The Cannonball Tree Mystery

Su Lin #5

by Ovidia Yu

Has Su Lin summoned a tree demon who is now killing on her behalf?

The overpoweringly fragrant flowers, snakelike vines and deadly fruit of the cannonball tree are enough to keep most people away. But when a piece of expensive photographic equipment is found nearby, on closer inspection Su Lin discovers the body of Mimi, her horrible relative who has been trying to blackmail her.

Su Lin is not the only one to realise how much easier this death makes things for her in the new normal of life in Syonan (Japanese Occupied Singapore). And then more fortuitious deaths follow. But is someone really killing people on her account?

As Su Lin contends with the fear and rancour of those around her, the resentment of former friends and a whistling demon, can she hope not only to survive but untangle the cannonball tree's secrets to prevent further deaths... and possibly turn the tide of the war?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, Asia, Mystery Thriller, World War II

228 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2021

Reviews

[Siti Sumaiyyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was initially attracted to the book because of the cover, the title and the fact that the author was Asian- Singaporean, to be more precise. I did not expect to like it as much as I did. Unfortunately, I only found out much later that this book was the newest installment in a whole mystery series. No wonder Su Lin's tone turns nostalgic whenever she mentions her old comrades!

I love the mystery behind the whole story and how the seemingly innocent sounding Cannonball tree was at the centre of it. I love Su Lin's character a lot- I love her strength and determination and her ability to keep her wits together through the toughest situation. It was great to read her interactions with other characters in the story.

The ending was definitely a good twist although I'd begin to be able to figure out who the villain was after a few suspects were killed off. I only noticed certain details to the mysteries surrounding the deaths as it was slowly revealed who the culprit was. The ending was definitely tragic but what's important to me was that it set up a possibility for more books in the series.

4.5 stars!

[Pallavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Su lin is with Japan occupied Singapore now. And murder and mayhem never stops when Su Lin is around. Like all the books in the series previous to this, is a murder mystery around a tree. Its the Cannonball tree, which I am familiar with. Its nice to see Su Lin, even though only a cook and maid in a Japanese commander's household, not stop herself from trying to solve the mysteries. It was nice to see her and her old team (except Le Froy) teaming together though now working for different agencies around. It is also amazing to know about Singapore so much through these series. I liked how the mystery was set and very likable characters, good pace and narration. One of the best in series.
Happy Reading!!

[Damon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fifth entry in this series maintains the tension and atmosphere of the previous entry, while adding some welcome depth and background to the titular detective. Set in Japan-occupied Singapore, Su Lin, who now resides at the headquarters of the occupying forces, is forced to navigate the power dynamics of the occupying forces, her own complex family background, and issues of loyalty and duty. Ovidia Yu gives a capable mystery wrapped in several layers of moral ambiguity, while at the same time recreating, in enjoyable detail, the Singapore of 80 years ago.

I would give this book a strong recommend to anyone interested in cozy mysteries or historical mysteries, but suggest that the reader go through the first four books in the series first. It is a down payment well worth it for fans of the genre.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* rounded up to 5*

[Gabriela Galescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great historical mystery

Reading about Singapore with its many ethnic groups, languages, amazing food and out of this world vegetation is a treat in itself. Add to that a very compelling rendition of the Japanese occupation - both in terms of ideology (cultural superiority and imperial ambitions) and of its effect on the local population - and you’re in for a double treat.
If that is not enough to make one read this book, how about I throw in believable and likable characters, good pace and a very satisfying murder mystery plot.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2021 bk 338. I think I missed a book in the series somehow - but Yu does such an excellent job of plotting and laying out her stories, that I didn't need to read it first. Set in the midst of Japanese-occupied Singapore, our heroine has found a job with the Japanese English language propaganda paper - and at the same time running the house and the kitchen of the Shori Headquarters. When a body is found under the Cannonball Tree, it turns out to the be the sister of Su Lin's aunt, and from there things get wonderfully complicated. Yu writes in a style that evokes the time period and in such a way that you can smell the soup simmering on the stove. Great Read!

[Matt Tarasuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again I was drawn into the world of Su Lin and 1940s Singapore for a very interesting and complex murder mystery. Life under the Japanese occupation was certainly very hard on the locals, and through this book you feel the hardships and the stress that they had to endure to survive. Meanwhile our heroine walks the fine line between serving the Japanese and her friends, family and colleagues best interests. Another superb story and writing.

