Inspector Singh Investigates: A Frightfully English Execution by Shamini Flint

First Line: "We know what we've got to do, right, lads?"

If Inspector Singh were asked to describe hell, he'd probably say hell was being forced to attend a policing conference in London while being accompanied by Mrs. Singh who wants to shop and visit relatives. A long flight, his wife's plans, the expectations of horrible food, not being allowed to smoke in most places... what could possibly make this worse?

Singh really should learn not to ask such a question because it will always be answered. As part of his duties during the conference, he is paired with a young female officer on the fast track to promotion, and they are given a cold case to follow up on. Five years have passed, and Singh and his partner are supposed to visit the victim's family to ask if there are any complaints about how the officers handled the case-- in particular if the police were sensitive to their culture and beliefs. It's a nightmare for Singh who has never been known for his diplomacy... until certain things in this cold case catch his attention. The best way to stamp PAID IN FULL to this case is to solve it, and that's exactly what the portly policeman in the blindingly white sneakers sets out to do.

I've loved this series since its inception (A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder). Inspector Singh's boss hates him but can't fire him because Singh has the highest rates of solved crime in all of Singapore. Instead, Singh is sent out to as many conferences or loaned out to as many other police organizations as possible. I've willingly followed on all of his adventures because watching this grumpy man solve crimes is so much fun, and while I'm having fun Flint has acquainted me with several Southeast Asian settings (perfect for the armchair traveler). 

In A Frightfully English Execution, we not only get to watch Singh compare London to Singapore, we get to witness Mrs. Singh become interested in his cold case investigation and help him with it. Is she actually becoming interested in what her husband does for a living? Even though it makes me suspicious, it's refreshing to see a character like Mrs. Singh begin to behave a bit differently. Some of the best parts of this book are the interior monologues Inspector Singh and his wife have. These monologues contain truths, and they are very often hilarious. They are just like the uncensored thoughts you and I have and do not share with anyone else.

A cold case with possible ties to terrorism? Characters who do not behave the way you expect them to? A plot that is a convoluted (but not confusing) delight? Shamini Flint has written another wonderful mystery, and I'm looking forward to the next time I see my old friend Inspector Singh.
      

Inspector Singh Investigates: A Frightfully English Execution by Shamini Flint

eISBN: 9780349402734

Piatkus Books © 2016

eBook, 368 pages

Police Procedural/Humorous, #6 Inspector Singh mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.  


 

 

A Calamitous Chinese Killing by Shamini Flint

First Line: Justin Tan stood at the main junction of the old hutong, a neighbourhood of old courtyards dating from Imperial times, and stared down narrow alleys that disappeared quickly into darkness.

Inspector Singh is so used to his boss in Singapore shuffling him off to other countries in an attempt to be rid of him that it comes as an (unwelcome) surprise when a high-ranking diplomat demands that Singh investigate the death of her son in Beijing. The Beijing police insist that the young man's being beaten to death in a back alley is nothing but a robbery gone wrong. She doesn't believe it.

Singh is highly skeptical of the whole thing, but once he finds a detail or two that just don't add up, no one can make him stop. But our "plump pursuer of the truth" has no official status in Beijing, and trying to solve a murder in a country that practices socialism "with Chinese characteristics" is a very dangerous business indeed.

Shamini Flint's Inspector Singh series is one of my favorites. Not only does she let me travel to countries that I will never see, she gives me a real feel for each one-- geographically, politically, and culturally. They're perfect for armchair travelers. In some ways Flint's Inspector Singh of the healthy appetite and blindingly white sneakers reminds me of Tarquin Hall's Vish Puri in New Delhi. For one thing, both characters will have you sampling some spicy and delicious cuisines-- and isn't that a fantastic way of having books appeal to all our senses?

As Singh begins to investigate, he quickly learns how difficult it can be to seek truth from facts in a country where rumors are currency. Once again he's going to have to rely on an interpreter, and this time he is blessed with the one he's given: Li Jun, a retired policeman who can help Singh with so much more than just the language barrier. As these two become acquainted with each other, they make quite a team.

As in most investigations, there are several threads that must be unknotted before the truth can be known. The fate of the dissident Professor Luo shocked me down to my marrow and will stay with me, much as a scene from Dominque Lapierre's City of Joy published in 1985 has done. The childless Singh is led to the professor by a brave young woman named Dao Ming, and he meets yet another named Jemima. The way he deals with these girls proves that even though he has no children, he does have a way with them.

The mystery in A Calamitous Chinese Killing was one of putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. The bad guys were easy to spot, but all the whys and hows and whens were the difficult bits. It's a mystery that entertains on many levels and one that evokes many emotions. From the aforementioned horror to humor, as when Singh's "driver weaved between lanes like a fighter pilot avoiding enemy fire." A word of warning: have a box of tissues handy before reaching the end of the book because Singh also manages a very strong tug on the heartstrings, too.

