Mr Wong Goes West

Feng Shui Detective #5

by Nury Vittachi

Feng shui detective C. F. Wong is not a fan of western culture, so it seems as if his worst nightmare has come true when he gets an assignment to deal with Brits in Hong Kong. They ask him to fly with them to London, where the Queen wants Buckingham Palace feng shuied to rid the Royal family of its long run of bad luck. But with over 600 rooms in the palace - including 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms - is this an assignment too far or a deliberate distraction?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Asian Literature, Humor, Asia

247 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Nury Vittachi is a journalist and author based in Hong Kong. His columns are published daily, weekly in a variety of newspapers in Asia as well as on his website. He is best known for the comedy-crime novel series The Feng Shui Detective, published in many languages around the world, but he has also written non-fiction works and novels for children. He is also noted for his role in founding the Asia Literary Review, the Hong Kong International Literary Festival, the Man Asian Literary Prize, and was the chairman of the judges of the inaugural Australia-Asia Literary Award in 2008. Vittachi currently lives in Hong Kong with his English wife Mary-Lacey Vittachi and their three adopted Chinese children. Also writes under the name Sam Jam.

Reviews

[Elizabeth Periale · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://xoxoxoe.blogspot.com/2012/03/f...

"The crime aspects were interesting and complicated enough to satisfy fans of the genre, but like the gentle mysteries posed and solved by Mma Romatswe in Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, what is most interesting and entertaining in The Feng Shui Detective Goes West are the characters, and author Vittachi's wry East vs. West humor. Vittachi, a journalist who also writes an entertaining blog, has a lot of fun with his titular character. There are laugh-out-loud moments as Wong and McQuinnie react to others around them. There are also interspersed "extracts" from Wong's own Gleanings of Oriental Wisdom that add to the flavor and atmosphere of the story."

[Victoria Law · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciate the conversation between Dilip Sinha and Janet Moore on pages 155 to 157. No idea how factually accurate it is (or is not), but it did motivate me to deal with some mail that's been sitting on my desk and at least make some effort to be efficient with my e-mails today.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing and imaginative story, although some characters were too ditsy for my taste. Enjoyed Mr Wong's confusion about the British Royals' names. Book title and cover illustration led me to expect more action in England, so a bit disappointed on that front.

[Primadonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a delight indeed. At first it seems like there are too many things going on. But it gets better nearing the end.

I still feel there are a few loose threads in this novel. And it's too bad that the author hasn't written newer books since this one.

[John Millard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for a dollar at the library since I was curious. A most enjoyable read. I will keep an eye out for more of these.

[Kat Ashworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of action, mysticism and intrigue.

[Sara M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I defy you not to laugh until you can't breathe anymore by the time you finish this book. You may learn a little too, along the way.

[Jacki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geomancer C.F. Wong of Singapore needs money, and he needs it now. Because of an office supply deal gone wrong, he owes a large sum to the Chinese mafia. Fortune favors him when the British royal family asks for a feng shui makeover of their state-of-the-art Skyparc passenger plane, and Joyce McQuinnie, Wong's assistant, is thrilled at the possibility of meeting a real royal--preferably an available prince. The plum job gets complicated, however, when Joyce's friend Paul is accused of murdering a top oil executive on board the Skyparc. Joyce is determined to prove Paul's innocence, but if he's not guilty, why has he taken a vow of silence? Who is the real killer? And what is the Queen of England's last name?

The East-meets-West plot component fuels much of the story's humor, with wonderful results. Shrewd, curmudgeonly Wong considers Westerners ridiculous and confusing, and isn't shy about telling them so, committing gaffes of his own in the process. Joyce acts as the sleuth for most of the book, her dedication to Paul conflicting with Wong's need for a quick buck until a third party pays Wong to investigate the murder. Though the answer to the mystery is a bit over-the-top, it is in keeping with the quirky plot and Vittachi's breezy writing, and the resolution will leave readers laughing and satisfied.

***This review originally appeared in Shelf Awareness Readers Edition. Sign up for this free and awesome newsletter at http://www.shelf-awareness.com for the latest news and reviews! This review refers to an ARC provided by Shelf Awareness.***

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Wong has been expanding his Feng Shui practice by setting propitious meeting places up that will be helpful in smoothing business transactions. He is hired usually by the person who wants a certain deal to be resolved in their favor. When one such meeting goes awry Mr. Wong is left holding the bag and in debt to a big time local gangster belonging to the Chinese mafia in Singapore.

Mean while his young Australian assistant Joyce has accept a plum of a job for him which will take them both to Hong Kong. He has been asked by associate of the British Royal family to do Feng Shui on a big new air jet which will be used for business conferences while in flight. It is a unique craft with the setup of a small town with bed rooms, movie sections and even a small store as well as large conference rooms. When he is done he is supposed to go on it to England and work on Buckingham Palace to help control some of the misfortunes that have been happening to the royal family.

Before he can begin his work on the plane a murder takes place on board. As this intrepid duo of Wong and McQuinnie begins their work which now involves a murder investigation this begin to go awry. MR. Wong predicted there would be trouble and as a serious of events unfold which could lead to short lives for all on board and now the reader waits for Mr. Wong to pull salvation out of a hat!

Vittachi's books are always very well done and they include interesting plots unlike others and wonderful characters which all give the reader a smile.

