Revenge in Rubies

Revenge in Rubies is the perfect whodunit. This second Harriet Gordon Mystery, following 2019's Singapore Sapphire, is a superbly plotted mystery. The fact that it takes place during a historical period, 1910s Singapore, is secondary.  I love that the murdered body of Sylvie Nolan was found on page three so that the remainder of the story can be about finding the killer.  Sylvie is the very young wife of  middle aged Lieutenant Colonel John Nolan, an army officer in the South Sussex Regiment. When Inspector Robert Curran of the Straits Settlements Police Force Detective Division begins to investigate, the military families stationed in Singapore come together to thwart his investigation.  They prefer to keep their truths in-house.  Amateur sleuth Harriet Gordon works as a typist for Inspector Curran. He has come to rely on her for advice and assistance with his investigations as she has proven herself adept at finding clues in the past.  Her friendship with the victim's sister-in-law, Priscilla Nolan, proves to be useful and she is able to learn many family secrets from Pris. Harriet lives with her brother Julian Edwards, an Anglican priest stationed in Singapore. Together they run a school for young boys, the St. Thomas School.

I love the names of the characters, names which can only belong to the British. Lavinia Pemberthey-Smythe is perennially British and I had to laugh when I saw her name in the book.  How did the author create this one? Some of the names of the Asian characters are true to life such as Huo Jin, Sergeant Gursharan Singh, constable Tan Jian Ju and constable Musa Bin Ahmed.  One interesting thing that I like about this series is that all of the characters are strong.  They have interesting backgrounds too, which could come into play in future books in the series.  

Author A. M. Stuart has created a Pinterest board for Revenge in Rubies that is worth checking out. Here she has pinned photos of grand mansions, churches, vehicles, maps, clubhouses, fashions and famous military men who were stationed in Singapore. It is pretty cool for an author to have created this type of advertising for a novel. Now I have to wonder if other authors whom I have read are doing the same thing.

The third book in the series, Evil in Emerald, is scheduled to be published some time in Spring, 2022.  I cannot wait!  I love this new series.  5 out of 5 stars.