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Inspector Singh Investigates #4
A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree
Inspector Singh is in Cambodia - wishing he wasn't. He's been sent as an observer to the international war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh, the latest effort by his superiors to ensure that he is anywhere except in Singapore.
But for the first time the fat Sikh inspector is on the verge of losing his appetite when a key member of the tribunal is murdered in cold blood. The authorities are determined to write off the incident as a random act of violence, but Singh thinks otherwise. It isn't long before he finds himself caught up in one of the most terrible murder investigations he's witnessed - the roots of which lie in the dark depths of the Cambodian killing fields. . .
But for the first time the fat Sikh inspector is on the verge of losing his appetite when a key member of the tribunal is murdered in cold blood. The authorities are determined to write off the incident as a random act of violence, but Singh thinks otherwise. It isn't long before he finds himself caught up in one of the most terrible murder investigations he's witnessed - the roots of which lie in the dark depths of the Cambodian killing fields. . .
310 pages, Paperback
First published February 17, 2011
62 people are currently reading
581 people want to read
About the author
Shamini Flint
73 books324 followersShamini Flint lives in Singapore with her husband and two children. She began her career in law in Malaysia and also worked at an international law firm in Singapore. She travelled extensively around Asia for her work, before resigning to be a stay-at-home mum, writer, part-time lecturer and environmental activist, all in an effort to make up for her 'evil' past as a corporate lawyer!
Shamini writes children's books with cultural and environmental themes including Jungle Blues and Turtle takes a Trip as well as the 'Sasha' series of children's books. She also writes crime fiction featuring the rotund Singaporean policeman, Inspector Singh. Singh travels around Asia stumbling over corpses and sampling the food ...
Shamini writes children's books with cultural and environmental themes including Jungle Blues and Turtle takes a Trip as well as the 'Sasha' series of children's books. She also writes crime fiction featuring the rotund Singaporean policeman, Inspector Singh. Singh travels around Asia stumbling over corpses and sampling the food ...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
January 2, 2017
My favorite Inspector Singh yet. If you haven’t yet heard about the Inspector Singh detective series, I recommend giving it a try. Singh is a detective with the Singapore Police with a knack for solving murders and an equal gift for irritating his superiors, often resulting in dubious foreign ‘honor’ missions. In this case, he’s been sent as a Singapore representative for a war crimes tribunal in Cambodia led by the United Nations. He’s never been to Cambodia and finds the gastronomic experience sadly lacking. When a witness is killed halfway through testimony, he finds himself working with the local police to solve the murder.
Although the cover blurb has the gall to compare it to McCall Smith’s series starring Precious Ramotswe, the two series are really quite different in philosophy. For one thing, Flint isn’t afraid to raise the emotional impact through body count. More significantly, Flint plunges right into complicated situations, particularly in this book structured around modern day after effects of the Khmer Rouge, where McCall Smith’s series tends to minimize or ignore political conflict and history.
“Chhean stood in line outside the court room, her tapping foot the only overt sign of her impatience, waiting to be ushered in by the various functionaries. The tribunal guards were dressed in light-blue shirts and heavy gold braid. She supposed this fondness for colourful costumes was a subconscious effort to forget the days when authority had worn black collarless pyjamas and red chequered kramas. If only it were so easy to dress up or disguise the past.”
The story opens with a flashback: a young girl watches her father taken in the middle of the night by men of the Khmer Rouge, and what happens when she surreptitiously follows them. Narrative then shifts to focus primarily on Singh, but also brief interludes of an assortment of others, including Colonel Menday, one of the few honest members of the Cambodian police; Gaudin, an elderly, tormented Frenchman; and Chhean, an adult orphan. While appearances may be brief, we get enough complexity of each to appreciate their struggles. The hero, Singh is quite human–an imperfect, frequently slovenly one–with a belief in justice who is often moved to compassion despite his cynicism. In short, identifiable. His sidekick, Chhean, is a dogged Cambodian journalist who is often assigned ‘odd jobs’ and spends her spare time researching old records for hints of her missing family. Intelligent, determined, focused; she was a perfect foil for Singh.
Storytelling was fascinating as it went from murder mystery, to the search for missing loved ones, and in the background deaths of former Khmer Rouge trying to live out their lives in anonymity. The setting contained the wonderful variety in most countries, from tourism-centered villages to officious administrative offices to rural landscape. I appreciated the diversity of places and people that covered, given that it’s a relatively quick detective novel.
I make no secret of the fact that I generally like my reading escapist; with a heart wounded regularly in real life by the deaths of lovely people and compassion stretched by attempting to help people that can’t help themselves, I strongly prefer happy endings and likeable characters. I was somewhat apprehensive starting this one; I knew of the Cambodian killing fields only generally, and was concerned the book might overwhelm. It turned out to be wonderfully balanced for me, mystery and sub-mystery woven through with an education in a country I know almost nothing about, and an exploration of the legacy of citizenship in such a country.
