jenkepesh 's review for:

The Frangipani Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu

---

I am trying to remember where I got a whole slew of recommendations for mysteries back in the summer, Maybe they were all kindle sale books on some list. Anyway, all are from authors I was unfamiliar with, and perfect for summer reading. The Frangipani Murders, set in Singapore before WWII, is told in first person by a young woman who has been educated a little more than her family wishes, for it has given her ideas about independence that are scandalous for her society. By chance, she ends up taking care of the teen daughter of a diplomat, replacing the nanny who seems to have died in an accidental fall. But of course, all is not as it seems, and our heroine finds herself in a nest of vipers, trying to learn the truth and protect her charge, while she herself is in the vulnerable position of a single, active woman in the home of a powerful British diplomat. The mystery did not play out masterfully, but the character is fresh and you root for her.