Aunty Lee's Delights

Aunty Lee's Delights has been on my TBR list for several years. I finally got around to reading this wonderful cozy mystery.  This first installment of the series was published in 2013. The series takes place in Singapore.

The publisher's summary:

"The culture and culinary delights of Singapore come alive in Yu’s novel. Rosie “Aunty” Lee, something of a busybody, has shrugged off widowhood to open her own restaurant. But when she gets drawn into a local murder investigation, it soon becomes clear she has a real talent for sleuthing... Guaranteed to make you hungry!--Sarah Weinman, New York Times Book Review

This delectable and witty mystery introduces Rosie “Aunty” Lee, feisty widow, amateur sleuth and proprietor of Singapore’s best-loved home cooking restaurant.

After losing her husband, Rosie Lee could easily have become one of Singapore’s “tai tai,” an idle rich lady devoted to an aimless life of mah-jongg and luxury shopping. Instead she threw herself into building a culinary empire from her restaurant, Aunty Lee’s Delights, where spicy Singaporean home cooking is graciously served by Rosie Lee herself to locals and tourists alike. But when a body is found in one of Singapore’s beautiful tourist havens, and when one of her wealthy guests fails to show at a dinner party, Aunty Lee knows that the two are likely connected.

The murder and disappearance throws together Aunty Lee’s henpecked stepson Mark, his social-climbing wife Selina, a gay couple whose love is still illegal in Singapore, and an elderly Australian tourist couple whose visit—billed at first as a pleasure cruise—may mask a deeper purpose. Investigating the murder is rookie Police Commissioner Raja, who quickly discovers that the savvy and well-connected Aunty Lee can track down clues even better than local law enforcement.

Wise, witty and unusually charming, Aunty Lee’s Delights is a spicy mystery about love, friendship and home cooking in Singapore, where money flows freely and people of many religions and ethnicities co-exist peacefully, but where tensions lurk just below the surface, sometimes with deadly results.

I was hooked from the first chapter. The setting was prominent here and I loved all the references to the food and slang terminology. I must admit, though, that I had to look them up on Google. Aunty Lee is as charming as I have been told. She is a vibrant, loveable character who loves experimenting with flavors as well as cooking the usual Singapore fare. Aunty Lee is a caterer and an intriguing investigator. She can determine the true character of people from the way they eat her cooking.

The murder occurred in the second chapter. I love it when an author gives the reader an upfront kill so that the rest of the book can be about the investigation of the death. Aunty Lee becomes interested in a news story about an unidentified body found on a beach near a luxury resort. She and her maid, Nina, then scour the news sites for more information.

I adored this novel and definitely will be reading the series. 5 out of 5 stars.