Four and a half stars, rounding up because entertainment and education.
Although the cover blurb has the gall to compare it to McCall Smith’s series starring Precious Ramotswe, the two series are really quite different in philosophy. For one thing, Flint isn’t afraid to raise the emotional impact through body count. More significantly, Flint plunges right into complicated situations, particularly in this book structured around modern day after effects of the Khmer Rouge, where McCall Smith’s series tends to minimize or ignore political conflict and history.
“Chhean stood in line outside the court room, her tapping foot the only overt sign of her impatience, waiting to be ushered in by the various functionaries. The tribunal guards were dressed in light-blue shirts and heavy gold braid. She supposed this fondness for colourful costumes was a subconscious effort to forget the days when authority had worn black collarless pyjamas and red chequered kramas. If only it were so easy to dress up or disguise the past.”
The story opens with a flashback: a young girl watches her father taken in the middle of the night by men of the Khmer Rouge, and what happens when she surreptitiously follows them. Narrative then shifts to focus primarily on Singh, but also brief interludes of an assortment of others, including Colonel Menday, one of the few honest members of the Cambodian police; Gaudin, an elderly, tormented Frenchman; and Chhean, an adult orphan. While appearances may be brief, we get enough complexity of each to appreciate their struggles. The hero, Singh is quite human–an imperfect, frequently slovenly one–with a belief in justice who is often moved to compassion despite his cynicism. In short, identifiable. His sidekick, Chhean, is a dogged Cambodian journalist who is often assigned ‘odd jobs’ and spends her spare time researching old records for hints of her missing family. Intelligent, determined, focused; she was a perfect foil for Singh.
Storytelling was fascinating as it went from murder mystery, to the search for missing loved ones, and in the background deaths of former Khmer Rouge trying to live out their lives in anonymity. The setting contained the wonderful variety in most countries, from tourism-centered villages to officious administrative offices to rural landscape. I appreciated the diversity of places and people that covered, given that it’s a relatively quick detective novel.
I make no secret of the fact that I generally like my reading escapist; with a heart wounded regularly in real life by the deaths of lovely people and compassion stretched by attempting to help people that can’t help themselves, I strongly prefer happy endings and likeable characters. I was somewhat apprehensive starting this one; I knew of the Cambodian killing fields only generally, and was concerned the book might overwhelm. It turned out to be wonderfully balanced for me, mystery and sub-mystery woven through with an education in a country I know almost nothing about, and an exploration of the legacy of citizenship in such a country.
Four and a half stars, rounding up because entertainment and education.
October 17, 2017
Shamina Flint is more John le Carré than Agatha Christie. Her book covers suggest cozy droll mysteries and they are but they in part but take on issues like corporate corruption, environmental activism and in this book the living legacy of the genocide in Cambodia of the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot.
One dogged, often hungry and uncomfortable, Sikh detective from Singapore just won't give up the scent once he's on the trail of a murderer no matter how dangerous. Flint's book is a page turner and she, like her protagonist, respects and honors the horrific past by examining it fully. I love Inspector Singh and this series.
One dogged, often hungry and uncomfortable, Sikh detective from Singapore just won't give up the scent once he's on the trail of a murderer no matter how dangerous. Flint's book is a page turner and she, like her protagonist, respects and honors the horrific past by examining it fully. I love Inspector Singh and this series.
August 13, 2016
I have enjoyed each book in this series for the character of Inspector Singh and for the depiction of areas in Southeast Asia that I probably will never see. A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree contains what I've learned to love about Shamini Flint's writing and then proceeds to take it to an even higher level.
"It was Singh's life mission to tramp after the murderers in his snowy white sneakers, following the evidence and his instincts, ignoring the advice and warnings of his superiors, stopping only for regular meals, cold beer and the odd afternoon nap, until he had ensured some justice for the dead."
Inspector Singh is his usual irascible self-- a man who loves his work, a man who appreciates time away from his ill-tempered wife, a man who manages to put up with his superior officers. In the eyes of those "superiors," policing is all about appearances, and the turbaned, overweight, chain-smoking, white sneaker-wearing inspector just does not fit their idea of what the police force in Singapore should look like. The only reason they don't get rid of him is because his success rate is so high. So they let him solve murders and hope as many of them as possible occur somewhere far away.
"He remained a policeman under sufferance, his bosses always looking for an excuse to get rid of him. He suspected that deep down they feared someone whom they could not control, who valued a victim's right to justice more than the rules and regulations of the Force."
Part of the delight of reading these books is in seeing how Singh can circumvent the rules and regulations his superiors are trying to impose. He doesn't take shortcuts in interviewing witnesses or suspects, or in collecting evidence. He's just learned the best ways to avoid all those silly "for appearance's sake" rules.