I highly recommend all the Inspector Singh books, but if you're worried about starting yet another series, each one stands alone well. I can't wait to see where Inspector Singh will be headed next.

Inspector Singh Investigates: A Calamitous Chinese Killing by Shamini Flint

ISBN: 9780749957797

Piatkus Books © 2013

Paperback, 320 pages

Police Procedural, #6 Inspector Singh mystery

Rating: A

Source: the author 

Inspector Singh Investigates: A Curious Indian Cadaver by Shamini Flint

First Lines: 31 October 1984. In India, word of disaster spreads like head lice.

Unfortunately our Inspector Singh of the snowy white sneakers is on compulsory sick leave from the Singapore police, so he can't plead work and escape accompanying Mrs. Singh to India for a family wedding. When the couple arrives in Mumbai, they learn that the bride-to-be has disappeared, and since the last thing the family wants is publicity and police involvement, Singh is asked to conduct a discreet search. 

Convinced that the young woman ran away to avoid an arranged marriage, Singh begins interviewing those who knew her best. His investigation takes on a much more serious turn when a corpse is found. Now he's conducting a murder investigation-- with absolute instructions from his wife (she of the "Stalinist tendencies") to cast no blame upon her family. The one thing Inspector Singh knows as he begins to descend through layer after layer of deceit is that it's going to be far from easy to obey his wife.

Shamini Flint has created a series that I love to read. The character of Inspector Singh is the perfect blend of humor and intelligence, and there's the added bonus of following him from case to case throughout Southeast Asia. In many ways this series is comparable to Tarquin Hall's which is set in India and features private investigator Vish Puri. Both give Westerners insight into incredibly rich cultures so very different from their own.

A Curious Indian Cadaver begins with an emotional blockbuster of a scene set in 1984 immediately after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. When the news spread that she was killed by her Sikh bodyguards, it led to massive reprisals against anyone of that religious faith. This scene casts a long shadow of foreboding over the entire book. Any reader will know that what happens will never be forgotten. There will be consequences. 

This fifth book in the series lets us see much more of the dreaded Mrs. Singh, a woman of the strongest opinions who is the main reason why the inspector loves to be constantly on the job. (She's a marvelous cook, so he does like to be home at meal time however.) Readers get to see how this odd couple fits in with their relatives in Mumbai-- those family connections which are so all-important in India-- and it gives Mrs. Singh a chance to see her husband in action... even to put herself in his shoes for a second or two. After being in her company for such an extended period, the inspector begins to see his wife in a different light as well. Will they get along better in future? Only time will tell.

The powerful opening scene that I mentioned earlier in many ways weakened the mystery for me. I knew that "payment" was due for 1984, and that made certain aspects of the plot rather predictable. But as I've stated in other reviews, the best crime fiction isn't merely about crime. It's also about characters, setting, and motivations. A Curious Indian Cadaver brought India to life for me and gave me a greater appreciation of its culture. I thought about how some people never seem to realize that two wrongs don't make a right, as tired as that phrase may be. It also allowed me to spend time with one of my favorite characters. Inspector Singh never ever disappoints!
 

Inspector Singh Investigates: A Curious Indian Cadaver by Shamini Flint

ISBN: 9780749953423

Piatkus Books © 2012
Paperback, 308 pages

Police Procedural, #5 Inspector Singh mystery
Rating: B+
Source: the author 

Inspector Singh Investigates: A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree by Shamini Flint

First Line: My feet sink into the mud as if it is quicksand.

Inspector Singh's superiors have sent him to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as an observer to the international war crimes tribunal. As far as he's concerned, he'd much rather be home in Singapore. Then a key witness at the tribunal is murdered, and Colonel Menhay of the Cambodian Police asks Singh to be assigned to the investigation. It doesn't take long for the portly inspector to realize that the roots of this homicide reach all the way back to the horrors of the Cambodian killing fields.

I have enjoyed each book in this series for the character of Inspector Singh and for the depiction of areas in Southeast Asia that I probably will never see. A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree contains what I've learned to love about Shamini Flint's writing and then proceeds to take it to an even higher level.

It was Singh's life mission to tramp after the murderers in his snowy white sneakers, following the evidence and his instincts, ignoring the advice and warnings of his superiors, stopping only for regular meals, cold beer and the  odd afternoon nap, until he had ensured some justice for the dead.

Inspector Singh is his usual irascible self-- a man who loves his work, a man who appreciates time away from his ill-tempered wife, a man who manages to put up with his superior officers. In the eyes of those "superiors," policing is all about appearances, and the turbaned, overweight, chain-smoking, white sneaker-wearing inspector just does not fit their idea of what the police force in Singapore should look like. The only reason they don't get rid of him is because his success rate is so high. So they let him solve murders and hope as many of them as possible occur somewhere far away.

