Aunty Lee’s Chilled Revenge: A Singaporean Mystery

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. [em]Agent: Priya Doraswamy, Lotus Lane Literary. (Apr.) [/em]