I have recently become a HUGE fan of historical mysteries, and books like this are now the reason I thirst for them. Revenge in Rubies is the second book of A. M. Stuart’s Harriet Gordon Mystery series. It was positively delightful and I breezed right through it. Did I miss a little bit from not having read the first book? Yes, I admit I did. This mystery stood alone, but I wish I knew more of the characters’ backstories that were no doubt introduced in the first installment. However, in no way did it impede my enjoyment of this book. As a matter of fact, today I am ordering Singapore Sapphire in audiobook form.
It’s 1910 in Singapore, and Harriet Gordon is overcoming her tragic past. She lives with her brother Julian and her young ward, Will, plus she’s a typist for the Straits Settlements Police Force. Harriet’s friend and employer, Inspector Robert Curran, is called to investigate the brutal murder of the young wife of Lieutenant Colonel John Nolan. Harriet visits the family to offer comfort, as she is friends with Nolan’s sister. The military community is hindering Curran’s investigation, and Harriet thinks her relationship with Pris Nolan might be helpful in gathering clues. In the course of the investigation, both Harriet and Curran are forced to once again face painful pasts.
Both Harriet and Curran are fascinating characters. The story was excellent, but these two are what made the story so compelling. Harriet is employed as a typist for the police force, which at that time was wholly unusual. Her past was extremely brutal, yet she was strong and able to forge a new life for herself. She and Curran had both a good friendship and working relationship. Curran was just as interesting. He had a past I definitely want to learn more about, especially his romantic relationship with An Li, a Chinese woman. The supporting characters were all finely drawn, and I especially liked Harriet’s brother Julian and physician Euan MacGregor. 1910 Singapore is a character in itself, and I enjoyed reading about some of its history. The mystery was well done and I kept changing my mind as to who the culprit was! I hope I don’t have to wait long for the further adventures of Harriet and Curran!
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed were entirely my own.
Author
beverleyoakley
2 years ago
Exciting, well-plotted, rich characterisation – and an ending that delivers!
Historical mysteries are my favourite genre. I love the guessing game involved, and I love being transported to another time and place.
A.M. Stuart’s ‘Revenge in Rubies’ does an outstanding job of engaging the reader with a fascinating cast of sympathetic characters and interesting villains, so many of whom had motive and opportunity. I felt I was living the experience, dripping from the pre-WWI Singaporean heat, as well as anxiety, that the murderer be apprehended, and that I didn’t want to feel let down by the resolution. In fact, the resolution far exceeded my expectations.
I thought the first Harriet Gordon Mystery Book 1 in the series was excellent – which is why I obviously snapped up Revenge in Rubies. That said, Revenge in Rubies is a spectacular sequel BUT it can absolutely be read on its own.
I am so looking forward to book 3!
Author
rhondahuss
2 years ago
Read this before the 1st book Singapore Sapphires. It was slow and just a story about 1920s Singapore. I’m jus finishing up the 1st book which is so much better than Revenge in Rubies. Recommend reading in order.
Author
libbydodd
2 years ago
Richly delineated location and time.
Strong and interesting characters.
A good taste of the cultural differences of the time.
A fascinating read.
Author
helen
2 years ago
This is another brilliant and awesome story in this series, I loved it and found it very hard to put down, another murder in Singapore in 1910 that finds Harriet and her boss Inspector Robert Curran working hard to uncover the murderer with lots of twists and turns along the way and I was guessing to the very end. A must read.
When Harriet finds out about the death of a member of one of her friends family, she makes her way to Pris Nolan’s family home in support of Pris and finds out that Pris’s sister in law Sylvie Nolan has been murdered in a brutal way. Inspector Curran arrives to start the investigation, with Sylvie being the wife of Lieutenant Colonel John Nolan, Curran knows that he is going to come up against a brick wall in the investigation as the military close ranks to protect what they call family. Sylvie was a lot younger than her husband and well- liked by the younger military men.
Harriet is always willing to help with the investigation and this time as friends with the victim’s sister in law she is more than confident in finding some answers to help the inspector, of course with so much happening the investigation keeps having more added to it with more murders that appear to be linked to Sylvie’s murder they need to find the murderer and quickly.
Harriet seems very settled in her life in Singapore now she is happy looking after her young charge Will and she really enjoys her job typing up reports for Inspector Curran, she has an eye for detail and even though the inspector is not always happy with the way Harriet does a little investigating herself, he really is appreciative and together they are becoming a great team.
