What do you think?
Rate this book
Kain Songhet Mysteries #2
Princess Play
Kelantanese kain songket trader and amateur sleuth Mak Cik Maryam is plunged once again into the shadowy world of murder, hatred and madness when a fellow market woman is killed after a successful main puteri (princess play) curing ceremony. Sorcery is suspected, though Maryam believes there are sufficient human suspects to investigate before considering the supernatural. Solving the crime requires the unravelling of a knot of family secrets, madness and familiar spirits. Once again Mak Cik Maryam brings Kelantan common sense, jewellery and an instinct for truth to shed light on a situation which appears at first to be insoluble. Follow Malaysia’s favourite female detective in Princess Play, the second Kelantanese murder case in the Kain Songket Mysteries series.
272 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2013
13 people are currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Ismail
9 books18 followersBarbara Ismail spent several years in Kelantan, Malaysia in the 1970s and '80s, living in Kampong Dusun and Pengkalan Chepa, studying Wayang Siam and the Kelantanese dialect. She holds a Ph.D in Anthropology from Yale University, and is originally from Brooklyn, New York. Shadow Play is the first in Barbara Ismail's series of "Kain Songket Mysteries" based in Kelantan.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 21, 2021
I know nothing about Kelantanese (or Malay) culture. I’m just going to assume that the author knows what she’s talking about in her portrayal of the people in this region of the world, unless educated otherwise. Apparently, if this book is to be believed, Kelantanese people consume an astounding amount of coffee and cigarettes (I wonder what the health indices are like for adults).
To the actual story
I am not sure why a market woman would be assisting the police in a murder investigation. I know Osman has trouble understanding the local dialect. According to the story, his deputy has just recovered from his head injury, so why not depend on him for translations? Is Mariam’s involvement in crime sleuthing better explained in the first book? Because apart from questioning suspects and coming up with plausible theories, she doesn’t actually solve anything. Neither she nor her cousin, nor the police prevent any of the subsequent crimes, and if Rahim hadn’t confessed spontaneously, they’d never have known the truth. Maybe this book was written more like sociological fiction rather than as a real mystery or detective novel. I mean, there was a mystery, but no one actually solved it despite everyone running around in circles (how did no one suspect the Bomoh?)
Additional note: There were a few noticeable typos.
To the actual story
I am not sure why a market woman would be assisting the police in a murder investigation. I know Osman has trouble understanding the local dialect. According to the story, his deputy has just recovered from his head injury, so why not depend on him for translations? Is Mariam’s involvement in crime sleuthing better explained in the first book? Because apart from questioning suspects and coming up with plausible theories, she doesn’t actually solve anything. Neither she nor her cousin, nor the police prevent any of the subsequent crimes, and if Rahim hadn’t confessed spontaneously, they’d never have known the truth. Maybe this book was written more like sociological fiction rather than as a real mystery or detective novel. I mean, there was a mystery, but no one actually solved it despite everyone running around in circles (how did no one suspect the Bomoh?)
Additional note: There were a few noticeable typos.
February 12, 2022
I was this close to tearing the book apart. I have never been so mad with a book, especially with the one I expect so much because on how much I love the first book. This one just makes my patience on the edge.
Continuing the Mak Cik Maryam dangerous adventure, mind you, what awaits her in this book is much more sinister than the first. I keep reminding myself that this is a work of fiction, so its not real right? But why tho I feel so emotionally angry reading this book?
"This whole thing, this whole case, is about people acting without thinking".
Never in my life, I've encountered characters that were just too stupid to be true, and a maniac too. They deserve a life sentence even with how humble the Malaysian people are, some things cant be lightly forgiven and forgotten. The Chief Police and his crew was a total dissapointment and I pity Mak Cik Maryam on how she need to get through all of this, its been the Chief Police problem at the first place, because of his weaknesses he lead Mak Cik Maryam with lots of trouble. Please send someone who can be rational enough to slap people in the face that harassing a woman is still violent? I couldn't agree more on how are my emotion had been damaged at the end of this book.