What brings this book to an even higher level is its setting. Shamini Flint brings Cambodia's tragic history into sharp focus without being graphic about it. In imposing a radical form of agrarian socialism on his people, Pol Pot, his policies, and his henchmen were responsible for the murder of 25% (at least two million) of his country's people. Cambodians could be killed for wearing glasses or for being seen reading a book or for speaking a foreign language. By having Singh bear witness to the testimonies of those who survived at this international war tribunal, readers experience a tiny bit of the horror of the killing fields.
Once he's an official part of the murder investigation and helping Colonel Menhay, Inspector Singh learns that vengeance runs deep in Cambodian society. There are several suspects for this murder, but the truly mind-boggling part is in putting facts and supposition together in order to discover the true identity of each suspect, each person's motivation, and-- since the body count does rise-- exactly which suspect is responsible for the death of each victim. And always in the background is the serial killer who roams the countryside murdering former members of the Khmer Rouge.
If the phone had rung or if someone had knocked on the door while I was reading A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree, I would have ignored them. I was totally engrossed in this story, and I had to see how Singh and Menhay solved the case. In the end, I learned that my involvement led to my ignoring Flint's subtly planted clues. The identity of one of the murderers shocked me-- and that was the icing on the cake. One of my favorite characters, an emotionally charged setting which both taught and entertained, and a truly puzzling case. I highly recommend this book-- and the entire series.
"It was Singh's life mission to tramp after the murderers in his snowy white sneakers, following the evidence and his instincts, ignoring the advice and warnings of his superiors, stopping only for regular meals, cold beer and the odd afternoon nap, until he had ensured some justice for the dead."
Inspector Singh is his usual irascible self-- a man who loves his work, a man who appreciates time away from his ill-tempered wife, a man who manages to put up with his superior officers. In the eyes of those "superiors," policing is all about appearances, and the turbaned, overweight, chain-smoking, white sneaker-wearing inspector just does not fit their idea of what the police force in Singapore should look like. The only reason they don't get rid of him is because his success rate is so high. So they let him solve murders and hope as many of them as possible occur somewhere far away.
"He remained a policeman under sufferance, his bosses always looking for an excuse to get rid of him. He suspected that deep down they feared someone whom they could not control, who valued a victim's right to justice more than the rules and regulations of the Force."
Part of the delight of reading these books is in seeing how Singh can circumvent the rules and regulations his superiors are trying to impose. He doesn't take shortcuts in interviewing witnesses or suspects, or in collecting evidence. He's just learned the best ways to avoid all those silly "for appearance's sake" rules.
What brings this book to an even higher level is its setting. Shamini Flint brings Cambodia's tragic history into sharp focus without being graphic about it. In imposing a radical form of agrarian socialism on his people, Pol Pot, his policies, and his henchmen were responsible for the murder of 25% (at least two million) of his country's people. Cambodians could be killed for wearing glasses or for being seen reading a book or for speaking a foreign language. By having Singh bear witness to the testimonies of those who survived at this international war tribunal, readers experience a tiny bit of the horror of the killing fields.
Once he's an official part of the murder investigation and helping Colonel Menhay, Inspector Singh learns that vengeance runs deep in Cambodian society. There are several suspects for this murder, but the truly mind-boggling part is in putting facts and supposition together in order to discover the true identity of each suspect, each person's motivation, and-- since the body count does rise-- exactly which suspect is responsible for the death of each victim. And always in the background is the serial killer who roams the countryside murdering former members of the Khmer Rouge.
If the phone had rung or if someone had knocked on the door while I was reading A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree, I would have ignored them. I was totally engrossed in this story, and I had to see how Singh and Menhay solved the case. In the end, I learned that my involvement led to my ignoring Flint's subtly planted clues. The identity of one of the murderers shocked me-- and that was the icing on the cake. One of my favorite characters, an emotionally charged setting which both taught and entertained, and a truly puzzling case. I highly recommend this book-- and the entire series.
March 20, 2023
This time we are visiting Cambodia and it is eye opening. A tough read from a historical perspective but an excellent mystery. Wonderful characters, an exploration of morality and judgment. Great book!
March 31, 2020
I love this series. I really do. Shamini Flint weaves so much detail, character and life into these novels and it feels like travelling the countries of Asia, right there beside Singh. This one is particularly painful and evocative as it forces the reader to really stop and think about the horrors of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
But. There is one thing. Singh is fat! He’s fat! Singh is a fat man! We know!!! SINGH IS FAT!!!! This isn’t something that has to be mentioned several times per page, lest we forget that SINGH IS FAT!!!!!!!!!!!! At one point the phrase “tubby yet determined policeman” made me want to tear my hair out. Is Singh, a fat man, the only determined fat man? Do fat people usually have determination? It is AMAZING that Singh is still a determined policeman, despite [gasp] being FAT.
