A Spoonful of Murder

In February 1936, Hazel returns to Hong Kong after the death of her grandfather, accompanied by Daisy. At the Wong family home, grief is complicated by the discovery that Hazel has a baby half-brother and by relatives who expect her to resume a dutiful place within the household. A kidnapping and murder then draw the family into danger, and evidence is arranged to make Hazel appear responsible. For the first time, she is not only investigator and narrator but the principal suspect.

Hong Kong reverses the social balance of the earlier novels. Hazel understands the languages, streets and family obligations around them, while Daisy’s confidence is limited by being a conspicuous foreign visitor. Criminal gangs, private investigators and colonial policing intersect with Chinese family authority, allowing the mystery to examine race, translation and the assumptions each friend makes about the other’s home. Clearing Hazel’s name requires the Detective Society to operate on her knowledge and terms.