After stepping back for awhile, I was thinking about the choosing of Mak Cik as an amateur detective was okay? Of course, being a female and a makcik gives her some kind of power that people will talk to her, but she had let herself into an unnecessary dangerous path. A knight in shining armor? but sorry, she was just a busybody who stick her nose on someone else problem. The plot just so messed up, without clear notice on why people behave that way (for example . Her journey is so uncomfortable to the extent I question, is it okay to continue the investigation in her own state (after being beaten and humiliated, not to mention the cost of treatment and one of her family also had been harrassed), I am not that surprised the next book her shop or house may be burned down.
Character development is almost unnecessary, Makcik Maryam, how often she portrays of her dislikes for being the police informant (mind you, free of charges?), yet still act the other way. Why makcik? Why you need to danger yourself? Why are you so resistant? And what important, why you at least stand up for yourself? Try slapping people once awhile, that may make the reading more satisfied.
I have the third book in process, let just see where the story go.
Continuing the Mak Cik Maryam dangerous adventure, mind you, what awaits her in this book is much more sinister than the first. I keep reminding myself that this is a work of fiction, so its not real right? But why tho I feel so emotionally angry reading this book?
"This whole thing, this whole case, is about people acting without thinking".
Never in my life, I've encountered characters that were just too stupid to be true, and a maniac too. They deserve a life sentence even with how humble the Malaysian people are, some things cant be lightly forgiven and forgotten. The Chief Police and his crew was a total dissapointment and I pity Mak Cik Maryam on how she need to get through all of this, its been the Chief Police problem at the first place, because of his weaknesses he lead Mak Cik Maryam with lots of trouble. Please send someone who can be rational enough to slap people in the face that harassing a woman is still violent? I couldn't agree more on how are my emotion had been damaged at the end of this book.
After stepping back for awhile, I was thinking about the choosing of Mak Cik as an amateur detective was okay? Of course, being a female and a makcik gives her some kind of power that people will talk to her, but she had let herself into an unnecessary dangerous path. A knight in shining armor? but sorry, she was just a busybody who stick her nose on someone else problem. The plot just so messed up, without clear notice on why people behave that way (for example . Her journey is so uncomfortable to the extent I question, is it okay to continue the investigation in her own state (after being beaten and humiliated, not to mention the cost of treatment and one of her family also had been harrassed), I am not that surprised the next book her shop or house may be burned down.
Character development is almost unnecessary, Makcik Maryam, how often she portrays of her dislikes for being the police informant (mind you, free of charges?), yet still act the other way. Why makcik? Why you need to danger yourself? Why are you so resistant? And what important, why you at least stand up for yourself? Try slapping people once awhile, that may make the reading more satisfied.
I have the third book in process, let just see where the story go.
June 7, 2021
Interesting read
August 8, 2020
Boy the characters did smoke a lot. It's a wonder they didn't get lung cancer at the end of the series 😂
June 13, 2021
Ok. But seemed oddly written.
This was an ok read. I did finish it. But the police asking someone to find the murderer for him was distinctly odd. The way the detection went was odd. The time line very long, no hurry. Why shave someone’s entire head for one cut? The man going amok had really insufficient reason. I think rather amateur I guess in the end.
This was an ok read. I did finish it. But the police asking someone to find the murderer for him was distinctly odd. The way the detection went was odd. The time line very long, no hurry. Why shave someone’s entire head for one cut? The man going amok had really insufficient reason. I think rather amateur I guess in the end.
December 8, 2022
What a book! This book had a lot more mystery than the first one in the series, Shadow Play. I would decide first one character was the assassin; then the other character had to be the assassin; then, I would decide there had to be two killers. It was very interesting, also, about the beliefs of other countries—-how a grasshopper could be a “familiar” and do harm to one another.
October 29, 2018
Wow. I think this book is not suit for mystery at all. The story line is weak. The police is weak. I'm not bother to read the first volume.
March 26, 2019
The story is nicely written..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2024
Starts off well, then gets real messy and redundant in the middle, and then ends off proper.
December 19, 2013
Princess Play, the literal English translation of “Main Puteri”, is a cultural ritual practised by natives of Kelantan, a state on the east coast of the Malay peninsula (West Malaysia), by which a person who is not well is healed by a “bomoh” (medicine man). It is also used to cleanse a person who is believed to be possessed by a spirit. The “bomoh” does the healing and cleansing, accompanied by loud music.