[Philia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Feng Shui Detective Novel - Mr Wong Goes West, by Nury Vittachi

This book is my first reading of Nury's Feng Shui Detective series. A fun, fast read after I struggled through the first 30 pages's slow start about Mr CF Wong's business venture into black highlighters!

I enjoyed all the Gleanings of Oriental Wisdom. One of my favorite quote came from the story about the prince who visited nine kingdoms to learn how to be the greatest of kings on page 166-167. He learnt that 'When we look after the rights of the least, we look after the rights of us all".

While CF Wong may be very accomplished in his knowledge in Feng Shui, I find him irritatingly naive in his lack of understanding about the western world as a character. Having said that, I must say that his general ignorance does provide much hilarious giggles. I love the exchange between Wong and Manks ( The P.R. Man for the Queen of England) on page 102-105. It created chaos and confusion as Wong tries to grasp the royal family name changes from their Germanic surname 'Sexy-Cobber-Goater' (Saxe-Coburg-Gotham), to 'Windsor' after their castle, to Mountbatten-Windsor.

It was very beneficial to learn from Sinha the Indian Vasstu Shastra master about frozen Chi when clutters build up on our desk and our email inbox, which affect our productivity on page 177-180.

The book is entertaining, so I will go back and read Book 1 to Book 4 of the series.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Several years ago I read the first Feng Shui Detective mystery, and I was enchanted by the humor. I found Wong and his assistant hilarious, and when I saw that there were more books to come, I kept reminding myself that I had to get back to this series.

Evidently a lot of water went under the bridge during the intervening years because my reaction to this second book is much different than my reaction to the first. Yes, there is still plenty of good humor, especially when Wong is butchering the English language. However, I no longer find his work-resistant assistant as funny as I had originally, and the plot just kept losing my interest.

Now I'm left wondering what happened to change my opinion of this series so drastically from one book to the next! Sometimes authors change. Sometimes series change. This time, I think the reader changed. Your mileage may definitely vary.

[Pia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein netter Krimi für Zwischendurch. Der Mordfall selbst ist spannend inszeniert, aber vergleichsweise schnell aufgelöst. Von daher eher als leichte Lektüre geeignet. Durch Themen wie Umweltschutz, Machtspiele und ein klein wenig Kulturschock ist dieses Buch aber alles andere als belanglos.

Der eigentliche Charme der Geschichte liegt allerdings in den Charakteren. Die teils überspitzten Eigenarten sorgen immer wieder für eine gewisse Situationskomik. Mehr als ein Schmunzeln konnte mir das Buch jedoch nicht entlocken. Insgesamt trotzdem zu empfehlen, auch ohne die ersten Teile gelesen zu haben.

[Lizzytish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky, fun read! Lots of humor with East vs West and the Royals. I enjoy the 'Gleanings of Oriental Wisdom' throughout the book. It's as much a mystery as getting to know the quirky characters. One funny part was when a corporate European woman meeting an Indian business man. She introduced her self mentioning she was a good Catholic girl. He replied I am Sindhi. She's thinking Cindy, and it was hilarious from there on, not to mention he was selling highlighters that turned out to be black!

Many humorous incidents intertwine throughout the mystery. Looking forward to the next book!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

C. F. Wong, master of Feng Shui, leaves Singapore to feng shui an airplane in Singapore. Of course, normally an airplane isn't a good candidate for the process, but this plane is different. Once he's finished, he'll fly to England to do a job for the Queen of England. But officials find a dead body on the airplane, and the leading suspect is a good friend of his young, unwanted assistant Joyce. While he and Joyce investigate the crime, sinister forces are plotting the end of the airplane, and all its passengers.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot more than I expected to, and would recommend it to anyone in need of a laugh. Mr Wong is a likable character who imparts some insightful 'Gleanings of Oriental Wisdom' throughout the book.

One of my favourite parts was when an English envoy tries to explain to Mr Wong the names and titles of the royal family, a good chuckle! And he mananges to solve a murder along the way, good fun.

[David Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is potentially likeable but whether you actually like it will depend on your view of humour. I would not go so far as to say any of this is actually offensive, but it certainly flirts with racial stereotypes. I quite like most of it but, in giving it 3 stars, I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.

http://opionator.wordpress.com/2012/0...

[GlenK · Rating 5 out of 5]

This, the second of the Feng Shui Detective series, continues the well drawn characters and tight plotting that made the first one so enjoyable. In tone, it seems similar to a Kinky Friedman mystery with its humor and brisk dialogue. The plot briefly turned melodramatic towards the end but that is a very minor quibble.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing like as surreal/weird/verging on the absurd as 'Shanghai Union', and there's actually something resembling a detective story involved this time! Liked this one better (although the first one was quite fun), maybe because it's easier to fit it into a genre.

[Ketan Shah]

A breezy read. If you enjoyed this you might like Barry Hughart's Bride of Bird's,which also combines eastern philosophy and detective work.Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin books also feature an unusual detective.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly, but enjoyable.

[Yik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to read when you feel like a chuckle. Simple plot, funny characters, good East-meets-West type of humour.

[Vivi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Wong a Chinese-Singaporean Feng shui expert Meets the Royal Family. Asian Comedy at it's best. What more do you want? Happy Reading

[Leslie Ferrari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series, but the first one that I have read. It was slow starting, but picked up at the end.

[Glenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun. It made fun of both western and eastern cultures in a light hearted way.

[Josef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, specially if you're into Feng Shui, and know Singapore... so true. And great fun to read,

[Helen Tubrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the first novel in the series...