Su Lin Series – serie

First in a delightfully charming crime series set in 1930s Singapore, introducing amateur sleuth Su Lin, a local girl stepping in as governess for the Acting Governor of Singapore.1936 in the Crown Colony of Singapore, and the British abdication crisis and rising Japanese threat seem very far away. When the Irish nanny looking after Acting Governor Palin's daughter dies suddenly - and in mysterious circumstances - mission school-educated local girl Su Lin - an aspiring journalist trying to escape an arranged marriage - is invited to take her place. But then another murder at the residence occurs and it seems very likely that a killer is stalking the corridors of Government House. It now takes all Su Lin's traditional skills and intelligence to help British-born Chief Inspector Thomas LeFroy solve the murders - and escape with her own life.'Simply glorious. Every nook and cranny of 1930s Singapore is brought richly to life, without ever getting in the way of a classic puzzle plot. But what's a setting without a jewel? Chen Su Lin is a true gem. Her slyly witty voice and her admirable, sometimes heartbreaking, practicality make her the most beguiling narrator heroine I've met in a long while.' Catriona McPherson'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. Ovidia Yu's teenage Chinese sleuth gives us an insight into a very different culture and time. This book is exactly why I love historical novels.' Rhys Bowen

'One of Singapore's finest living authors' South China Morning Post'Simply glorious. Every nook and cranny of 1930s Singapore is brought richly to life' CATRIONA MCPHERSON'Charming' RHYS BOWEN'One of the most likeable heroines in modern literature' SCOTSMAN________________The Allies have defeated Germany in Europe, but Japan refuses to surrender the East.In Singapore, amid rumours the Japanese occupiers are preparing to wipe out the population of the island rather than surrender, a young aide is found murdered beneath the termite mushroom tree in Hideki Tagawa's garden and his plans for a massive poison gas bomb are missing. To prevent any more destruction it falls to Su Lin to track down the real killer with the help of Hideki Tagawa's old nemesis, the charismatic shinto priest Yoshio Yoshimo. ________________Praise for The Mushroom Tree Mystery'Beautifully written. . . effortless storytelling and sensitive character development make this a must-read novel for 2022' The Courier Praise for Ovidia Yu:'Chen Su Lin is a true gem. Her slyly witty voice and her admirable, sometimes heartbreaking, practicality make her the most beguiling narrator heroine I've met in a long while' Catriona McPherson'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. Ovidia Yu's teenage Chinese sleuth gives us an insight into a very different culture and time. This book is exactly why I love historical novels' Rhys Bowen'A wonderful detective novel . . . a book that introduces one of the most likeable heroines in modern literature and should be on everyone's Must Read list' Scotsman'Unassuming, brilliantly observant' SCMP'Ovidia Yu's writing helped me peel back the layers to understand Singapore. The story and Chen Su Lin's initiative and tenacity, set against a backdrop of wartime Singapore, intrigued both the historian and the mystery lover in me' Kara Owens CMG CVO, British High Commissioner to Singapore

LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER'Simply glorious. Every nook and cranny of 1930s Singapore is brought richly to life' CATRIONA MCPHERSON 'Charming' RHYS BOWEN'One of the most likeable heroines in modern literature' SCOTSMAN _________Mirza, a secretive neighbour of the Chens in Japanese Occupied Singapore, is a known collaborator and blackmailer. So when he is murdered in his garden, clutching a branch of mimosa, the suspects include local acquaintances, Japanese officials -- and his own daughters.Su Lin's Uncle Chen is among those rounded up by the Japanese as reprisal. Hideki Tagawa, a former spy expelled by police officer Le Froy and a power in the new regime, offers Su Lin her uncle's life in exchange for using her fluency in languages and knowledge of locals to find the real killer.Su Lin soon discovers Hideki has an ulterior motive. Friends, enemies and even the victim are not what they seem. There is more at stake here than one man's life. Su Lin must find out who killed Mirza and why, before Le Froy and other former colleagues detained or working with the resistance suffer the consequences of Mirza's last secret._________Praise for Ovidia Yu:'One of Singapore's finest living authors' South China Morning Post'Chen Su Lin is a true gem. Her slyly witty voice and her admirable, sometimes heartbreaking, practicality make her the most beguiling narrator heroine I've met in a long while' Catriona McPherson'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. Ovidia Yu's teenage Chinese sleuth gives us an insight into a very different culture and time. This book is exactly why I love historical novels' Rhys Bowen'A wonderful detective novel . . . a book that introduces one of the most likeable heroines in modern literature and should be on everyone's Must Read list' Scotsman'Unassuming, brilliantly observant' SCMP