In the story, Jamillah, a mother of two daughters, undergoes this healing process in the presence of the whole “kampong” (village), goes to bed afterwards and does not see the light of day again. Her death is baffling as her family and relatives were all in the house, talking until the wee hours of the morning after which her husband, Aziz, slept by her side. There was as such, no opportunity for a killer to enter the house and murder the sleeping Jamillah, without alerting the occupants of the house.
Osman, the Chief of Police for Kota Bahru (the capital of Kelantan), takes on the investigation himself. He is aided by Rahman, described as his de facto deputy. However, the main sleuth is Maryam, a middle aged lady, who is requested in earnest by Osman to assist him in uncovering the identity of the murderer. The reason given by the author to explain Maryam’s role as the de facto main investigator is that he is not able to understand the Kelantanese dialect (although he has been in Kelantan for two years) and also due to the assumption that the villagers are more likely to open up to a fellow villager like Maryam than the police towards whom the villagers behave with a natural wariness.
This story is a whodunit, in the classical vein, with an amateur sleuth complete with her sidekick. I was quite indifferent to Maryam, the amateur sleuth. She did not have any qualities which made me want to empathise with her or have any interest in her sleuthing efforts which, in any event, were minimal. The detective work either by Osman or Maryam (who behaved as if she was the head of police), was not impressive. As far as the other main players were concerned, they were not very well developed, with the exception of Hamidah. Although this is genre fiction and as such, the plot is more important than characterization, some characterization would have helped the reader appreciate the story better. I was however quite drawn to the minor character of Azrina who had more enthusiasm for the detection process than the main sleuths.
The identity of the murderer did not come as a “Oh My” moment when it was known, not through any efforts of Osman (who was treated like a small boy by both Maryam and her side kick, Rubiah) or Maryam, who by that time seemed to have no interest in pursuing the matter owing to several mishaps suffered by her. I would have thought that such mishaps would have spurred her on to discover the identity of the murderer but it appears that she was made not of the sterner stuff.
The premise of the story was good, a mysterious murder, several red herrings and also almost every suspect confessing to the murder due to various reasons but, unfortunately, the story telling did not grab me as far as the detective work was concerned and, in the end, whatever suspense there was just fizzled out without any excitement.
I have given 2 stars to the book because of the interesting information about Kelantan, its people, culture and language, the phenomena of hysteria and ‘running amok”. That was good.
In the story, Jamillah, a mother of two daughters, undergoes this healing process in the presence of the whole “kampong” (village), goes to bed afterwards and does not see the light of day again. Her death is baffling as her family and relatives were all in the house, talking until the wee hours of the morning after which her husband, Aziz, slept by her side. There was as such, no opportunity for a killer to enter the house and murder the sleeping Jamillah, without alerting the occupants of the house.
Osman, the Chief of Police for Kota Bahru (the capital of Kelantan), takes on the investigation himself. He is aided by Rahman, described as his de facto deputy. However, the main sleuth is Maryam, a middle aged lady, who is requested in earnest by Osman to assist him in uncovering the identity of the murderer. The reason given by the author to explain Maryam’s role as the de facto main investigator is that he is not able to understand the Kelantanese dialect (although he has been in Kelantan for two years) and also due to the assumption that the villagers are more likely to open up to a fellow villager like Maryam than the police towards whom the villagers behave with a natural wariness.
This story is a whodunit, in the classical vein, with an amateur sleuth complete with her sidekick. I was quite indifferent to Maryam, the amateur sleuth. She did not have any qualities which made me want to empathise with her or have any interest in her sleuthing efforts which, in any event, were minimal. The detective work either by Osman or Maryam (who behaved as if she was the head of police), was not impressive. As far as the other main players were concerned, they were not very well developed, with the exception of Hamidah. Although this is genre fiction and as such, the plot is more important than characterization, some characterization would have helped the reader appreciate the story better. I was however quite drawn to the minor character of Azrina who had more enthusiasm for the detection process than the main sleuths.
