The Singapore School of Villainy: Inspector Singh Investigates

Flint’s third mystery featuring Inspector Singh of the Singapore Police (after 2011’s A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul) works better as a portrayal of a world largely unknown to Western audiences than a whodunit. As Singh and his wife prepare for a visit from an eligible bachelor relative of hers, Jagdesh Singh, from India, the policeman’s called away on a high-profile murder case. Mark Thompson, a senior partner at the very firm that employs Jagdesh, has been bludgeoned to death in his office. The many suspects at the firm have a variety of secrets that they each seek to keep hidden, ranging from substance abuse to sexual identity. Any one of them could’ve killed Thompson to preserve his or her secret. Singh’s politically sensitive boss limits his ability to follow the evidence. The police procedure proceeds along routine lines until the less than surprising revelation of the killer’s identity. (July)