I cannot highly recommend this book and series enough, beautifully written it takes a reader back to Singapore in 1910 to the heat and ways of life then, MS Stuart makes me feel that I am there during the investigations. The characters come to life on the pages, it is a book that I wanted to get to the end of but didn’t want it to finish, bring on the next book I say, I can’t wait a fabulous story that I loved.
Author
danielek
2 years ago
Not having read book one in this series (SINGAPORE SAPPHIRE), I had no problem jumping right into REVENGE IN RUBIES without feeling lost. The Singapore setting is novel and a nice change of pace form my usual historical mysteries set in England. Granted, the story takes place in British colonized Singapore in the early twentieth century, but it is still exotic while being firmly grounded in the familiar.
This tale finds police typist and stenographer Harriet Gordon settling nicely into her new life with her cleric brother Julian and ward Will after leaving behind her traumatic past in London. She finds herself embroiled in the investigation in the gruesome murder of the young wife of the local regiment’s Lieutenant Coronel. As a friendly acquaintance of the deceased’s sister-in-law, she finds herself fully invested in the mystery, especially when her boss, Inspector Curran, is mostly incapacitated by a malaria flare-up. There are plenty of suspects both among the military and Sylvie’s own family, and as the body count rises and secrets are revealed, Harriet and Curran both find themselves searching for answers.
I really like Harriet. She is strong, intelligent, and curious without being annoyingly nosy. Curran is stalwart in his occupation and dedicated to moving beyond his father’s disparaging military reputation. I appreciate author Stuart allowing Curran to be both vulnerable having a debilitating illness and sharp with his investigative mind. I also respect Stuart’s willingness to realistically portray the inequitable treatment of the Chinese and Indian residents of Singapore during this time in history.
The murder mystery is nicely plotted and quite the puzzle. The supporting characters are varied and well developed. There are plenty of suspects and motives to keep readers guessing throughout the book. I did not figure out the culprit until very near the end of the tale.
REVENGE IN RUBIES is a nice change of pace in the historical mystery world, and I look forward to helping Harriet and Curran solve many more mysteries in future installments. Highly recommended.
I gratefully received and ARC of this title from Berkley through NetGalley and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.
Author
roslynstillman
2 years ago
Murder, mystery, intrigue, suspense underlying stories and all set in a country full of culture and at a time when the world was changing. What more you could you want in an excellent read. This is the second in the series and was just as good as the first. You don’t need to read the first but it is nice to meet old characters from the last book. This book kept me turning the page and unlike a lot of murder mysteries, it didn’t take more than a few pages to get straight into the story. I liked the way Ms Stuart often refers to the relationship of the character helping you keep track of who is who. There was just so much going on but you didn’t get sidetrack because it is so well written. Whether you like historical or contemporary books, I think this is one for everyone. There was no real romance in this book but it is full of relationships which is lovely. I received this as an ARC and freely give my review.
Author
susanmeikle
2 years ago
1910 Singapore. Inspector Robert Curran is called in to investigate the death of Sylvie Nolan, the new and much younger wife of Lt. Colonel John Nolan. Mrs Harriet Gordon becomes involved as she is friend to his sister Priscilla Nolan. But what could possibly be the motive of someone who was so well liked. But then another murder occurs. What is the possible connection between the deaths, will this be the last one.
An entertaining well-written historical mystery, with its cast of well-developed characters. A story which can easily be read as a standalone book
Author
robin
2 years ago
4.5/5
Always nice to discover a new mystery series I enjoy! This was the second in series so I plan to go back to read the debut.
Harriet Gordon is a widow transplanted from India now living in Singapore with her minister brother. She is a stenographer/typist for the local police (the only woman on the payroll) and finds herself interested in the cases of her friend Inspector Curran. This one involves several murders centered around the local military base and had me guessing until the end.
Colorful, complex characters, well-plotted, and richly detailed…what’s not to love?!
Recommended.
Much thanks to #NetGalley and #Berkley for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
Author
jetangen
2 years ago
British Imperialism, Singapore, intolerance, family-dynamics, friendship, misogyny, murder, murder-investigation, British Forces, historical-fiction, historical-research, history-and-culture, law-enforcement
The first victim was much lauded as an angel by her husband and many others, but the autopsy revealed cracks in the facade as well as her skull. Then there was the problem of interference and clue destruction by the military that felt more like a cover-up. Add in the personal problems of the main protagonists (these were very important), Singapore and it’s many faces, and you have a convoluted murder mystery with a host of red herrings. I loved it and its many colorful characters!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley. Thank you!