He remained a policeman under sufferance, his bosses always looking for an excuse to get rid of him. He suspected that deep down they feared someone whom they could not control, who valued a victim's right to justice more than the rules and regulations of the Force.

Part of the delight of reading these books is in seeing how Singh can circumvent the rules and regulations his superiors are trying to impose. He doesn't take shortcuts in interviewing witnesses or suspects, or in collecting evidence. He's just learned the best ways to avoid all those silly "for appearance's sake" rules.

What brings this book to an even higher level is its setting. Shamini Flint brings Cambodia's tragic history into sharp focus without being graphic about it. In imposing a radical form of agrarian socialism on his people, Pol Pot, his policies, and his henchmen were responsible for the murder of 25% (at least two million) of his country's people. Cambodians could be killed for wearing glasses or for being seen reading a book or for speaking a foreign language. By having Singh bear witness to the testimonies of those who survived at this international war tribunal, readers experience a tiny bit of the horror of the killing fields.

Once he's an official part of the murder investigation and helping Colonel Menhay, Inspector Singh learns that vengeance runs deep in Cambodian society. There are several suspects for this murder, but the truly mind-boggling part is in putting facts and supposition together in order to discover the true identity of each suspect, each person's motivation, and-- since the body count does rise-- exactly which suspect is responsible for the death of each victim. And always in the background is the serial killer who roams the countryside murdering former members of the Khmer Rouge.

If the phone had rung or if someone had knocked on the door while I was reading A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree, I would have ignored them. I was totally engrossed in this story, and I had to see how Singh and Menhay solved the case. In the end, I learned that my involvement led to my ignoring Flint's subtly planted clues. The identity of one of the murderers shocked me-- and that was the icing on the cake. One of my favorite characters, an emotionally charged setting which both taught and entertained, and a truly puzzling case.  I highly recommend this book-- and the entire series.

A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree by Shamini Flint

ISBN:  9780749953478

Piatkus Books © 2011

Paperback, 320 pages

Police Procedural, #4 Inspector Singh mystery

Rating: A

Source: the author 

The Singapore School of Villainy by Shamini Flint

First Line: Inspector Singh sipped his coffee.

Homicide detective Inspector Singh has been racking up frequent flier miles with his investigations in Bali and Malaysia. Since his superiors prefer him to be elsewhere, they're not exactly jumping for joy when he comes home to Singapore. While he's in the office, the higher ups can't ignore his weight or his failure to dress in the proper uniform or his tendency to conduct an investigation his way-- and when he's home he also can't escape his wife.

When a senior partner at an international law firm is murdered, Singh is thrilled to have a case that will take him out of the office. The suspect list is a long one and consists mostly of the victim's fellow partners. As Singh begins to investigate, he discovers that many of these partners-- as well as the dead man's wife and ex-wife-- are hiding secrets. The turbaned detective is determined to bring the killer to justice, even though his superiors want to sweep the case under the rug. Murder in the international community is bad for Singapore's business, don't you know.

It was a pleasure for me to read a book set on Singh's home turf. Now I know why Singh doesn't mind working away from home: his wife is a mean-spirited, close-minded nag with whom it's impossible to share an opinion, and his superiors are superior in name only, concerned with appearance instead of substance. It's a wonder the man can solve any cases at all. Since he's disliked by his bosses, he's usually given the most inept police officers to aid in his investigations, but in this case, we get to see him work with Corporal Fong, a bright young man on the fast track. It will be interesting to see if Fong figures into future books because he was given an opportunity to learn some valuable lessons from Singh, and I would like to see if he puts any of them to use.

This is a very sensitive case for Flint's main character. Not only does he have his superiors dithering about because the investigation is so high profile, a member of his own family is involved. I think the thing that impressed me most in this book was the bittersweet ending. At the very beginning of the investigation, Singh told Fong that he already knew the identity of the killer. His problem was to find the evidence that would back up his belief. The length of time it takes to find that evidence proves to be quite costly. The Singapore School of Villainy is yet another strong entry in Shamini Flint's engaging series, and I look forward to more.

The Singapore School of Villainy by Shamini Flint

ISBN: 9780312596996

Minotaur Books © 2012

Hardcover, 320 pages

Police Procedural, #3 Inspector Singh mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from Book Outlet. 

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.

Learn More from Amazon.

Learn More from The Book Depository.

Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder by Shamini Flint

Title: Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder
Author: Shamini Flint
ISBN: 9780312596972
Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2010
Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Police Procedural, #1 Inspector Singh
Rating:  A+
Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.

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 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.)

Buy from Amazon.
Buy from The Book Depository.
Buy from an Indie Bookseller.