Fabulous historical Singapore mystery!
Revenge in Rubies (A Harriet Gordon Mystery #2) by A. M. Stuart
Once again Harriet Gordon becomes involved in murder. The British Crown Colony of Singapore, 1910 —the young wife of the commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel John Nolan of the First Battalion South Sussex Infantry is found battered to death in her bedroom. Inspector Robert Curran is called to investigate. Curran it seems has personal conflict with the regiment and some of its members. He runs up against the disdain of the forces, the closing of the battalion's ranks, family secrets and the Battalion's prejudices, even as suicides follow Sylvie Nolan's death. It seems “Honorem ante omnia” "Honor before all", the regimental motto, stymies much of his investigation. Harriet is swept up into Curran's search, particularly due to her social connections, and her position as a typist at the Straits Settlements Police Force. She comes to know Curran's companion Li An. An interesting development that I hope moves into something special. Harriet comes face to face with colonial social prejudices. Her forgetfulness of how these play out does cause embarrassment for Li An and no little anger on Harriet's part.
The involvement of the military opens us to more of Curran's background, including a mystery about his father that begins to take on its own life. Intriguing!
Harriet confronts the situation that led to her coming to join her brother in Singapore in an unexpected way. Her painful suffragette experience comes to the fore.
I'm really enjoying the building of the characters and background to this series. I'm so looking forward to the next offering. Another stimulating read!
A Random House - Ballantine ARC via NetGalley
*****
Once again Harriet Gordon becomes involved in murder. The British Crown Colony of Singapore, 1910 —the young wife of the commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel John Nolan of the First Battalion South Sussex Infantry is found battered to death in her bedroom. Inspector Robert Curran is called to investigate. Curran it seems has personal conflict with the regiment and some of its members. He runs up against the disdain of the forces, the closing of the battalion's ranks, family secrets and the Battalion's prejudices, even as suicides follow Sylvie Nolan's death. It seems “Honorem ante omnia” "Honor before all", the regimental motto, stymies much of his investigation. Harriet is swept up into Curran's search, particularly due to her social connections, and her position as a typist at the Straits Settlements Police Force. She comes to know Curran's companion Li An. An interesting development that I hope moves into something special. Harriet comes face to face with colonial social prejudices. Her forgetfulness of how these play out does cause embarrassment for Li An and no little anger on Harriet's part.
The involvement of the military opens us to more of Curran's background, including a mystery about his father that begins to take on its own life. Intriguing!
Harriet confronts the situation that led to her coming to join her brother in Singapore in an unexpected way. Her painful suffragette experience comes to the fore.
I'm really enjoying the building of the characters and background to this series. I'm so looking forward to the next offering. Another stimulating read!
A Random House - Ballantine ARC via NetGalley
*****
Comments
Post a Comment