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another good entry in the Crown Colony mystery series. Now that I'm all caught up, I'll need to wait with the rest of the fans to find out what happens next. The Japanese still occupy Singapore, and are controlling information flow as best they can. However, news about the Allies is coming to the people via flyers, telling them not to give up hope.

Su Lin is unwillingly being a collaborator, or appearing to be so, and resisting her Japanese masters a little bit when she can do so unnoticed. She had issues with life under colonial British rule, but thinks that how the British had treated the locals was better than how the Japanese are treating them. Her concerns have narrowed down somewhat to keeping her family safe, and surviving the war. Though the flyers are meant to give hope, Su Lin has nearly given up hope that the Japanese occupation will ever end.

Again there are double-crosses and triple-crosses, and many spies and informants. I'm eager for the next book. I know the Americans are fighting their way across the Pacific, but young Su Lin doesn't know how it will go.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm struck by how much Su Lin has matured in this series, from the young girl in the first book to the woman who has learned she and her family have to survive any way they can. Survival is the goal, nothing more or less, just survival. The murders she uncovers in this book are beautifully woven through the grim reality of her life in a Japanese-controlled Singapore. Although under the protection of her Japanese cousin the threat of death is with her every moment of every day. I love this series and look forward to the next book and perhaps the end of the war. I miss the life Su Lin lived before the war and wonder how life will be after.

[Sheila Suzanne Peel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!!

I was going to pace myself and make this book last....... I read it in one afternoon. A delightful few hours spent on this adventure. I cannot wait until we are gifted the next book. I loved this book!!!

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow I wound up starting this 10-book series in the middle. I liked it so much, though, that I bought the whole set and am now going to start from the beginning.

I could tell that the regular reader would recognize Su Lin - the main character - her friends, and her oppressors so there’s definitely character development but it takes place starting from the first book. Su Lin has seen a lot, and is resourceful under pressure. She’s tolerated nonstop abuse beginning in her childhood for being disabled from polio and having a Japanese mother.

The setting is Singapore in 1944 under the Japanese occupation. The treatment of the locals is brutal and arbitrarily deadly. Everyone is terrified of the soldiers and the glee with which they wield their bayonets. Despite the oppression, Su Lin has managed to find work with the Japanese high command and grows to respect some of her bosses.

The mystery was interesting enough but what I found compelling was Singapore during WWII. Like The Gift of Rain, this novel impressed me because it was different.

Looking forward to starting The Frangipani Tree so I can begin with Book 1.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Crown Colony series keeps improving, and I've already used up five stars. Someone please give us six and seven stars, because I see there's yet another book on the way--The Mushroom Tree Mystery, to be published in October, 2022. I'll be twitching at the Hold buttons at my local library, waiting for my chance to claim a place on the waiting list.

Usually an audiobook reader, I couldn't wait for this one to come out in audio so I slogged painfully through the process of reading print, and I could not feel more rewarded. I'll still look forward to a re-read on audiobook when that's possible, but meanwhile, I'm not waiting around. I'll read Crown Colony mysteries if they're published on banana peels, if I have to, just so I get a chance to read as many as possible, and as soon as possible.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is great! Particularly the books set during the Japanese occupation of Singapore, but the detail and character writing is wonderful in all of the books so far.

[Jan Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series

The continuing saga of sun Lin life is mesmerizing. Her ability to adapt and survive always in the midst of the direst of circumstances makes a,wonderful heroine. As always the stories are interesting, complex and full of so much historical background. Can't wait to see where the next book takes us.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

continuing to read in order - times are changing

[Diana Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t wait for the next one

The war is still going on and Su Lin is working in a high officials household. She is estranged from her family and not sure where her friends are. The hardships of living during wartime, the descriptions of the food and where it comes from during this period are all very interesting. I love this series and would recommend it to anyone who loves an historical mystery.

[Stephanie Tanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Japanese occupied Singapore, Su Lin is living in the headquarters of the Japanese commander.
Due to her Japanese mother and Chinese father she is spying on the Japanese who have imprisoned her English and Chinese friends.
An eye opening portrayal of Singapore’s history.

[Perlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this installment of the Tree mysteries a little too dark, and leavened with less humor than Yu's usual. I'll continue to read, but this wasn't my favorite.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Su Lin is now employed by the Japanese. She works with the ruling Colonel Fujiwara’s son-in-law, Joben Kobata, to translate the Japanese news bulletin he writes and put it into English and get them to print. (She actually does most of the work. She also has ended up running the kitchen for Colonel Fujiwara because he likes her cooking.) Her surprise Japanese relative, Hideki Tagawa arranged the position for her. Sometimes she doesn’t know if that is a good or bad thing as Colonel Fujiwara’s daughter and son-in-law seem to feel like they are in competition with Tagawa for power. When a woman shows up dead in the backyard of the Colonel’s estate, the local Japanese are quick to call the death accidental and blame a falling cannon ball tree fruit. Su Lin is pretty sure the death wasn’t accidental. None of the fruit high enough to cause damage was big enough to be fatal. But she keeps her mouth shut and her eyes open, especially since the woman was trying to blackmail her with a photo of her pre-war with the local police force. When the official photographer for Colonel Fujiwara and the paper also goes missing, and is eventually found dead, an investigation is unavoidable. But who would have wanted the photographer and his girlfriend dead?

I think the most interesting aspect of this story is getting a glimpse of occupied Singapore in WWII. Su Lin’s life is extra-complicated because she is both local and part-Japanese, so neither the locals nor the Japanese fully trust her. Su Lin is a survivor though, and knows how to play the smart, long game. Her smarts also put her in trouble since she figures things out. I had guessed the murderer pretty early in this but wasn’t entirely sure of the why. The why turns out to be a bit more disturbing than I imagined as a full blown serial killer is unveiled masquerading as someone pretty inane but is definitely a psychopath. For the grittier side of human nature revealed in this Su Lin story, I would say it is one of the hardest to read and most adult. I definitely wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. Those who can handle the content and want a glimpse into WWII Japanese occupied Singapore though, it is interesting for that aspect. And it is well-written.

Notes on content:
Language: A handful of minor swears plus 5 moderate swears.
Sexual content: The dead woman slept around and appears to have turned to sleeping with men to survive the occupation. The photographer in the story was inspired by a real historic photographer who did nudes and these Japanese “educational” prints that were given to married couples as wedding gifts. Some of the photos are loosely described, and Su Lin finds the ones she sees a bit shocking and lewd. It is mentioned that Joban is a player and tried to make advances on Su Lin once, but she curbed that quickly.
Violence: Someone was taking prisoners of war and killing them for sport. There are 3 murders over the course of the book that happen off page with the results somewhat described, and one kind of Japanese ritual murder/suicide by bomb (results not described). The serial killer’s past victims are revealed at the end. Joban hits and threatens Su Lin multiple times.
Ethnic diversity: Japanese, Su Lin is Singaporian/Japanese, other locals are of Malay/Indian/Chinese/British descent.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: The lewd and disturbing photos are a key part of the plot so they are talked about a lot. Su Lin witnesses a lot of injustices faced by local groups, she’s worried about prisoners of war she cares about, and she gets involved in a local resistance effort. The Colonel’s daughter was married for political gain and she and her husband have a very toxic relationship. The Colonel left his daughter years ago and first wife, and there are unaddressed feelings of abandonment there.

[Douglas Drummond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Chen Su Lin’s fifth outing, and this time she is no longer working for Inspector Le Froy and the British; but rather for Colonel Fujiwara with the Japanese in Singapore (now Syonan). A local woman, who happens to be a distant relative of Su Lin, is found dead on the grounds of Japanese headquarters where Su Lin works as a housekeeper and translator. She has landed on her feet (albeit shakily) with the Japanese because her mother, who died young leaving Su Lin with her Chinese grandmother, was Japanese and her cousin, Hideki Tagawa, has taken her under his wing.

The actual mystery involved is rather pedestrian. What sustains this novel is the development of the character of Su Lin. She is disadvantaged. Her parents were on the outs with the rest of her family and then died young leaving Su Lin with grandmother, who took her in despite others saying she was “bad luck”. She was sent to an English mission-type school, which was likely rather dour, yet she made lasting friendships and had good mentors. She flourished where others might fail. Wherever she lands, she makes the best of it and adds to her skill set. Su Lin turns her disadvantages to advantages. Being diminutive in size and having a crippled leg would make her a poor comfort woman. People easily dismiss or overlook her, to her advantage. Speaking English, Malay, Hokkien, and Japanese and loving to cook, however, have landed her in Japanese HQ translating and writing a propaganda rag for the Japanese. The high-ranking Japanese she serves are presented here as rather buffoon-like and her excellent cooking skills have them literally eating out of her hands. She is empathetic to all, even her rather brutal colonial masters (be they British or Japanese). She is positive, clever, and curious.