Ms Flint, your books are so close to perfection. Please make them even better and consider mentioning Singh’s fatness only once or twice a chapter.
But. There is one thing. Singh is fat! He’s fat! Singh is a fat man! We know!!! SINGH IS FAT!!!! This isn’t something that has to be mentioned several times per page, lest we forget that SINGH IS FAT!!!!!!!!!!!! At one point the phrase “tubby yet determined policeman” made me want to tear my hair out. Is Singh, a fat man, the only determined fat man? Do fat people usually have determination? It is AMAZING that Singh is still a determined policeman, despite [gasp] being FAT.
Ms Flint, your books are so close to perfection. Please make them even better and consider mentioning Singh’s fatness only once or twice a chapter.
March 3, 2024
Book 4 in the series and I thought it did a great job of making explaining the sad history of Cambodia and the interventions by the French, Americans, Vietnamese and the impossible situation that the population was put in.
As a crime novel it was good too, but the real strength of the book to me was the underlying understanding of politics, war and how it changes people
As a crime novel it was good too, but the real strength of the book to me was the underlying understanding of politics, war and how it changes people
June 24, 2019
3.5/5
What I like about the author, after having read three of her books, is that she bases her tales in different countries and weaves the stories in the backdrop of the country's history/past. The small details of the past conflicts/wars form an interesting reading when combined with a mystery. And with the lovable character of Inspector Singh, humor also is an additional benefit. And food!
Here, Khmer Rouge leader is on trial for the atrocities committed in the days of war and we find a series of murders taking place. Who could be behind those murders? An interesting plot. Thoroughly enjoyed the book. But couldn't give it 4 or 5 because there have been better books.
What I like about the author, after having read three of her books, is that she bases her tales in different countries and weaves the stories in the backdrop of the country's history/past. The small details of the past conflicts/wars form an interesting reading when combined with a mystery. And with the lovable character of Inspector Singh, humor also is an additional benefit. And food!
Here, Khmer Rouge leader is on trial for the atrocities committed in the days of war and we find a series of murders taking place. Who could be behind those murders? An interesting plot. Thoroughly enjoyed the book. But couldn't give it 4 or 5 because there have been better books.
July 16, 2023
This was a mystery in two ways: the story, itself, was a mystery and I got it from the library as part of their program where each month I get a book picked out for me by a librarian. It was odd that the librarian picked out book 4 of a series, but fortunately, I didn't need too much back story to enjoy this one. I really got a kick out of Inspector Singh as well as some of the secondary characters. The mystery kept my interest while also piquing my curiosity about Cambodia, Pol Pot, the Killing Fields, and the U.S. military's involvement in the country's troubled years. I liked the book enough to want to start from the beginning.
February 3, 2023
I'm not at all keen on reading about atrocities, but I knew bad things had happened in Cambodia in the not so distant past. Shamini Flint does a very good job describing Inspector Singh's experiences in this afflicted country, and the murder case he ends up working on is quite believable, as well as the people he meets.
(Slightly distracting: We are ceaselessly, needlessly reminded that he is fat.)
Still, I liked this a lot.
(Slightly distracting: We are ceaselessly, needlessly reminded that he is fat.)
Still, I liked this a lot.
June 1, 2021
I always love fiction based on real historical facts because it encourages me to read up on history afterwards. I loved this book. It bravely tackles all the horrors of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge era. It's also a book that show all the shades of grey in people.
June 3, 2018
A bit more serious than the typical Inspector Singh, he is thrust into the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, trying to solve a series of murders.
November 25, 2021
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
What I really love about this series is the uniqueness of the setting (Singapore, Bali, Malaysia and now Cambodia) and the uniqueness of the lead character (a Sikh detective with a fondness for food and beer). It is unlike any series I have read before.
I also found the setting of this one so unique and beautiful (modern day Cambodia), yet so horrifying as the mystery itself deals with a murder at the International War Crimes Tribunal in Phnom Penh and there is a lot of recanting of the absolute devastation, oppression and tragedy of the people of Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pott. This book really hit hard and so I found my reading quite slow as at this time of year, when exhaustion is kicking in this is a really confronting (yet important) read.
For all that, I have never really connected with the mystery element of Ms Flint's books and find them all a bit underwhelming when the reveal happens. All very anticlimactic. Maybe I am more old school and like a good "whodunnit", but this isn't that and Singh is no Poirot and seems to get it wrong more often then he gets it right. The writing is okay - yet again not something that I emotionally connect with although this one did hit a lot more than her previous books. So I am torn - 5 stars for uniqueness. But the mystery didn't work for me at all.
