A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder

Engaging characters and a vibrant locale set the stage for this exciting mystery to play out.

When a famous Singaporean model is arrested for the murder of her husband, a lumber magnate, in Kuala Lumpur, his superiors in the Singapore Police send Inspector Singh to Malaysia to ensure Chelsea Liew receives a fair shake. With a pretty much cut-and-dried case against Liew, this assignment is viewed as a no-win situation for Singh and seen as a possible way to rid the department of him. And although Singh has a successful investigative history, he is considered a pariah within his department for an as-yet unrevealed reason.

He is not greeted warmly at his arrival on the Malaysian Police Commissioner’s doorstep, but his “cooperation” in show more the case is grudgingly accepted, and he’s assigned a local officer as an assistant. Sergeant Shukor, the Commissioner’s aide-de-camp, is supposed to keep an eye on Singh, subtly thwart his participation, and hurry him on his way back to Singapore. However, Shukor is a genuinely earnest cop and feels Singh is on to something. He quickly switches to Singh’s camp, and together, they pursue the elements that make up the evidence against Chelsea.

The accused and the deceased, Alan Lee, were going through a bitter divorce and custody battle at the time of his murder. During their last court appearance, Lee’s attorney had dropped a bombshell on everyone, announcing that his client had recently converted to Islam. According to the Malaysian constitution, this development put the question of the custody of their children in the hands of the religious Syariah court, where they would most certainly award custody to their now-Moslem father. Lee, an abusive wife-beater, known repeat adulterer, and disinterested parent at best, is suspected of making a sham conversion to spite his wife and separate her from her beloved children, giving her a strong motive for his murder.

With things looking grim for Chelsea, a conviction means a mandatory death sentence for her; she has mentally given up as she languishes in the local prison awaiting her trial. Singh is eventually able to shake her out of her stupor, though, with his offer of help.

A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder is the first book in Shamini Flint’s Inspector Singh Investigates series. It is a superb beginning with a curious lead detective, a colorful and exotic Malaysian setting, and an intriguing, surprise-filled plot. Interestingly, we don’t learn much about the main character; he’s even addressed as Singh or Inspector Singh throughout, never a first name. We know he is married, a Sikh, has a widowed sister living in Kuala Lumpur whom he ends up staying with during the extended investigation, and that his Singaporean colleagues would love to have him gone. Physically, he’s short, rotund, sweats profusely, smokes, and snores like a freight train, according to his sister. He’s just not a very engaging sounding lead character, but somehow, he is just that, and very much so. He coaxes witnesses to tell all and wins over his Malaysian counterparts quite handily. The missing pieces to the puzzle of his backstory, though, will act like catnip on me; I will need to read further in the series for sure. In addition, I enjoyed both Shukor and Inspector Mohammed, the Malaysian connections, one for his genuineness and the other for his elegance and grace. I hope they reappear in series down the road.

The Malaysian setting was exotic; I haven’t run across any other mysteries using this location as a backdrop. The descriptions immersed me in the place. I felt I had a reasonably good image of what the inspector and other characters were experiencing. And although the story doesn’t linger in Borneo, I thought I got a clear impression of that place and a good idea of the events of the time with the logging industry, palm oil, and the Penan people (which continues today.)

Along with its engaging characters, multiple points of view, and vibrant locale, the plot provides many viable suspects and red herrings to dismiss before getting to its final resolution. I never saw the answer until a tiny action clued me in, thinking, “No, really?” Not that the suspect was implausible but that I’d been had – completely. Having admitted that, I will say the resolution also satisfied me – completely.