The identity of the murderer did not come as a “Oh My” moment when it was known, not through any efforts of Osman (who was treated like a small boy by both Maryam and her side kick, Rubiah) or Maryam, who by that time seemed to have no interest in pursuing the matter owing to several mishaps suffered by her. I would have thought that such mishaps would have spurred her on to discover the identity of the murderer but it appears that she was made not of the sterner stuff.
The premise of the story was good, a mysterious murder, several red herrings and also almost every suspect confessing to the murder due to various reasons but, unfortunately, the story telling did not grab me as far as the detective work was concerned and, in the end, whatever suspense there was just fizzled out without any excitement.
I have given 2 stars to the book because of the interesting information about Kelantan, its people, culture and language, the phenomena of hysteria and ‘running amok”. That was good.
November 23, 2013
This is a very quick and easy book to read. The heroine fresh from her previous misadventure in the debut book Shadow Play.
I cannot compare this book with the likes of Connelly and Childs or even Christie. Someone commented on the Shadow Play book likened the book to a Miss Marple series. I agree.
Instead of description of little english boroughs, Barbara explained a lot about Kelantan culture. Although I am Malaysian, reading this made me google the Main Puteri. I've heard about it but not really know about it. So yeah, its not all sleuth and detective works. Barbara also painstakingly describes the society where the background of her books is set.
She has 5 books in the series and this is the 2nd. I look forward to reading more by Barbara Ismail not because of the smart detective work. Heck, even Connelly's McEvoy did not really really deduced anything [i finished reading The Scarecrow last night thus the comparison].
The Kain Songket series is a nice little adventure to tuck into , and finish within a day and be ready for work again there after. No need to spill over the next work week. Also good for travelling.
I cannot compare this book with the likes of Connelly and Childs or even Christie. Someone commented on the Shadow Play book likened the book to a Miss Marple series. I agree.
Instead of description of little english boroughs, Barbara explained a lot about Kelantan culture. Although I am Malaysian, reading this made me google the Main Puteri. I've heard about it but not really know about it. So yeah, its not all sleuth and detective works. Barbara also painstakingly describes the society where the background of her books is set.
She has 5 books in the series and this is the 2nd. I look forward to reading more by Barbara Ismail not because of the smart detective work. Heck, even Connelly's McEvoy did not really really deduced anything [i finished reading The Scarecrow last night thus the comparison].
The Kain Songket series is a nice little adventure to tuck into , and finish within a day and be ready for work again there after. No need to spill over the next work week. Also good for travelling.
November 19, 2013
The main characters makes a mockery of all the female sleuths out there in crime fiction (provincial or otherwise).
She doesn't actually solve any crime at all since the crime resolves itself around her by the end of the book through other means. Instead she sticks her nose into other people's affair, and seems to have endless time to 'investigate' and honestly is just a source of irritant. I almost clapped my hands with glee when she was whacked on the head cos there is how irritating I found her to be. Unfortunately she lived.
In the end it's the other characters who outshines her in terms of characterisation and it is also unfortunate there will be five more books with her as the main character, because in all honesty, the books function just as well without her 'insights' and 'deductions'
She doesn't actually solve any crime at all since the crime resolves itself around her by the end of the book through other means. Instead she sticks her nose into other people's affair, and seems to have endless time to 'investigate' and honestly is just a source of irritant. I almost clapped my hands with glee when she was whacked on the head cos there is how irritating I found her to be. Unfortunately she lived.
In the end it's the other characters who outshines her in terms of characterisation and it is also unfortunate there will be five more books with her as the main character, because in all honesty, the books function just as well without her 'insights' and 'deductions'
January 13, 2019
I would never have guessed the murderer. I love learning about the culture. I was surprised by the violence in it and the humor in it. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. I will have to keep an eye out for more by this author and publisher.
June 5, 2019
Picked this up from the library as a holiday read. Overall I enjoyed it. Nicely written whodunnit that kept me guessing till the end.
I didn’t like the way the chief of police was depicted as, to all intents and purposes, a dimwit. This one is well worth a read though.
I didn’t like the way the chief of police was depicted as, to all intents and purposes, a dimwit. This one is well worth a read though.
April 24, 2014
Interesting. Names were too similar so was a little confusing at times.
April 24, 2017
Twisted. But makes one wonders on the practice of main puteri in Kelantan.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews