidekick who plays Watson to her Holmes. Kindly and shrewdly, Aunty Lee offers to share her home with Valerie. Intimate details of Allison's life flow easily, including her unhappy marriage to Mike Fitzgerald. Stirring the pot are Mark, Aunty Lee's former drinks manager, and Selina, his gossipy wife. It turns out that Mike was in Singapore on the night of Allison's death. More, he's secretly engaged to Josephine. The plot is thickened by a second murder. Aunty Lee's third outing (Aunty Lee's Deadly Specials, 2013, etc.) has the structural virtues of an old-fashioned whodunit but adds a sassy comic edge. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
