From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

The Betel Nut Tree Mystery (Crown Colony, #2)

Ovidia Yu

Start date: November 1, 2024

Finish date: November 30, 2024

Discussion: Group Challenges

Why we're reading this: The next book in our Revisiting the Golden Age Challenge
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Group Challenges

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) by Agatha Christie
By Susan · 14 posts · 16 views

last updated Sep 02, 2025 12:08AM

* Sept 25: The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) - SPOILER Thread
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What Members Thought

Nov 28, 2024 Franky rated it liked it

Shelves: 2024-reading-challenge, mystery, kindle, history, historical-fiction, asia

I discovered Ovidia Yu’s Crown Colony (Su Lin) mystery series about six months ago thanks to an online reading group, and enjoyed the opening book, The Frangipani Tree Mystery, quite a bit. Much like the first book, the second installment features our amateur sleuth, Su Lin.

While there is a definite charm about the series so far, I can’t help but feel that The Betel Nut Tree Mystery was a slight letdown compared to the first book. The overall plot and its unravelling mystery felt a little messy I discovered Ovidia Yu’s Crown Colony (Su Lin) mystery series about six months ago thanks to an online reading group, and enjoyed the opening book, The Frangipani Tree Mystery, quite a bit. Much like the first book, the second installment features our amateur sleuth, Su Lin.

While there is a definite charm about the series so far, I can’t help but feel that The Betel Nut Tree Mystery was a slight letdown compared to the first book. The overall plot and its unravelling mystery felt a little messy and convoluted.

The second book begins where the first left off as far as our principle character is concerned. Su Lin is working as secretary for Chief Inspector Le Froy at Singapore’s Detective and Intelligence Unit.

In the opening, it seems everyone is getting ready for a high-profile wedding of Victor Glossop with rich widow, Nicole Covington. However, a monkey wrench is thrown into that plan when the ultimate prankster Victor is found dead at the Farquhar hotel in a rather odd, bizarre manner. Now it is up to Le Froy and company to come in and figure this mess out…

The characters were a mixed bag in total. It's interesting how some of the familiar faces from book one, including some of Su Lin’s family and other minor characters make an appearance. However, some of the minor characters who are central to the plot are somewhat underwhelming, particularly the likes of Nicole Covington, Dr. Covington, and Kenneth Mulliner among others, who are of the stock variety: unreasonable, overdramatic, predictable, irritating, and forgettable. These characters mainly serve to get us from Point A to Point B.

As far as the pacing, the mystery peaked too early, and then seemingly fizzled out. When we get deeper into the plot, the investigation gets a little repetitive, drawn out, and convoluted. We are just tapping our feet waiting for the big reveal.

I do, however, like how Su Lin has more of a prominent and assertive role in the crime investigation. Another job she has (other than having to deal with perennial drama queen Nicole Covington) is to keep her naive friend Parshanti out of harm’s way while she wades through the various suspects and their motives. It feels like Le Froy takes a lesser role, and is often missing in action while many key events are taking place.

Another notable trait (and plus) is the author’s ability to create a vivid setting of 1930s Singapore and give the story a historical element.

In the end, I feel like the mystery was serviceable, but fairly pedestrian. I will most likely read the next one in the series, but I am not in as much of a hurry to get there.

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Nov 02, 2024 Susan in NC rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, my-library, audiobook, detective-grp24

I have enjoyed the first two books in this series, and want to read on. The author brings 1930s Singapore to life, almost too well. The casual racism and ignorance displayed by several obnoxious suspects in this outing really bugged me! About three quarters through I jumped ahead to find out who the killer was, then went back and doubled the audiobook speed to fill in the blanks.

An American socialite is in Singapore to marry her wealthy British fiancé, but he’s found dead at the hotel. Was it a ...more

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