Reading Challenge
Aussie Readers 2021 Annual A-Z Location Challenge: Read a book set in a place starting with C (Cambodia)
Aussie Readers 2021 November "End of Spring" Challenge: Read a book where the title or author's initials appear in the word Flowers (F = Flint)
What I really love about this series is the uniqueness of the setting (Singapore, Bali, Malaysia and now Cambodia) and the uniqueness of the lead character (a Sikh detective with a fondness for food and beer). It is unlike any series I have read before.
I also found the setting of this one so unique and beautiful (modern day Cambodia), yet so horrifying as the mystery itself deals with a murder at the International War Crimes Tribunal in Phnom Penh and there is a lot of recanting of the absolute devastation, oppression and tragedy of the people of Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pott. This book really hit hard and so I found my reading quite slow as at this time of year, when exhaustion is kicking in this is a really confronting (yet important) read.
For all that, I have never really connected with the mystery element of Ms Flint's books and find them all a bit underwhelming when the reveal happens. All very anticlimactic. Maybe I am more old school and like a good "whodunnit", but this isn't that and Singh is no Poirot and seems to get it wrong more often then he gets it right. The writing is okay - yet again not something that I emotionally connect with although this one did hit a lot more than her previous books. So I am torn - 5 stars for uniqueness. But the mystery didn't work for me at all.
Reading Challenge
Aussie Readers 2021 Annual A-Z Location Challenge: Read a book set in a place starting with C (Cambodia)
Aussie Readers 2021 November "End of Spring" Challenge: Read a book where the title or author's initials appear in the word Flowers (F = Flint)
July 10, 2022
The plot was okay-ish. I won't reveal any key events and the ending especially, but it didn't seem well thought out to me. Flint is trying to build her own Poirot-like investigator but only she makes it so full of cringe. Singh keeps wishing that there was curry being served at a restaurant instead of soup, or he keeps smelling curry, coming from his wife's kitchen across a wide ocean. I would read something like that and just make a face out of cringe. Maybe for one page, Flint could've mentioned a different Indian food; it's utterly ignorant to keep mentioning curry. The character is fat, smokes, doesn't like soups, and likes beer; the investigator could've been of any ethnicity but why a Sikh. I was expecting her to incorporate something from Sikh ideology to make him a more complete character, and this idea would've made him more likeable in my opinion. He's obviously a little religious, because he wears a turban. But Flint adds a quote in the book where he says that he preferred smoking cigarettes over religion, like what? I guess weed would make sense, but cigarettes? REALLY? Just a plain disappointment, avoid!
June 15, 2017
I feel like this is one of the weaker Inspector Singh stories. It has strong themes, maybe even too strong (the opening focuses greatly on the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Genocide, and it makes for some very grim writing that even Flint's gentle humor can't soften). But the plots seem to never quite resolve properly. A little too much going on, too little space to treat it all properly, especially when the early part is so overwhelmed by the shadow of the Killing Fields.
January 3, 2021
For me, this is perhaps my least favourite in the Inspector Singh series (except the one in India, which I haven't read yet). But as usual, Shamini Flint did a great job weaving culture and history in a murder investigation story. The plot was solid, the ending strong, but there was just too much misery, and I'm not familiar at all with Cambodian history. But I guess, in a way, reading this made me feel infinitely grateful for the life I have, despite 2020 being perhaps the worst year in my life thus far.
October 15, 2021
3.5/5 This was my 3rd book by the author and this was the best (and my last). I thought about giving it 4* but couldnt bcoz the whodunnit was not that great.
Having said that, both this book set in Cambodia and the first one set in Malaysia can be read for the immersive settings.
Wonder if she would consider teaming up with a good but underappreciated crime fiction author - like Salil Desai or Bhaskar Chattopadhyay or Arnab Ray - to beef up the crime fiction half.
Having said that, both this book set in Cambodia and the first one set in Malaysia can be read for the immersive settings.
Wonder if she would consider teaming up with a good but underappreciated crime fiction author - like Salil Desai or Bhaskar Chattopadhyay or Arnab Ray - to beef up the crime fiction half.
January 21, 2021
A nice wrap-up, it got me flipping like crazy towards the end...
August 23, 2024
Best of the Series
February 16, 2014
Once more our intrepid detective has been sent out from Singapore so as to get him out of his superior’s hair. Inspector Singh has committed the unconscionable mistake of finding the murderers by not cow-towing to the ‘powers that be’ in the Singapore Police force. He’s been sent to Phnom Pehn, Cambodia as a ‘liaison’ from the ASEAN nations. He’s there to observe the trial of one of the Khmer Rouge leaders who is being tried for crimes against humanity. (The defendant can’t be tried for genocide because the people he killed were Cambodians like him and were mostly chosen randomly.)
In her previous three books involving Inspector Singh, the turbaned overweight curry eating white sneaker wearing policeman, have been light hearted and even a little whimsical. Not this episode. As much as she tries Shamini Flint has to take the direct serious attitude towards what happened in Cambodia under the Pol Pot regime. Having been overthrown by Cambodian forces that were backed by the Vietnamese, the country has been working hard to catch up to the rest of South East Asia’s economic Tigers.
