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Lädt ... Singapore Sapphirevon A. M. Stuart
Lädt ...
Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. Set in colonial Singapore in 1910, this is a mystery written by Kenyan born author Alison Stuart, who moved with her family to Australia aged ten, and has also lived in Singapore. The main character Harriet Gordon is a widowed suffragette who begins work typing out the memoirs of a stuffy colonial Englishman. Her new job ends abruptly when her employer is murdered. She then becomes embroiled in solving the mystery with handsome detective Robert Curran. I enjoyed the portrayal of colonial Singapore and the pompous gentlemans’ explorer club. I also liked the feisty Harriet and the very decent Curran. The story itself seems to drag somewhat, and had many poorly fleshed out side characters. One of the culprits I thought was fairly obvious early on and did not provide much of a reveal, and the exposé was followed by lengthy detailed confessions. There was a hint of romance which sat oddly with me. "Singapore Sapphire" was a great mystery thriller. Set in colonial Singapore, the reader is introduced to Harriet Gordon, a no-nonsense, smart and observant widow who finds herself helping Inspector Robert Curran solve a brutal murder. She is convincing and interesting, and I liked her immediately. Robert was a conscientious detective and a lovely man, and I liked the friendship that formed between the two as they came to know and respect each other. There is obviously a connection between them but their lives are complicated. There are also some interesting secondary characters including Julian, Harriet's brother Li An, Curran's mistress; and young Will, the boy who is kidnapped along with Harriet. The author did a wonderful job of bringing the climate, smells, colour and prejudices of colonial Singapore alive. Having visited Singapore before I could feel the heat, the torrential storms and the oppressive humidity of this exotic island. Well-written and well researched, I found "Singapore Sapphire" an entertaining read and I am eager to read about Harriet's next adventure. It’s a compelling start to a series, but this first book leaves the characters’ dynamic with each other unsettled at the end, so I didn’t like it as much I would have otherwise. Still the plotting was strong and well thought out, though some aspects of the puzzle were obvious to the reader, either because they were telegraphed early on, or because the reader has read too many mysteries not to see what was coming. The characters not having the benefit of 100+ years of mysteries to tap into, their slowness to pick up on what was going on was understandable, if sometimes tedious. I have the second book in hand on my TBR, and I’m looking forward to seeing the character development in that one. That will decide me as to whether to go on with the series or not. (Assuming it continues past book 2, of course.) keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
Gehört zur ReiheHarriet Gordon (1)
Fiction.
Mystery.
Historical Fiction.
HTML:Early twentieth-century Singapore is a place where a person can disappear, and Harriet Gordon hopes to make a new life for herself there, leaving her tragic memories behind herâ??but murder gets in the way. Singapore, 1910â??Desperate for a fresh start, Harriet Gordon finds herself living with her brother, a reverend and headmaster of a school for boys, in Singapore at the height of colonial rule. Hoping to gain some financial independence, she advertises her services as a personal secretary. It is unfortunate that she should discover her first client, Sir Oswald Newboldâ??explorer, mine magnate and president of the exclusive Explorers and Geographers Clubâ??dead with a knife in his throat. When Inspector Robert Curran is put on the case, he realizes that he has an unusual witness in Harriet. Harriet's keen eye for detail and strong sense of duty interests him, as does her distrust of the police and her traumatic past, which she is at pains to keep secret from the gossips of Singapore society. When another body is dragged from the canal, Harriet feels compelled to help with the case. She and Curran are soon drawn into a murderous web of treachery and deceit and find themselves face-to-face with a ruthless cabal that has no qualms about killing again to protect Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.92Literature English English fiction Modern Period 2000-Klassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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