Author
jholden955
2 years ago
Harriet Gordon is a recent widow who moved to Singapore to live with her brother. With some of the social mores loosening (very little), she is employed as a typist by the local police department. There, she types for her Inspector friend Curran. The story uses the frame of the small world of the military base in Singapore after the wife of their Colonel is found bludgeoned to death. Sylvie was a recent arrival to Singapore on the arm of her new husband and the military closes ranks to the South Straits police, burns evidence and are altogether not as forthcoming as they could be. I loved the twists and turns the story took. The history that unfolds about the regiment was interesting and although I kept thinking about those rubies, didn’t guess the reveal too easily. Stuart’s attention to historical detail for the time period was very good. I was so interested in the setting, that through a bit of Googling, I was able to see photos of some of the real places used in the book, like the tea room at John Little’s. I really look forward to reading more about Harriet.
I have recently become a HUGE fan of historical mysteries, and books like this are now the reason I thirst for them. Revenge in Rubies is the second book of A. M. Stuart’s Harriet Gordon Mystery series. It was positively delightful and I breezed right through it. Did I miss a little bit from not having read the first book? Yes, I admit I did. This mystery stood alone, but I wish I knew more of the characters’ backstories that were no doubt introduced in the first installment. However, in no way did it impede my enjoyment of this book. As a matter of fact, today I am ordering Singapore Sapphire in audiobook form.
It’s 1910 in Singapore, and Harriet Gordon is overcoming her tragic past. She lives with her brother Julian and her young ward, Will, plus she’s a typist for the Straits Settlements Police Force. Harriet’s friend and employer, Inspector Robert Curran, is called to investigate the brutal murder of the young wife of Lieutenant Colonel John Nolan. Harriet visits the family to offer comfort, as she is friends with Nolan’s sister. The military community is hindering Curran’s investigation, and Harriet thinks her relationship with Pris Nolan might be helpful in gathering clues. In the course of the investigation, both Harriet and Curran are forced to once again face painful pasts.
Both Harriet and Curran are fascinating characters. The story was excellent, but these two are what made the story so compelling. Harriet is employed as a typist for the police force, which at that time was wholly unusual. Her past was extremely brutal, yet she was strong and able to forge a new life for herself. She and Curran had both a good friendship and working relationship. Curran was just as interesting. He had a past I definitely want to learn more about, especially his romantic relationship with An Li, a Chinese woman. The supporting characters were all finely drawn, and I especially liked Harriet’s brother Julian and physician Euan MacGregor. 1910 Singapore is a character in itself, and I enjoyed reading about some of its history. The mystery was well done and I kept changing my mind as to who the culprit was! I hope I don’t have to wait long for the further adventures of Harriet and Curran!
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed were entirely my own.
Exciting, well-plotted, rich characterisation – and an ending that delivers!
Historical mysteries are my favourite genre. I love the guessing game involved, and I love being transported to another time and place.
A.M. Stuart’s ‘Revenge in Rubies’ does an outstanding job of engaging the reader with a fascinating cast of sympathetic characters and interesting villains, so many of whom had motive and opportunity. I felt I was living the experience, dripping from the pre-WWI Singaporean heat, as well as anxiety, that the murderer be apprehended, and that I didn’t want to feel let down by the resolution. In fact, the resolution far exceeded my expectations.
I thought the first Harriet Gordon Mystery Book 1 in the series was excellent – which is why I obviously snapped up Revenge in Rubies. That said, Revenge in Rubies is a spectacular sequel BUT it can absolutely be read on its own.
I am so looking forward to book 3!
Read this before the 1st book Singapore Sapphires. It was slow and just a story about 1920s Singapore. I’m jus finishing up the 1st book which is so much better than Revenge in Rubies. Recommend reading in order.
Richly delineated location and time.
Strong and interesting characters.
A good taste of the cultural differences of the time.
A fascinating read.
This is another brilliant and awesome story in this series, I loved it and found it very hard to put down, another murder in Singapore in 1910 that finds Harriet and her boss Inspector Robert Curran working hard to uncover the murderer with lots of twists and turns along the way and I was guessing to the very end. A must read.