Officially, the country is a constitutional monarchy (The Kingdom of Cambodia) with a bicameral government and under a Prime Minister. The trials of former Khmer Rouge who killed or starved upwards of two million Cambodians (about 25% of the population) has become a major political sticking point. The current PM Hun Sen has been accused of protecting his former comrades, but he says the country has suffered enough and needs to look forward to the future.
While Singh is observing the trial, one of the witnesses is killed (at the same time someone has been murdering other former Khmer Rouge). Having made friends with the local police Colonel who is responsible for the security of the trial, Singh is asked to help out with the investigation. This is where the book turns dark and discussions of the ‘killing fields’ is brought to the fore.
The legacy of the Khmer Rouge is a difficult time to discuss for most Cambodians who almost all lost family during the Khmer Rouge purges. Flint handles the situation with both honesty and awareness of the pains that are just below the surface.
Zeb Kantrowitz
In her previous three books involving Inspector Singh, the turbaned overweight curry eating white sneaker wearing policeman, have been light hearted and even a little whimsical. Not this episode. As much as she tries Shamini Flint has to take the direct serious attitude towards what happened in Cambodia under the Pol Pot regime. Having been overthrown by Cambodian forces that were backed by the Vietnamese, the country has been working hard to catch up to the rest of South East Asia’s economic Tigers.
Officially, the country is a constitutional monarchy (The Kingdom of Cambodia) with a bicameral government and under a Prime Minister. The trials of former Khmer Rouge who killed or starved upwards of two million Cambodians (about 25% of the population) has become a major political sticking point. The current PM Hun Sen has been accused of protecting his former comrades, but he says the country has suffered enough and needs to look forward to the future.
While Singh is observing the trial, one of the witnesses is killed (at the same time someone has been murdering other former Khmer Rouge). Having made friends with the local police Colonel who is responsible for the security of the trial, Singh is asked to help out with the investigation. This is where the book turns dark and discussions of the ‘killing fields’ is brought to the fore.
The legacy of the Khmer Rouge is a difficult time to discuss for most Cambodians who almost all lost family during the Khmer Rouge purges. Flint handles the situation with both honesty and awareness of the pains that are just below the surface.
Zeb Kantrowitz
June 15, 2013
This is a murder mystery with a difference! It written on a humorous tongue-in-cheek style and it features the loveable Inspector Singh as its central character.
The author, Shamini Flint description of Phnom Penh captures the essence of the city, including its tragic recent history, its heat & dust, it’s fascinating street life, it’s beautiful architecture and its endemic corruption!
Shamini Flint also demonstrates a sensitive and deep understanding of the Cambodian people including their behaviours and how they react to other people.
I live in Cambodia and am a frequent visitor to Phnom Penh and can recognize the city and its people in Shamini Flint’s description.
The central character in this book is Inspector Singh, a police officer from Singapore. He is a bit of a maverick and does not fit into the Singapore police force culture. Consequently, he is often sent away by his superiors to investigate murders elsewhere in south east Asia. Their aim is to keep him as far from Singapore as possible and hopefully to keep him away from trouble. Unfortunately, trouble follows Inspector Singh where ever he goes!
This is the fourth of the series about the portly chain-smoking Inspector from Singapore's police service. Inspector Singh has been volunteered by his supervisors to hold a watching brief on behalf of ASEAN at the Cambodian war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh. However, it is not long before he is embroiled in a fascinating murder investigation!
Describing Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder the Guardian newspaper in the UK wrote:
‘It’s impossible to not warm to this sweating, dishevelled, wheezing Inspector Singh from the start of this delightful novel… Flint’s thoughtful and compassionate exploration of racial and religious tensions between the two countries is thoroughly compelling’
Seemy full review at http://cambodiabookclub.com/inspector...
The author, Shamini Flint description of Phnom Penh captures the essence of the city, including its tragic recent history, its heat & dust, it’s fascinating street life, it’s beautiful architecture and its endemic corruption!
Shamini Flint also demonstrates a sensitive and deep understanding of the Cambodian people including their behaviours and how they react to other people.
I live in Cambodia and am a frequent visitor to Phnom Penh and can recognize the city and its people in Shamini Flint’s description.
The central character in this book is Inspector Singh, a police officer from Singapore. He is a bit of a maverick and does not fit into the Singapore police force culture. Consequently, he is often sent away by his superiors to investigate murders elsewhere in south east Asia. Their aim is to keep him as far from Singapore as possible and hopefully to keep him away from trouble. Unfortunately, trouble follows Inspector Singh where ever he goes!
This is the fourth of the series about the portly chain-smoking Inspector from Singapore's police service. Inspector Singh has been volunteered by his supervisors to hold a watching brief on behalf of ASEAN at the Cambodian war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh. However, it is not long before he is embroiled in a fascinating murder investigation!
