The Mystical Mister Kay

Miss Cassidy #3

by Meihan Boey

Winner of the 2025 Epigram Books Fiction Prize and the 2026 Singapore Book Award for Best Literary Work

The final gripping chapter in the saga of Miss Cassidy.

The truth is out there. And somewhere, so is Miss Cassidy.

The Mystical Mister Kay, a ghost-seer from Singapore, arrives in the English city of Tolwich in search of his friend Miss Cassidy. But his investigation takes a darker turn: a princess is found dead, a cult-like fashion house holds the city in its grip, and a seminary for Asian royals hides secrets no one dares name. As gods from Ancient Greece and Asia slip into the mortal world, Mr Kay is pulled into a mystery that spans continents and mythologies—one that may bring him closer to Miss Cassidy, or destroy him trying.

Genres: Fantasy

472 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2025

About the author

Meihan Boey is the author of novels The Formidable Miss Cassidy (co-winner of the 2021 Epigram Books Fiction Prize and winner of the 2022 Singapore Book Award for Best Literary Work) and The Enigmatic Madam Ingram (finalist for the 2023 Epigram Books Fiction Prize), and science fiction novella The Messiah Virus. She is also the vice president of the Association of Comic Artists of Singapore and has scripted several comics, including Supacross and The Once and Marvellous DKD. She is a dedicated comic book and manga fan, an enthusiastic gamer, a persistent triathlete, and not yet a Super Saiyan, though she keeps trying.

Reviews

[Erin Penn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished The Formidable Miss Cassidy and faced a dilemma. The second book of the Miss Cassidy series wasn't yet available on Kindle, but due to the peculiarities of international publication agreements, Mr. Kay (book 3) was. Since my focus in that particular moment of the after-midnight finish when willpower is at its lowest was finding out if Miss Cassidy and Mister Kay would hold hands with their fingers intertwined (gasp!), I clicked the button.

Slow burn burns so hard in the Victorian era.

Mister Kay chases his Miss Cassidy across the globe pretending to be a pretend Chinese mystic instead of an actual rich Chinese ghostseer. Meanwhile Miss Cassidy dances through mirrors trying to solve a possible murder and protect Mister Kay from the dangers which lay beyond mirrors.

And dangers abound for those of our host of characters who have made it to England and those remaining behind in Singapore. Childbirth is not for the weak, nor is well-tailored clothing. Rivers storm, blood flows, and dyes run red.

Do Mr. Kay and Miss Cassidy ever hold hands in this book or end up in a room together? Well, that would be spoilers. Just going to say, Victorian-era slow burn set in England and Singapore delivers on hope.

At times the story is complicated by the large cast, and I think I missed a few things having not read the middle book (which I do plan to go back and get at some point), but overall it is amazingly rich in atmosphere and characters.

Content Warning: Rape, flashback of secondary character.

[Heather Low · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I am not qualified to make such a declaration, I do believe Meihan Boey might be the best Singaporean writer of our time. She’s had me enraptured with the Miss Cassidy trilogy, which is way outside my usual genre. Regardless of my typical preferences, this historical fantasy is simply a well-told story. By this third book, I feel like I know most of the characters pretty well.

There were some complicated bits, especially when the various gods/monsters/witches show their true forms. It’s much easier for me to follow these “characters” when they are behaving like humans, with cunning and subtlety. But there comes a time in each story when the supernatural beings must leave subtlety behind in order to settle a conflict or set things right. I suppose these scenes are scary and complicated but necessary.

I was comfortably satisfied with the happy ending: monsters lose, girls save the day, overlooked people find friendship and empowerment, an endangered baby lives, a strong family becomes a refuge for others, and Mr. Kay finds his pipe. :)

[Atiqah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4☆

Though I didn't read the first 2 books, the first half of this book explained a little further on what went down previously and how it got to this current narrative. Though it was a bit long, for that I am grateful.

While this was a wild fantasy ride, the bits and pieces of Singapore that were weaved in was delightful. Though I just wonder at times, for the expressions in Malay, would non-Malay readers understand?

Frankly I found it a bit difficult to piece the story together with such an array of characters. However, towards the end, the story wrapped up quite well so it does feel like I had closure. Overall a good read, despite taking about a week to process this.

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting conclusion to the tale about Miss Cassidy. This book follows-on directly from events in the previous book, where a malign spirit has been confined to an island, while Miss Cassidy finds herself in the realm of the gods.