'A wonderful series . . . Ovidia Yu skilfully creates the Singapore of pre- and post-World War II, and Su Lin is the best part - a smart, logical heroine who perseveres despite obstacles and solves mysteries' - reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐----------The tenth instalment of Ovidia Yu's beloved series of Singapore-set historical mysteries featuring tenacious amateur sleuth Su Lin.----------It's 1947 in Singapore, and Su Lin is rolling out the red carpet for a new chapter in her life. Now happily settled in her marriage to Chief Inspector Le Froy, and having stepped away from her formidable grandmother Ah Ma's thriving business, she is the proud manager of the new Imperial Cinema.But the grand opening isn't going as planned . . . the cinema has an unhappy history as a site for Japanese propaganda during the Occupation, and there are protesters who would rather see it demolished, than refurbished. The cinema's financier John Wong is acting very strangely, local businesswoman Madam Leong is issuing outrageous demands, and Tony Khoo, the young, fun and handsome son of the VIP guests, has gone missing.When a body is found draped on a tyre swing and it looks like the death is connected to the redevelopment, Su Lin switches her attention from movies, to murder. And when her beloved Ah Ma's health begins to fail, she throws herself into the distracting business of crime solving, despite Le Froy's protestations.But the more she uncovers, the greater her fear grows, that her cinema project has been hiding some seriously criminal activity. Faced with the abrupt ending of her new career, and the heartbreaking ending of her grandmother's life, Su Lin can only do what she does best . . . ask questions, find answers, and get justice.But can she do so, before it's all too late?-----Readers and reviewers love the Su Lin series!'What can I say? While eviscerating English and Japanese colonialism, she has fun with Chinese culture and has created a handful of unforgettable characters . . . A joy!' - reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I adore Ovidia Yu. Such an amazing sense of place, and a fascinating period in history brought alive with a great cast of characters' - reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A classic in the making' - reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I feel like I personally know and definitely love these characters. Throughout these books my love of Singapore grows with joy' - reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'One of Singapore's finest living authors' - South China Morning Post'One of the most likeable heroines in modern literature' - The Scotsman'Ovidia Yu's writing helped me peel back the layers to understand Singapore . . . and intrigued both the historian and the mystery lover in me' - Kara Owens CMG CVO, former British High Commissioner to Singapore'The sharpest exercise in decolonising fiction in Singapore's literary landscape. It is also, simply, really fun to read!' - Ong Sor Fern'Chen Su Lin is a true gem. Her slyly witty voice and her admirable, sometimes heartbreaking, practicality make her the most beguiling narrator heroine I've met in a long while' - Catriona McPherson'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. Ovidia Yu's teenage Chinese sleuth gives us an insight into a very different culture and time. This book is exactly why I love historical novels' - Rhys Bowen

'One of Singapore's finest living authors' South China Morning Post 'Simply glorious. Every nook and cranny of 1930s Singapore is brought richly to life' CATRIONA MCPHERSON 'Charming' RHYS BOWEN'One of the most likeable heroines in modern literature' SCOTSMAN________________The next title in the Mystery Tree series, exploring Singapore after the Japanese retreat and in the aftermath of WWII.________________Praise for Ovidia Yu:'Chen Su Lin is a true gem. Her slyly witty voice and her admirable, sometimes heartbreaking, practicality make her the most beguiling narrator heroine I've met in a long while' Catriona McPherson'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. Ovidia Yu's teenage Chinese sleuth gives us an insight into a very different culture and time. This book is exactly why I love historical novels' Rhys Bowen'A wonderful detective novel . . . a book that introduces one of the most likeable heroines in modern literature and should be on everyone's Must Read list' Scotsman'Unassuming, brilliantly observant' SCMP'Ovidia Yu's writing helped me peel back the layers to understand Singapore. The story and Chen Su Lin's initiative and tenacity, set against a backdrop of wartime Singapore, intrigued both the historian and the mystery lover in me' Kara Owens CMG CVO, British High Commissioner to Singapore