Describing Inspector Singh Investigates: A Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder the Guardian newspaper in the UK wrote:
‘It’s impossible to not warm to this sweating, dishevelled, wheezing Inspector Singh from the start of this delightful novel… Flint’s thoughtful and compassionate exploration of racial and religious tensions between the two countries is thoroughly compelling’
Seemy full review at http://cambodiabookclub.com/inspector...
June 26, 2015
This novel broke my heart, even more than number two in the series, the one about the Bali bombings. The author presented a very different image of Cambodia than the one I had in my head. I thought of the glories of Angkor Wat and the Plain of Jars and the exquisite silk ikat and supplementary weft handwoven textiles. I thought of a quickly growing economy and people looking forward to ever-improving lifestyles. Shamini Flint takes a much more personal and much more serious look at the country, delving into to the painful past and the psychic and emotional scars that linger from American bombing and Khmer Rouge atrocities. I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I won't go into detail, but the author gets better and better as the series progresses at making her characters real and human and stretched along a spectrum of shades of grey rather than being black or white, good or bad. Inspector Singh himself is depressed while in Cambodia, as he helps to untangle various crimes and tragedies, at one point remarking, "There ARE NO happy endings in Cambodia." The same is true of this novel, but I don't say that as a caution not to read it. I really recommend this as the best so far in the series. I would just say that this particular novel in the series strays beyond the boundaries of what could be called a "cozy mystery." This novel is a mystery, a tragedy, historical fiction, expose of hard truths, psychological thriller, and an exploration of generational trauma and the struggle to find meaning and peace in the aftermath of horror.
September 7, 2015
Less like a mystery than a cringe-worthy ad for fairness cream. We are reminded over and over about shades of skin color and presented with racist caricatures in lieu of characters. Aside from pontificating on the Cambodian civil war, Flint shows a remarkable ineptitude in writing. Her descriptions are repetitive and clumsy. Inspector Singh is implausible and utterly uninteresting.
The way that the mystery genre works is that a detective inspector (or amateur detective) uses their cultural knowledge to crack open a case. The best in the genre observe this rule. Even an exception such as Hercule Poirot relies on the observations of his faithful Hastings or Ariadne Oliver to explain British norms. Whereas Inspector Singh doesn't work not only because of the mediocre writing but because he cannot understand Cambodian culture in a first trip with no grasp of the language or the history.
The lone star is for the brief introduction to Cambodian history I was unaware of and appreciated learning (for instance, US's covert carpet-bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War that was greater than the bombs dropped on Japan in WWII). But I would not read another in this series.
The way that the mystery genre works is that a detective inspector (or amateur detective) uses their cultural knowledge to crack open a case. The best in the genre observe this rule. Even an exception such as Hercule Poirot relies on the observations of his faithful Hastings or Ariadne Oliver to explain British norms. Whereas Inspector Singh doesn't work not only because of the mediocre writing but because he cannot understand Cambodian culture in a first trip with no grasp of the language or the history.
The lone star is for the brief introduction to Cambodian history I was unaware of and appreciated learning (for instance, US's covert carpet-bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War that was greater than the bombs dropped on Japan in WWII). But I would not read another in this series.
July 26, 2013
This book has been a lovely surprise; very interesting and completely engaging - I missed my station in the city for the first time in 3 years because I was so totally engrossed by the book.
On the cover Inspector Singh is compared to McCall Smith's Precious Ramotswe, but I don't agree with this comparison at all. This book was much darker and more serious than the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, although it has its lighter moments. Tarquin Hall's detective Vish Puri is more accurately described as the "Indian version of Precious Ramotswe".
On the cover Inspector Singh is compared to McCall Smith's Precious Ramotswe, but I don't agree with this comparison at all. This book was much darker and more serious than the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, although it has its lighter moments. Tarquin Hall's detective Vish Puri is more accurately described as the "Indian version of Precious Ramotswe".
March 30, 2014
It was a fun light read that takes Inspector Singh to the dark corners of Cambodia. History comes back full circle in this book, that centers on the Pol Pot regime and its genocide. It is my first time reading this series and I wouldn't mind picking up another. I picked this book up because I heard Shamini Flint speak at the Shanghai literary festival and she was quite entertaining.
One of my favorite things about this book is that the characters do not forgive easily (or ever). Some acts are simply unforgivable and I thought she brought this idea to light especially at the end.
One of my favorite things about this book is that the characters do not forgive easily (or ever). Some acts are simply unforgivable and I thought she brought this idea to light especially at the end.
January 14, 2019
The best in the series. Flint has captured very well the sense I had in Cambodia two years ago that the entire country suffered from PTSD and deals with well the dead hand of the past that rests like a nightmare in the brains of the living. None of the sense of ridiculousness that occasionally pops up in the other volumes, this is a much darker novel that really grapples with the issues of good and evil, redemption and revenge.