I recommend A MOST PECULIAR MALAYSIAN MURDER to readers of mystery fiction who would enjoy a different sort of police detective, competent for sure but with flaws and perhaps storied background. Also, this book might fit the bill for mystery readers who, although they aren’t into the cozy subgenre, don’t care for a lot of blood and guts in the details of their crime stories. show less

I get the strangest feeling of Agatha Christie, lah?
Not entirely sure why that would be as Inspector Singh is an Indian Singaporean, disrespected by the bureaucracy that employs him, somewhat sweaty, easily lost; really nothing at all like the impeccable Hercule Poirot. Yet I found myself rather charmed by this quick little whodunnit. A famous Singapore model was in the midst of divorcing her wealthy playboy Malaysian husband, the lurid details providing fodder for the tabloids. When he is found murdered outside his home, everyone is sure she did it in response to his latest ploy to win custody: declaring himself a Moslem. The newspapers in both countries are fanning nationalist flames; the government of Singapore wants to appear to be show more protecting their citizens, while Malaysia wants to be seen as cooperative and confident--thus the cooperation of Inspector Singh of the Singapore Police Department with Malaysian counterparts Inspector Mohammad and Sargent Shukor. The incarcerated wife of Alan Lee, Chelsea Liew, refuses to say anything in her defense. Singh has finally gotten her talking when the dead man's brother walks in to the police station and confesses. Too bad Chelsea is sure he is innocent, and asks Singh to continue to seek the murderer.

It's an intriguing mix of characters and truly, every one introduced had reason to murder the victim. I really had no idea who the murderer was, and eagerly followed Singh and Shukor around Kaula Lumpur as they sought evidence of who killed Alan Lee and why. And what lovely indirect tour guides they prove to be, as the reader is treated to an overview to Malaysian culture and the contrasts with Singapore. In a moment of book serendipity, I had run into a Malaysian woman before starting this book and she mentioned how the British has brought in Chinese to work mines, and Indians to serve as house servants and bureaucrats during colonial days, and it was fascinating to have see how that little bit of historical knowledge continued to play out in modern times. Then there's the Malay themselves, a diverse group of people with many different tongues and traditions, and we see small pieces of cultures as both suspects and inspectors wander through the country.

It is a Christie manor-house mystery, with a small cast of characters connected by blood or love and a small team of police searching for answers as they try to understand the micro-culture of the victim. The narrative hops around a bit between the different players--all of them, if I remember correctly--giving us tantalizing insight without actual guilt. If the book has any failing, it is that it is a little challenging to emotionally connect with any of the characters. Chelsea is quite withdrawn at first, although she sheds her despondence to become a fierce mother, while Inspector Singh is somewhat laughable. Brother to the dead Alan, Kian Min is a greedy, egocentric soul, while the other brother, Jester, is largely enigmatic and ineffectual. Then there's the city, chaotic, crowded and build on graft. And the poor rainforest jungles of Borneo, harvested at an incredible rate and often illegally. There's more, of course, but I don't want to spoil the fun. I highly recommend it. I'll be looking for the next in the series. show less

Inspector Singh of the Singapore police is close to retirement age but having done something to annoy his superiors he’s the officer chosen to go to Malaysia to look after the interests of a Singaporean citizen in trouble. Former model Chelsea Liew has been arrested for the murder of her Malaysian ex-husband Alan Lee and Singh is meant to observe Malaysian police and ensure that she receives a fair deal. The problem for Singh is that everyone believes her guilty (and who would blame her given Lee’s years of abuse and the bitter custody battle they were in regarding their children) and if she is convicted she will receive the death penalty.

As seems to be happening more and more with my crime fiction reading of late the mystery show more element takes a back seat to other aspects of this novel. In this instance it’s not a bad thing at all as there is so much else of interest going on, reminding me once again how suitable the conventions of crime fiction are for writers to explore a range of issues and ideas. Here Flint has included everything from relatively innocuous (though fascinating) observations about the differences between Singaporean and Malaysian cultures to tougher subjects such as the problems that can arise in Malaysia which operates under common law for most things but has formally adopted Sharia law to deal with family law matters for Muslims. By using an example of a remotely possible case in this world of dual laws Flint has offered real food for thought and by resolving this thread in a somewhat unorthodox manner she offers no easy solution to the complexities that must inevitably arise in this type of scenario. Very realistic! It’s a powerful storyline and, for me, made more so because it plays out simply, without any proselytizing.

