First
Sentence: Jimi’s hands were clammy.
Inspector
Singh has been assigned to Bali to help with security and
anti-terrorist measures after a bomb had been set off in the
tourist part of the island. Singh feels he has little to offer;
his expertise is solving murders. When a body with a bullet
hole, killing him before the explosion, is found in the wreckage,
Singh is there to find the answers with the help of a Aussie
cop assigned to work with him.
The
opening—seeing things from the perspective of the bomber—is
interesting and rather sad.
There
is an immediate charm to Inspector Singh. His doctor has been
after him to get some exercise, so he shows the doctor his
athletic shoes…and proceeds to stop at his favorite
restaurant. After all “Talking about exercise was hungry
work.” Although he’s not always likeable, he is
self-deprecating and an old-fashioned cop who follows the
clues. Brownyn, an Aussie cop assigned to work which him is
a complete mystery to him. Yet through their relationship,
she decided she wants to investigate murders when she returns
to Australia. There is an interesting comparison made between
tracking down terrorists and finding an individual killer.
It is
interesting to learn the issues of immigration and race from
the perspective of Muslims and Hindus in other countries and
the different priority murder has to the Singapore police.
Singh makes a wonderful rejoinder after an Australian tourist
asks whether he is a Muslim. Singh tells him no, and is then
asked, “Then why’ve you got that hanky around
your head?” “Because I’m a Sikh and our
people have been turbaned for longer than you’ve had
ancestors out of prison.”. This theme is continued later
when he is confronted by a woman whose child had been killed
by the bombers. “The bombings were carried out by a
very small minority of people. Most Moslems were devastated
by what happened.” “Singh knew he was wasting
him time trying to communicate to this women that the actions
of a few should not be allowed to tarnish the many. …”
There
is a wonderful description of the Balinese arts, as well as
the food and locations. It makes a very welcome contrast to
solving the crimes.
A
Bali Conspiracy Most Foul is a very good read which includes
effective twists and a universal truth.
Reviews of other titles in this series
A
Most Peculiar Malaysian Murder #1
A
Bali Conspiracy Most Foul #2
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