December 1, 2018
I read this book to fit a few reading challenges (including my AtW), so have not read the first two books in the series. This mystery was good, but not great because the characters are not especially memorable.
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August 27, 2012This was my favorite in the series so far. I'm looking forwad to the next adventure, which takes place in India. The only problem is that I'm reading them faster than they are being published.
September 24, 2013
The author definitely captured Cambodia in this novel - a gentle murder mystery set against the very real and very disturbing backdrop of the Khmer Rouge tribunal.
August 9, 2024
This is my fourth time reading a book written by Shamini Flint, and it is also the fourth installment of the Inspector Singh Investigates. Out of the four, I would probably rank this second best, close behind the Singapore case.
The case itself was pretty straight forward – Inspector Singh was invited to be an observer representing Singapore as part of ASEAN for the ECCC, a tribunal set up to convict those who were a part of the Khmer Rouge who committed genocide on Cambodians not too many decades ago. However, while he was attending the trial, one of the witnesses was killed, likely by a perpetrator who didn’t want secrets out because of the high stakes. Perhaps one of Cambodia’s own in high places?
I did enjoy the inspector’s journey, and learning more about Cambodia. Aside from Angkor Wat, I knew very little about this country that is a fellow ASEAN member alongside my own. Though Inspector Singh couldn’t acclimatize his tastebuds to the local cuisine (I wonder if this was shared by the writer herself), and his aversion to the ‘third-world’ country due to the lack of hygiene, safety and basic necessities, I loved the characters in this case, particularly Colonel M and the translator assigned to Inspector Singh, his direct but honest sidekick, C. I especially loved the brother-like bond that was formed between Inspector Singh and Colonel M.
I admit though it has been a great learning experience for me to know more of Cambodia’s checkered history, I couldn’t help seeing the parallels between that and what’s still happening in Palestine. The sad thing is, the ‘players’ that made this hideous brutality possible are the same ones – Uncle Sam and his henchmen. I know, shocker, right? It sucks that although Cambodia has gone through transitions since the war, the effects of the genocide and war could still be felt and seen through their way of life till today.
The case had a bittersweet ending, and I really hope I’d enjoy the remaining three books in the series! Can’t wait to read them all.
The case itself was pretty straight forward – Inspector Singh was invited to be an observer representing Singapore as part of ASEAN for the ECCC, a tribunal set up to convict those who were a part of the Khmer Rouge who committed genocide on Cambodians not too many decades ago. However, while he was attending the trial, one of the witnesses was killed, likely by a perpetrator who didn’t want secrets out because of the high stakes. Perhaps one of Cambodia’s own in high places?
I did enjoy the inspector’s journey, and learning more about Cambodia. Aside from Angkor Wat, I knew very little about this country that is a fellow ASEAN member alongside my own. Though Inspector Singh couldn’t acclimatize his tastebuds to the local cuisine (I wonder if this was shared by the writer herself), and his aversion to the ‘third-world’ country due to the lack of hygiene, safety and basic necessities, I loved the characters in this case, particularly Colonel M and the translator assigned to Inspector Singh, his direct but honest sidekick, C. I especially loved the brother-like bond that was formed between Inspector Singh and Colonel M.
I admit though it has been a great learning experience for me to know more of Cambodia’s checkered history, I couldn’t help seeing the parallels between that and what’s still happening in Palestine. The sad thing is, the ‘players’ that made this hideous brutality possible are the same ones – Uncle Sam and his henchmen. I know, shocker, right? It sucks that although Cambodia has gone through transitions since the war, the effects of the genocide and war could still be felt and seen through their way of life till today.
The case had a bittersweet ending, and I really hope I’d enjoy the remaining three books in the series! Can’t wait to read them all.
July 28, 2019
Inspector Singh is in Cambodia as one of the representatives of ASEAN countries who have been asked to witness a tribunal investigating war crimes that took place under the Khmer Rouge regime. Genocide. Shamini Flint does not waver in her sharing of the atrocities that were committed; however, the story is about the murder of a witnessl. She uses this plot point as a tool to explore the legacy of such unspeakable trauma on the Cambodian people.
Although, the book is not as lighthearted as previous entries and Inspector Singh is denied culinary delights, as he and I are not adventurous enough for roasted bugs on sticks, the portly police officer still manages to drink some beer to enhance his detection skills. This was another absorbing mystery in a series I love for Flint's astute representation of other cultures.
Although, the book is not as lighthearted as previous entries and Inspector Singh is denied culinary delights, as he and I are not adventurous enough for roasted bugs on sticks, the portly police officer still manages to drink some beer to enhance his detection skills. This was another absorbing mystery in a series I love for Flint's astute representation of other cultures.
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