21 Immortals: Inspector Mislan and the Yee Sang Murders

Inspector Mislan Latif of Kuala Lumpur Major Crimes is called to the most bizarre crime scene he’s ever seen: three bodies (husband, wife, son) sitting at dinner, formally dressed in their Sunday best, Mona Lisa smiles fixed on their vacant faces, yee sang, an expensive New Year specialty, nicely arranged on their plates. The victims were gassed, but Mislan has no idea how or where. The dead adult male is Robert Tham, owner of a famous designer clothes company. In 1995, Tham, it is widely believed, snitched on the 21 Immortals, a notorious triad, and has never been forgiven. When former triad members like Fatty Mah and Four Finger Loo show up, they become obvious suspects. Meanwhile, Mislan makes progress in discovering how and where the crime was committed, but every lead he unearths seems to dead-end. To make matters worse, internal politics in the police department pressure Mislan to close the case quickly or else lose the investigation to a hated rival, and time is running out. Written in the present tense, this police procedural’s opening promises much with its intriguing tableau of death, but the search for clues is a steady trot rather than a fast sprint, and the conclusion will leave readers hanging.