Although tradition might demand the reader has some sympathy for the victim of a murder it is somewhat difficult here. Alan Lee appears not to have many redeeming qualities, being an abusive husband, horrible father, callous businessman and all around despicable human being. This does give Inspector Singh something to work with when he becomes convinced of Liew’s innocence and tries to convince the local authorities of it. As a character Singh is something of a stereotype being portly, smarter than average and a bit of a loner. He can be quite funny too, especially when dealing with his sister (who lives in Malaysia and provides her hospitality with opinionated homespun wisdom). Although we do meet two local investigators we don’t get to know them in much depth as, unlike most series of this type the Inspector will be off to another country in the next book so there’s not the impetus to develop ‘the investigative team’. Instead we spend time learning about the suspects, especially Alan Lee’s family. I really enjoyed this approach to storytelling.

Aside from this excellent review at Crime Scraps most reviews I have seen of this book (and the series which now totals) talk about it being light, fun and cosy and I think this is a little misleading. The crime at its heart does happen ‘off-stage’ so to speak and there are not extended passages of violent description so in that way the book is, I suppose, ‘cosy’ but I found the subjects it explored anything but light and frothy. In addition to the issues mentioned above it also deftly tackles the environmental impact of deforestation in the region and the treatment of local indigenous communities, neither of which are subjects I would consider light.

Although now a proud stay-at-home mum in Singapore Shamini Flint has worked as a lawyer in both Singapore and Malaysia which provides an authentic feel to this book. Although it’s not first and foremost a legal thriller there are many scenes in which the law and its application is discussed and dissected in a thought provoking way. Amongst all of this we are treated to a solidly entertaining whodunnit as well, which kept this reader guessing to the end. Although I will happily read the next installment of this series in paper form I am really hoping that it will be released in audio format too as the narration of this book by Jonathan Keeble was (as always) excellent. show less

First Line: The accused, Chelsea Liew, was in court.

Portly Inspector Singh is at the top of the Singapore Police's "early retirement" wish list. It seems that Singh is notoriously difficult to deal with, and they just want to wash their hands of him. So when former Singapore resident and top model Chelsea Liew is accused of murdering her husband, his superiors see this as an excellent opportunity to be Singh-free for a while.

In no time at all, Inspector Singh finds himself in Kuala Lumpur complete with an "aide", Sergeant Shukor of the Malaysian police. Singh didn't just fall off the turnip truck that morning-- he knows that Shukor is following his every step not to help, but to spy. Be that as it may, Singh relishes his relative show more freedom and begins to track down all the "players".

Chelsea Liew was in the midst of a divorce from her wealthy husband, Alan Lee. The most heated part of the proceedings concerned custody of their children. Without warning, Lee informed everyone that he had converted to Islam and declared his children Muslim so only the religious courts had jurisdiction over custody. When she heard this, Chelsea threatened to kill Alan, so when he was found shot to death soon afterward, the police focused on her and no one else. Inspector Singh talks to many people and begins putting pieces of information together. He knows the answer is not a simple "Chelsea did it."

I have to admit that author Shamini Flint had me in the palm of her hand by page 8 of this book when two self-important men are fighting for a better place in line at the airport:

"You heard me, get in line here."
"Behind all these people?"
"Yup."
"You can't do that!" It was the Chinese man.
"I've just done it..."
"I'll have your badge for this!" he stammered angrily.
Singh grinned, suddenly happy. He said, "There's a long queue for that too!"

It's probably got something to do with the fact that I had obnoxious souls in my face trying to intimidate me by threatening to write to my superiors to have me fired. My normal response was to spell my name very carefully to avoid confusion. But to get back to this marvelous book....

