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A Deadly Cambodian Crime Spree (2011, Inspector Singh #4) by Shamini Flint
Time & Place: present-day Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Plot: Inspector Singh is in Cambodia - wishing he wasn't. He's been sent as an observer to the international war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh, the latest effort by his superiors to ensure that he is anywhere except in Singapore. But for the first time the fat Sikh inspector is on the verge of losing his appetite when a key member of the tribunal is murdered in cold blood. The authorities are determined to write off the incident as a random act of violence, but Singh thinks otherwise. It isn't long before he finds himself caught up in one of the most terrible murder investigations he's witnessed—the roots of which lie in the dark depths of the Cambodian killing fields.
Excerpts from Reviews
"Tough talking, no nonsense and properly disdainful of his superiors, Inspector Singh is Singapore's answer to Dirty Harry–in a turban. Shamini Flint's books are packed with penetrating insights into the myriad cultures of the Far East."
–Tarquin Hall, author of The Case of the Missing Servant
My favorite in the series, so far. Chhean, Singh's Cambodian translator, is a fabulous character--as frank, funny and determined as the Inspector. Each suspect has a story that takes us to a different part of the Cambodian nightmare. It's a fascinating and ultimately hopeful story.
Someone is killing key witnesses in the trial of a former Khmer Rouge leader. . . ABOUT THE BOOK
Books in this Series
WHO IS INSPECTOR SINGH?
A Sneaker-Shod Sikh Seeking Suspects in SE Asia
SE ASIA - Singapore's Inspector Singh knows what he likes—curry, cold beer, cigarettes, white sneakers, his wife's cooking—and what he doesn't like: his bosses, exercise, the dentist, his wife's relatives.
But what he loves, what he lives for, is catching killers.Neither his wife nor his bosses in the police department understand (or respect) his passion for putting killers away. After all, they think, murder is messy and the rich and righteous are rarely victims. Singh, something of a mess himself, marches on, undeterred. So far, Singh has investigated murders in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Cambodia. (His bosses take every opportunity to get him out of town.) One of the great charms of this series is that the reader gets to watch Singh learn about each new country—a process which is enlightening and amusing. Singh is one of those characters who is blessed with the ability to laugh at himself and at the absurdities life regularly throws in his path.
