Cheap Trills by Wendall Thomas

 

 

First Line: Eat. Pray. Barf.

 

It's 2007, and Elizabeth Gilbert's book Eat, Pray, Love has swept through the book clubs of Brooklyn-- so much so that travel agent Cyd Redondo's mother books a trip to Bali with a rival agent and sneaks away for her own adventure. 

When her mother's trip goes horribly wrong, Cyd grabs her Balenciaga bag and flies to the rescue, little knowing that she'll also be battling songbird smugglers, thieving monkeys, mother-daughter issues, and a killer along the way.

 

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If you want to be transported to Bali, book a trip through Redondo Travel and find yourself enjoying the landscape, wildlife, customs, and culture of this marvelous place in Wendall Thomas's Cheap Trills. What Cyd Redondo doesn't know about booking the perfect trips for her clients isn't worth knowing, and if her agency were real, she'd definitely have all my business. 

Being broiled alive in a brutal (and seemingly endless) Phoenix summer, I loved sinking into the pages of this book and losing myself in the descriptions of Balinese scenery and wildlife. Speaking of wildlife, it always plays an important role in any Cyd Redondo mystery, and in Cheap Trills, I learned about smuggling songbirds and the fight to protect the endangered Bali Starling. But-- as much as I love learning about wildlife and the customs of other countries-- I wouldn't be a diehard fan of this series if it weren't for Cyd Redondo herself. Cyd is extraordinary, from her knowledge and contacts in the travel business to her smart-alecky view of the world to her ability to kickbox in stilettos to her passionate endeavors to save wildlife. She has a Balenciaga bag that MacGyver would give his right arm for, and one of the highlights of Cheap Trills is discovering that Balinese women also know the importance of a good set of Tupperware.

 

Cyd Redondo is so very easy to laugh with and to love. I would willingly follow her anywhere. I could even be of assistance in a future adventure. You see, Cyd doesn't have a good relationship with bats, and it just so happens that I was the bat wrangler at a previous place of employment. Think about it, Cyd. I could really help you out!

As you can see, I've fallen head over heels for Cyd and her adventures. If you love mysteries with strong female leads that are light-hearted, visual feasts, let me steer you straight to Redondo Travel. You're going to love Cyd.

 

Cheap Trills by Wendall Thomas

eISBN: 9781960511195

Beyond the Page Books © 2023

eBook, 302 pages

 

Humorous Mystery, #4 Cyd Redondo mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley and the Author.

A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul by Shamini Flint

Title: Inspector Singh Investigates : A Bali Conspiracy Most Foul
Author: Shamini Flint
ISBN: 9780749929763
Publisher: Piatkus, 2009
Paperback, 304 pages
Genre: Police Procedural, #2 Inspector Singh mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Purchased from Amazon.

First Line: Jimi's hands were clammy.

Inspector Singh's superiors in Singapore still don't want him around, so when a bomb explodes in Bali, they send him to help with the anti-terrorism efforts. The problem is, he's tops in solving murders. Send him on a terrorist hunt, and the man doesn't have a clue. So when a body is discovered in the wreckage that has a bullet hole in its skull, Singh finally feels as though he can do something worthwhile. Now... if he could just get rid of the Australian female cop who's been assigned as his partner....

Following the twists and turns of the plot was fun, and the Australian police officer, Bronwyn Taylor, made an excellent sidekick for the grouchy Inspector Singh. Although I didn't get as good a "feel" for Bali as I did for Malaysia when I read the first book in the series (A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder), I did come away understanding how important tourism is to the country.

If the idea of reading about people who plan to build bombs to kill as many people as possible bothers you, you may want to give this book a miss, but this part of the plot is handled very well and with sensitivity.

I think most armchair detectives who enjoy reading mysteries set in far-off lands are going to have the tendency to think of Flint's Inspector Singh and Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri almost in the same thought. I can see why they would. They are both larger-than-life characters who operate in roughly the same part of the world. But they are very different people.

Puri is a private investigator who answers to no one, and he has a very happy home life. Inspector Singh, on the other hand, is a member of the Singapore police force and must answer to superiors who-- even though they like the results he gets-- want to get rid of him. He doesn't fit their ideal of the twenty-first century policeman. His home life also isn't as happy as Vish Puri's.

I enjoy reading of Vish Puri's cases in India, but there will always be a place in my heart for grumpy Inspector Singh. He always gets the bad guy regardless what obstacles are thrown in his path.

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