'One of Singapore's finest living authors' South China Morning Post 'Simply glorious. Every nook and cranny of 1930s Singapore is brought richly to life' CATRIONA MCPHERSON 'Charming' RHYS BOWEN'One of the most likeable heroines in modern literature' SCOTSMAN________________The next book in the Mystery Tree series, exploring Singapore after the Japanese retreat and in the aftermath of WWII.Singapore 1949When all the angsana trees on the island bloom at the same time it's a glorious fragrant display that lasts only one day... and the next morning Su Lin comes across an old friend laughing hysterically while holding her dead lover on the thick carpet of yellow flowers by the quarry pool that was their childhood haunt. She instantly realises her friend could not be the killer as she could not have sliced so cleanly through the man's throat with no weapon in sight.As she tries to help her friend, Su Lin has to figure out where her own loyalties lie. Angsana blossoms aren't the only things disappearing overnight in post-war Singapore as the newly returned British-increasingly on edge because of anti-colonial uprisings in nearby Indonesia-rush to change laws and revoke permits and positions. But more pressingly, Su Lin has to prove her friend's innocence and stop a calculating killer from murdering again...________________Praise for Ovidia Yu:'Chen Su Lin is a true gem. Her slyly witty voice and her admirable, sometimes heartbreaking, practicality make her the most beguiling narrator heroine I've met in a long while' Catriona McPherson'Charming and fascinating with great authentic feel. Ovidia Yu's teenage Chinese sleuth gives us an insight into a very different culture and time. This book is exactly why I love historical novels' Rhys Bowen'A wonderful detective novel . . . a book that introduces one of the most likeable heroines in modern literature and should be on everyone's Must Read list' Scotsman'Unassuming, brilliantly observant' SCMP'Ovidia Yu's writing helped me peel back the layers to understand Singapore. The story and Chen Su Lin's initiative and tenacity, set against a backdrop of wartime Singapore, intrigued both the historian and the mystery lover in me' Kara Owens CMG CVO, British High Commissioner to Singapore

'Throughout these books my love of Singapore and Malaya grows with joy. So entertaining' - Amazon reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A classic in the making' - Amazon reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐----------'Til death do us part...Singapore, 1947. Newlyweds Su Lin and Le Froy are in the Cameron Highlands, an idyllic pocket of countryside on the tropical Malay Peninsula. But this is no honeymoon ... Le Froy is on a protection assignment for powerful businessman Max Moreno and his wife Elfrieda, whose associates have been brutally murdered.But the hideaway cannot protect the Morenos from vicious threats and ghostly sightings, and when Elfrieda vanishes with a stash of precious emeralds, Su Lin and Le Froy fear the worst. The only clue to Elfrieda's disappearance is rotting fruit from a rose apple tree, piled outside her lodge.When monsoon floods make escape from the Highlands impossible, Su Lin is determined to find Elfrieda with time to spare to get to know her new husband. But when Max's body is discovered surrounded by rose apples, passion turns to policing: Su Lin and Le Froy must work together try to prevent further deaths, including their own.----------Readers and reviewers love The Rose Apple Tree Mystery!'I enjoyed this book immensely. I'm so glad Su Lin and Le Froy got married. What a honeymoon!' - Amazon reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Love all her books . . . learning a little history while reading is a great benefit' - Amazon reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The sharpest exercise in decolonising fiction in Singapore's literary landscape. It is also, simply, really fun to read!' - Ong Sor Fern