Flint seemed to treat each one of her characters with extraordinary care-- even the obnoxious ones. It didn't take long for me to feel as though I'd known everyone in the book for years. Kuala Lumpur is described so well that I feel as though I'd actually been there, and Flint adds just enough information on current events to make the place come to life.

Wonderful characters in a fully realized setting-- and a plot with surprises all along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed Inspector Singh and his visit to Malaysia. I can't wait to get my hands on his other adventures! (I also have a feeling that I know why his superiors want him to retire: he follows the spirit of the law even better than he follows the letter of the law.) show less

I'm not sure how much of my reading was shaped by the fact I've spent way too much time as a White Aussie in Singapore, but I found this novel bland. A famous model stands accused of her estranged husband's murder and Detective Singh is called in to help solve the case. Always glad to escape his loveless marriage to a nagging wife, Singh hurries across to Kuala Lumpur where his arrogant expertise is not entirely appreciated by the local constabulary.

This attempt at a police procedural is more recount than narrative. Flint seems to think that creating an overweight, misanthropic and very arrogant detective subverts the cosy detective genre enough to make up for her lacklustre characterisation and writing style. Or maybe she (and clearly, show more a whole bunch of her readers) expects the exotic locations to make up for the bucket loads of cultural clichés... Either way I was thoroughly unimpressed.

This might be worth a look if you're Singaporean and find cultural clichés funny, but otherwise I'd give it a miss. show less

This is the first book in a series starring a Sikh inspector in the Singapore police. In this story, he is seconded over the border to Malaysia to assist a Singapore model Chelsea Liew, who is accused of murdering her Malaysian Chinese husband Alan Lee after a bitter custody battle, which culminates in him converting to Islam in order to gain custody of his children. There are needless to say, a plethora of suspects, both of Alan's brothers, his elder son, a girlfriend and possibly others. The final resolution of the mystery touches on the Lee company's activities in Borneo, encroaching on native people's ancestral forests. I like Inspector Singh and I also liked the colorful cast of characters involved and the feel for Malaysian life, show more landscapes and attitudes. I will definitely pursue this series. show less

Cathy of the Kittling:Books blog has been writing about Inspector Singh books for a while now and her reviews were so funny I just had to try one. I borrowed this one from the library. It turns out Cathy is right; I'm going to look for the rest of the series now.

Inspector Singh is a police detective in Singapore. For this case he has been sent to Kuala Lumpur to investigate the case of a former model from Singapore who has been accused of killing her ex-husband. Since Singh is obese and unused to Kuala Lumpur, he sweats, gets his shiny shoes dusty, unwillingly visits his gossipy sister, faces down the opposition of the local police force to his intrusion, and resents his minder.

The victim, Alan Lee, was the president of a huge logging show more company which has been clear-cutting in Borneo and causing all kinds of violent trouble for the people and animals on that island. Lee was a wife beater, and cheated on his gorgeous wife frequently as he enjoyed his money and let his youngest brother run the company. The middle brother, Jasper, is an ecologist investigating his younger brother's misuse of power. Meanwhile, the victim's wife had divorced him but was in danger of losing her children because Alan Lee had converted to Islam before he died and the Islamic Court would probably rule against letting the children be raised by a non-Moslem woman.

Now all this is very serious stuff, but Singh is unconsciously hilarious. The contrast between him and the others on the case is, as author Shamini Flint writes, "Mohammad led the way, walking with long-limbed elegance. Shukor padded silently in his wake, Singh lumbered after them. A study in physical contrasts, they looked like a procession that was not just walking along a corridor but up the evolutionary chain as well."

Flint is a writer with a light touch but her characters are drawn swiftly and precisely. I also enjoyed the descriptions of Kuala Lumpur, especially when Singh got lost in the city. You think of a sharp detective as a man who can chase suspects, is an excellent shot, yet cerebral. Singh is anything but this kind of detective but he surely gets the job done. He's a great character and I liked this book very much. show less