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The Advocate's Devil
Dennis Chiang is a stranger in his homeland. Just returned to the Straits Settlements after spending half his life in England, the young lawyer is thrown into the swirling brew that is colonial society in 1930s a society of tuans and towkays, Babas and babus, where race is everything and even love cannot be wholly colour-blind. Juggling his career and personal responsibilities, Chiang encounters a life full of courtroom dramas, cultural prejudices and even communist intrigue. Never far away is Chiang s mentor, the unflappable D Almeida, who in public is a calm, efficient lawyer, but he possesses a shrewd investigative streak and uses unorthodox methods that result in his young protégé Chiang being caught up in a succession of captivating adventures. The Advocate s Devil is the first of two books featuring the character Dennis Chiang.
- GenresFiction
296 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
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14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 12, 2021
Absolutely loved this book!
As a Singaporean, I love stories about our history and the various cultures and how life was at the turn of the 20th century. I specifically love reading about the Peranakan culture, and this book weaves in quite abit of that as the author and the main character are Peranakans. Aside from that, the characters are very distinct and unique and well fleshed out. I could imagine them as real people around me.
The stories are also written with a twist - and this is what I love so much about this book. Very similar to how Agatha Christie mysteries are written!
Looking forward to the other three in the series.
As a Singaporean, I love stories about our history and the various cultures and how life was at the turn of the 20th century. I specifically love reading about the Peranakan culture, and this book weaves in quite abit of that as the author and the main character are Peranakans. Aside from that, the characters are very distinct and unique and well fleshed out. I could imagine them as real people around me.
The stories are also written with a twist - and this is what I love so much about this book. Very similar to how Agatha Christie mysteries are written!
Looking forward to the other three in the series.
August 5, 2021
I’m pissed that there are only four books in this series. Now I’m gonna need Prof Woon to possibly pivot to a career in local detective fiction writing.
April 19, 2015
Professor Woon SC is the author of some very learned tomes about the law of companies in Singapore and Malaysia but, with his Advocate's Devil trilogy, he has really come into his own as a writer of legal/detective fiction. Think Wodehouse with a fair bit of Holmes and Watson sleuth-work thrown in. Now add some lawyers, just because.
The young protagonist, Dennis Chiang, is a pupil advocate and solicitor, fresh off the boat from London after having passed the Bar Exams, reading in the chambers of Messrs d'Almeida & d'Almeida, advocates and solicitors in the then Crown Colony of Singapore. Chiang is no Bertie Wooster, but he is definitely a cross between Dr Watson and a young Horace Rumpole. If Chiang is Watson, then his mentor and pupil master Mr Clarence d'Almeida is Woon's answer to Sherlock Holmes. d'Almeida is an idealised version of the ultimate criminal advocate, suave and terrifyingly cultured, with an almost preternatural understanding of the nature of Man and the ways of the world.
What follows is, for want of a better phrase, a jolly good romp through 1930s Singapore and Malaya, complete with disappeared heiresses, oriental despots and bumbling colonial bureaucrats. There is some law in this book, but it is merely the icing on a cake of solidly good storytelling and gentle, good-natured humour.
Professor Woon peppers his prose with chuckle-inducing turns of phrase; and he is a dab hand at judicious use of his native Baba Malay. He uses just enough colloquialisms to allow a native of Malaya like myself to identify with the characters, but he is careful to ensure that the foreign words never break the comprehensiveness and flow of the story.
I have read a number of Professor Woon's more academic works; they are feats of writing in their own right. But with the Advocate's Devil trilogy, Professor Woon has shown himself to be the John Mortimer of the Orient. I will greatly relish the other two books in the trilogy while hoping that Professor Woon will find the time amidst his legal scholarship and practice to write more stories.
The young protagonist, Dennis Chiang, is a pupil advocate and solicitor, fresh off the boat from London after having passed the Bar Exams, reading in the chambers of Messrs d'Almeida & d'Almeida, advocates and solicitors in the then Crown Colony of Singapore. Chiang is no Bertie Wooster, but he is definitely a cross between Dr Watson and a young Horace Rumpole. If Chiang is Watson, then his mentor and pupil master Mr Clarence d'Almeida is Woon's answer to Sherlock Holmes. d'Almeida is an idealised version of the ultimate criminal advocate, suave and terrifyingly cultured, with an almost preternatural understanding of the nature of Man and the ways of the world.
What follows is, for want of a better phrase, a jolly good romp through 1930s Singapore and Malaya, complete with disappeared heiresses, oriental despots and bumbling colonial bureaucrats. There is some law in this book, but it is merely the icing on a cake of solidly good storytelling and gentle, good-natured humour.
Professor Woon peppers his prose with chuckle-inducing turns of phrase; and he is a dab hand at judicious use of his native Baba Malay. He uses just enough colloquialisms to allow a native of Malaya like myself to identify with the characters, but he is careful to ensure that the foreign words never break the comprehensiveness and flow of the story.
I have read a number of Professor Woon's more academic works; they are feats of writing in their own right. But with the Advocate's Devil trilogy, Professor Woon has shown himself to be the John Mortimer of the Orient. I will greatly relish the other two books in the trilogy while hoping that Professor Woon will find the time amidst his legal scholarship and practice to write more stories.
January 11, 2012
As a law student, I've always been curious about the kind of fiction that these eminent Singapore lawyers produce, so I decided to give Walter Woon a try! It was exciting to read a novel set in 1930s Singapore, as it enabled me to get a flavour of what life and the physical landscape was like back then. The book itself consists of several short stories, where Dennis Chiang, a young English-educated Peranakan lawyer, helps to solve various mysteries and himself gets entangled in some. It was an enjoyable read - the pace was good and the plot suspenseful. The romance angle was also present to spice things up. I was reminded of Lee Kuan Yew, when reference was made to how Dennis felt he didn't truly belong either among the Europeans or the Chinese.
Some weaknesses: I was left wondering why d'Almeida, the senior partner, was so keen to mentor Dennis since Dennis didn't seem very intelligent or enterprising. People who are not legally trained may have to consult Google as there was quite a bit of jargon here and there
Some weaknesses: I was left wondering why d'Almeida, the senior partner, was so keen to mentor Dennis since Dennis didn't seem very intelligent or enterprising. People who are not legally trained may have to consult Google as there was quite a bit of jargon here and there
October 4, 2016
I was more interested in the legal portions of the book and the "Sherlock Holmes" feel that it emanated. The romance portions at the beginning I felt, were rather superfluous and the one end of the book seemed to drag on for an eternity.
The book has quite a flavourful array of vocabulary and does not come short with Malay and Baba words. Incidental racism amongst the orang puteh and the locals were present here and there, given the fact that the book was set in 1930's in Singapore.
All-in-all a decent read, highlighting the "struggles" of our not-so-very-bright protagonist who only managed to get to read in chambers in this lovely firm because his father used to be a partner there.
The book has quite a flavourful array of vocabulary and does not come short with Malay and Baba words. Incidental racism amongst the orang puteh and the locals were present here and there, given the fact that the book was set in 1930's in Singapore.
All-in-all a decent read, highlighting the "struggles" of our not-so-very-bright protagonist who only managed to get to read in chambers in this lovely firm because his father used to be a partner there.
November 30, 2012
Nice to know the backdrop of ancient Singapore. The life of a lawyer and his adventures makes quite interesting. Although the English is quite complex it's overall a good read.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews