More Mysteries

I read cozy mysteries in general, but I was looking for more Asian protagonists lately, so I tried some new recommended authors. I really like Ovidia Yu's series starring Chen Su Lin in 1930s Singapore. It starts with the Frangipani Tree Mystery, and goes on with other trees from there. The main character is less wacky and comic than in her Aunty Lee mysteries, and I really like the more serious tone. Su Lin is also rather young, a sixteen-year-old trying to cope with her family's expectations and the complex rules of society within the British colony. Orphaned and debilitated by polio, she is considered unlucky, but she fiercely wants to be independent. She wants to become a lady reporter, but lucks into assisting a British inspector solve a murder. There's no romance there; it's more of a paternal, protective relationship.

I also started a historical Korean mystery by June Hur. Red Palace takes place in 1758 around the capital. It concerns a palace nurse investigating a murder with a rogue police inspector. They are both very young and have to contend with issues like palace intrigue and a conspiracy of silence. Hyeon is also the illegitimate daughter of a lord, longing for approval and love. She risks everything to clear the name of her mentor nurse, who is accused of a bloody massacre. It's engrossing so far, and when I finish I'll continue with the Tree series.