Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge by Ovida Yu

Set in Singapore, this cozy centers on the death of a tourist, the sister of the notorious "Puppy Killer", a British ex-pat who'd had a puppy euthanized, and caused a scandal years before. Aunty Lee, and her cast of characters, come into play because the Puppy Killer has returned (with her now-murdered sister) to sue the people who originally brought charges, and made the case an internet sensation. And of course, all those people know Aunty Lee.

This was my first foray into Aunty Lee's world. I found the dishes and descriptions of her cafe items interesting, though had to look up each and every one to make sure I had it right, as there was no glossary to help me distinguish Katong Laksa from Cheng tng, (I read an ARC, and a glossary may be included in the final.) There were a lot of folks involved on Aunty's side of things, which took some sorting out, and not that much description of the city beyond food culture. But still, I found it interesting. These internationally set cozies are good for giving snippets of culture usually not represented in mysteries, and a series allows the reader to learn at a leisurely pace.

As to the mystery itself, it soon became obvious where the story was leading in terms of one main element. The hints in the backstory just had me rather impatient for the reveal to know I was right. There also were enough annoying characters still left that I was wishing one or two of them might be picked off instead.

If another Aunty Lee story falls into my hands, I may give it a go, but may not seek her out otherwise. Thanks to LibraryThing Early Reviewers for sending the book my way. Sorry I didn't like it more.

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