We know that Le Froy is being held in Changi prison and had a foot amputated in a previous novel. He doesn’t show up in this story, although we do encounter a number of characters from earlier episodes. One of her old colleagues from the Straits police is with the Syonan police but working covertly against the Japanese. Another has joined the INA to fight to free India from the British. Two Brits from earlier books show up as undercover agents.

Overall, I would say not the best of the Su Lin stories but still worth reading.

[Hannah Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, let me say that I love this series. There is no other like it, and I eagerly read each part of it. But let's be clear- the setting comes first in this story. This is foremost a depiction of Singapore at a difficult time in it's history, with the plot and characters as an excuse to explore the setting. Despite how traumatic this book could be, it's surprisingly cozy. The reader is sheltered from directly witnessing many of the horrors, and though we are very aware of them, we're just as aware of the survival and hope.

Su Lin is a likeable narrator, if slightly over convenient. She's empathetic (a key trait to be able to talk about the different struggles that different people would face at this point in history). She's intelligent and a bit impulsive (great excuse to move the plot and setting forward), and she's easy to underestimate (allowing people to ignore her when she goes places she probably shouldn't). She's got some serious plot armor. But I'm not mad. Su Lin's wry observations take us into her world, her humor can be delightful, and her empathetic and jaded commentary is insightful and feel like a conversation with a close friend.

The plot feels like Ovidia Yu took different historical points and found an excuse to draw a line through it. But again, I'm not mad- the history she takes us through deserves to be highlighted. Yes, I figured out the murderer halfway through the book. I was still stunned by how terrible the murderer truly was at the final reveal. The resolution wasn't as tidy as it could have been: I was still confused as to why the murderer committed the murders that we saw. It felt like there were several motives for Ryu's murder, none of which quite made sense. But I'm not as mad as I should be, because the killer is so caught up in lies and arrogance, it makes sense that their motives would be muddled.

So while there are some holes in the book (like how super-spy Hideki Tagawa missed Su Lin's seditious activity?), overall it's an engrossing and enjoyable read about a fascinating place and time.

[Paul Cornelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

A continuation, essentially, of the previous book, Mimosa Tree Mystery, in the Su Lin mystery series. And, now, I'm beginning to really like how Ovidia Yu tells her stories. She has taken on a somewhat rare perspective, that of the "collaborator" with the enemy occupier, the Japanese. But as Yu makes clear, there is some moral ambivalence about the issue, because Su Lin earlier collaborated, much more sympathetically, of course, with the British occupiers of Singapore. This, to me, is an intriguing storyline, as we get an intimate portrayal of Su Lin's life in the same house with the Japanese commandant of Singapore, his daughter and her husband, as well as Tagawa, an adviser to the Japanese government, who it also turns out, through a complicated albeit believable series of circumstances, is the cousin of Su Lin. Embedded in this atmosphere is a series of murders, all of which Su Lin works to uncover with the aid of her uncle Tagawa. Perhaps the explanation at the end goes on a bit too long. But I barely noticed. I'm now unable to put down these Su Lin mysteries--and last night my Kindle battery even ran low while I was reading the final chapter, something I almost never let happen.

Ovidia Yu creates an intimate atmosphere of not only Singapore but Southeast Asian life in general during the 1940s. I'm very much impressed. Su Lin remains a highly likeable protagonist. And for generating sympathy for the Japanese occupiers, give Yu credit for exploring a subject rarely treated in English language fiction. I'm not sure this novel could have been written as is even twenty years ago. The animus the Americans and British justly felt towards the Japanese of World War II simply would have caused much greater pause. I should, however, also point out that the US went to great lengths after World War II to make Japan acceptably "Americanized" because of the threat from China PRC. So maybe Yu would have fit into that context. At any rate, I'm on to the next volume in the series, Mushroom Tree Mystery.

[Athirah Idrus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating : 3.75 stars

The Cannonball Tree Mystery follows the adventure of Su Lin, a cripple, but very able and independent young woman who speaks multiple languages. She manages the house affairs at the Shori household and works as a translator in the Japanese-occupied Singapore, known at Syonan then.

One day she receives an unwelcome visit by an old relative. However, not long after, the relative has been found dead under the Cannonball Tree. Though Su Lin cannot help but feel guilty and grateful at the same time for the fortuitous death, there is a nagging feeling that danger is near and she must employ her wit and skills to figure out the killer, if she does not want to end up as the next victim.