But not is not well for Miss Cassidy, for she is being pursued by the Queen on the Faeries who wants her back. Miss Cassidy has little choice but to be bind herself to an unusual goddess, who wants her help to solve the mystery of the murder of an Asian princess in a boarding house in England.

Into this steps Mister Kay from Singapore (Miss Cassidy's former employer), who is also trying to find Miss Cassidy. Since he has the Third Eye, which enables him to see and speak to spirits, he discovers her whereabouts. But to get to her, he has to turn himself into a travelling mystic which turns out to be a blessing and a curse: England is full of ghosts (due to all the witch burnings) which clamour for his attention.

The murder of the Princess appears to involve a fashion house run by an unusual person who always manages to produce the required dresses for his clients, despite the tight deadlines. Miss Cassidy's reaction upon sensing him reveals that he may not be quite human. When Mister Kay arrives, she has to work to protect him, and the household, from that person while she works to find out who he really is: and the answer may involve the spirit which she encountered in the previous book.

And back home in Singapore, Mister Kay's family is preparing to welcome a new baby by one of Mister Kay's friends. But all may not be well, for the mother-to-be has visions of a spirit that may come to claim her baby for itself. And the only thing that could protect the baby is an unusual veil that Miss Cassidy had a hand in creating.

All the plot threads rush together towards the end, as the mystery of the murder is resolved, and the mortal, spirit and realm of the gods clash. Miss Cassidy may have saved the day, but at the cost of being reclaimed by her Queen: or is she? Perhaps the answer may lie on a small island near Singapore that Mister Kay visits upon his return to Singapore.

Unlike the first two books which mainly feature Miss Cassidy, the main character in this book is Mister Kay. His motives for looking for Miss Cassidy are probably obvious from the first two books, but it would need this one for both Miss Cassidy and Mister Kay to admit to it and to resolve their relationship.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so first of all, this series must be read as a series. I read the other two books in this series just a couple of weeks ago and I was already like who was that character again...?

Secondly, my ranking for this series would be: #1 > #3 > #2. I liked this one but a bit like the second one, I felt that Miss Cassidy lacked agency (due to circumstances beyond her control). I also didn't really enjoy the setting in Tolwich.

Thirdly, there was a bit of a murder mystery element to this...which kinda fizzled, to be honest, but at least there were some different theories.

Fourthly, when big bad Bungadarah reared her head again, I was like...oh no, she's back. I didn't really enjoy her in the second book, even if there was a connection to the first book, and I didn't much like her presence here either. I feel like the other characters set up are strong enough to support three separate nemeses. I think the Minyak Merah as a foe on his own, in a story set in Singapore or Malaya, would have made for a story just as strong if not stronger. As it is, the plot got super complicated and ultimately I had no idea what the ultimate plan was to bring down Mr Ruby.

Fifthly, this series made me wish that my Malay was stronger. I could understand the one-word phrases but once it got to two or more words, I was lost, and I felt it wasn't always obvious what the translation would be (occasionally it would be provided, but certainly not always).

Nevertheless, I am VERY glad to have read this series, especially the first book. And I think it does deserve to be read in its entirety, as the "love" story between Miss Cassidy and Mr Kay does deserve an ending, even one as tenuous as was given to us at the end of this book. I feel like a different approach to the sequels would have made me enjoy it more, but that's just a personal opinion.

[Katdakoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 🌟 fat, satisfying, and easier to follow than the previous two books in the series. After a lifetime of reading about ghosts and other invasions in SEA by non SEAsians, it is so wonderful to read about the inverse, mobile and sulky and agentic. The series occupies the same spiritual trajectory as Zen Cho’s Spirits Abroad imo.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love this series so much it’s kinda bittersweet and sad that it has reached its conclusion. but one can hope for more novels of this nature - where myths and legends of different cultures across the world intersect.

[Fern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meihan Boey’s Miss Cassidy series and Ovidia Yu’s Crown Colony series are the wittiest most entertaining most subversive examples of the empire writes back.

[Kamila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Characters were fun, but the overabundance of gods and god-like beings that had decisive impact on the story was a bit too much for me.

[Atlas · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75☆

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 perfect end to the series.

[YH · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read! Probably should've read the previous two books but was in too deep before I realised it was part of a series

[Smellyfarrt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally finished reading 'The Mystical Mister Kay'. It took longer than expected. I love the first two books in the series, but this one took a while to reach the action.

The pacing was slow at first, and I struggled to see where the story was headed. It centers on a murder that initially seems like a suicide, but later reveals itself to be something else. Some parts of the plot still left me with questions.

Overall, I enjoyed the series, but this installment was a slower burn with a few confusing moments.