Though I don't think it's necessary to read the series following the order, I am a hundred percent sure I'd have enjoyed this book more if I did. I spent the first part of the book trying to acquaint myself with the characters and the background of the previous books, but thankfully Ovidia made it easy for including brief introductions so I could still follow the story easily.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this 5th book in the series, SuLin Chen is coping with the Japanese occupation of Syonan (Singapore) by working as a translator/housekeeper/cook for a Japanese colonel, Colonel Fujiwara and his staff and daughter, Ima. Ima's husband, Joben, was also part of the household. Things were going relatively well until objects began to go missing. This started an investigation which didn't get far before SuLin came across the body of a woman in the garden. This woman had earlier been around trying to blackmail SuLin and others. Then an official photographer seemed to be missing since no one had seen him and he had missed several important photo shoots.
The complicated plot of this story fits with the rest of the series and also gives some inkling of how the occupied people of Singapore managed life and how the occupiers also behaved.

(I may have read this book before, but have no record of it.)

[Sister · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the character of Su Lin from the beginning. ‘’Plucky” doesn’t begin to describe her. She is a young woman who makes lemonade out of lemons all the time. In this book she is managing the kitchen of the Japanese colonel in charge of Singapore, mainly because she is still angry over the news that her grandmother had run her mother away because she loved a Japanese man. This makes her related to Hideki Tagawa, the spy who has become her protector in the absence of Inspector LeFroy.

Su Lin knows how to fix her face and responses as a servant in this house, ducking and dodging the verbal and physical assaults of the colonel’s daughter and son-in-law. Ima’s behavior was too suspicious for me, so I pegged her as the killer early on. I am glad she is getting more news about old friends who are active in the resistance movement, and I look forward to reading the next installment in the series.

[annapi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Su Lin is now working for the propaganda newspaper of the Japanese during their occupation of Singapore. Mimi, the sister of Su Lin's aunt by marriage, tries to blackmail her with a photograph of her with the British police, but later she finds Mimi dead under the cannonball tree.

The mystery of this book, although a good one, was for me almost secondary to the fascinating setting of survival during the Japanese occupation. Su Lin is just trying to stay alive in a Japanese household as she tries to find out who killed Mimi. Even though she is under the protection of her powerful cousin, there are other powerful unscrupulous officials who can kill on a whim. Su Lin is also persuaded to assist the resistance as news leaks in of the Americans' successes on the battlefield. I thoroughly enjoyed this volume.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Su Lin is still working for the Japanese in occupied Singapore. She sleeps at headquarters, estranged from her family at the Chen mansion. The people of Singapore have almost given up hope of any change, instead struggling to adapt to becoming a supply port of the Japanese empire. But then the flyers start coming and, unlike the official news sources, they speak of allied victories in Europe and against the Japanese. In the midst of such a struggle to survive, it seems that murder is of little importance. However, Su Lin cannot help herself trying to reveal the truth, even if the effort puts her in peril.

[Yassemin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't for me in all honesty.
It was well written enough to keep me reading and I do like books involving China or Japan because of the amazing historic backdrop and cultural side to these countries but this was dare I say it, too modern for me! I prefer the older Chinese/Japanese books involving concubines, samurais, not mysteries set in a far more modern times. If you are into that, then I'd recommend as it is an easy read and the write writes well. Although that said, I didn't particularly like the characters or feel emotionally attached to any of the characters which didn't help.
Nothing particularly wrong with it, I just didn't enjoy it as it wasn't my type of book.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had fallen behind in my reading of this series and decided to catch up. It was an immersive experience. Ovidia Yu brings to life the world of Japanese occupied Singapore, the cultural adaptations required to stay alive, the friendships, challenges, fragile connections and horror. What and who is trustworthy? It seemed salutary to be reading this as other conflicts around the world are generating occupations, perhaps without the polite rituals displayed by those in charge in Singapore in the 1940s.
It took a while to get my head back into the personalities and cast of this series, but well worth the effort. The writing is convincing, engaging and powerful.

[Amy K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yu's breathtaking talent for immersing the reader in time and place is matched in this novel by our growing tension concerning Su Lin's survival, not just the fact of it--will she or won't she be killed by the occupying Japanese--but also the nature of that survival--what will she have to surrender of herself in order to survive, and what is justified in the name of survival, questions inherent in the murder plot, which is almost secondary to the life-or-death details of daily life for Su Lin and the other characters we've come to know and love.