When Harriet finds out about the death of a member of one of her friends family, she makes her way to Pris Nolan’s family home in support of Pris and finds out that Pris’s sister in law Sylvie Nolan has been murdered in a brutal way. Inspector Curran arrives to start the investigation, with Sylvie being the wife of Lieutenant Colonel John Nolan, Curran knows that he is going to come up against a brick wall in the investigation as the military close ranks to protect what they call family. Sylvie was a lot younger than her husband and well- liked by the younger military men.
Harriet is always willing to help with the investigation and this time as friends with the victim’s sister in law she is more than confident in finding some answers to help the inspector, of course with so much happening the investigation keeps having more added to it with more murders that appear to be linked to Sylvie’s murder they need to find the murderer and quickly.
Harriet seems very settled in her life in Singapore now she is happy looking after her young charge Will and she really enjoys her job typing up reports for Inspector Curran, she has an eye for detail and even though the inspector is not always happy with the way Harriet does a little investigating herself, he really is appreciative and together they are becoming a great team.
I cannot highly recommend this book and series enough, beautifully written it takes a reader back to Singapore in 1910 to the heat and ways of life then, MS Stuart makes me feel that I am there during the investigations. The characters come to life on the pages, it is a book that I wanted to get to the end of but didn’t want it to finish, bring on the next book I say, I can’t wait a fabulous story that I loved.
Not having read book one in this series (SINGAPORE SAPPHIRE), I had no problem jumping right into REVENGE IN RUBIES without feeling lost. The Singapore setting is novel and a nice change of pace form my usual historical mysteries set in England. Granted, the story takes place in British colonized Singapore in the early twentieth century, but it is still exotic while being firmly grounded in the familiar.
This tale finds police typist and stenographer Harriet Gordon settling nicely into her new life with her cleric brother Julian and ward Will after leaving behind her traumatic past in London. She finds herself embroiled in the investigation in the gruesome murder of the young wife of the local regiment’s Lieutenant Coronel. As a friendly acquaintance of the deceased’s sister-in-law, she finds herself fully invested in the mystery, especially when her boss, Inspector Curran, is mostly incapacitated by a malaria flare-up. There are plenty of suspects both among the military and Sylvie’s own family, and as the body count rises and secrets are revealed, Harriet and Curran both find themselves searching for answers.
I really like Harriet. She is strong, intelligent, and curious without being annoyingly nosy. Curran is stalwart in his occupation and dedicated to moving beyond his father’s disparaging military reputation. I appreciate author Stuart allowing Curran to be both vulnerable having a debilitating illness and sharp with his investigative mind. I also respect Stuart’s willingness to realistically portray the inequitable treatment of the Chinese and Indian residents of Singapore during this time in history.
The murder mystery is nicely plotted and quite the puzzle. The supporting characters are varied and well developed. There are plenty of suspects and motives to keep readers guessing throughout the book. I did not figure out the culprit until very near the end of the tale.
REVENGE IN RUBIES is a nice change of pace in the historical mystery world, and I look forward to helping Harriet and Curran solve many more mysteries in future installments. Highly recommended.
I gratefully received and ARC of this title from Berkley through NetGalley and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.
Murder, mystery, intrigue, suspense underlying stories and all set in a country full of culture and at a time when the world was changing. What more you could you want in an excellent read. This is the second in the series and was just as good as the first. You don’t need to read the first but it is nice to meet old characters from the last book. This book kept me turning the page and unlike a lot of murder mysteries, it didn’t take more than a few pages to get straight into the story. I liked the way Ms Stuart often refers to the relationship of the character helping you keep track of who is who. There was just so much going on but you didn’t get sidetrack because it is so well written. Whether you like historical or contemporary books, I think this is one for everyone. There was no real romance in this book but it is full of relationships which is lovely. I received this as an ARC and freely give my review.
1910 Singapore. Inspector Robert Curran is called in to investigate the death of Sylvie Nolan, the new and much younger wife of Lt. Colonel John Nolan. Mrs Harriet Gordon becomes involved as she is friend to his sister Priscilla Nolan. But what could possibly be the motive of someone who was so well liked. But then another murder occurs. What is the possible connection between the deaths, will this be the last one.
An entertaining well-written historical mystery, with its cast of well-developed characters. A story which can easily be read as a standalone book
4.5/5
Always nice to discover a new mystery series I enjoy! This was the second in series so I plan to go back to read the debut.
Harriet Gordon is a widow transplanted from India now living in Singapore with her minister brother. She is a stenographer/typist for the local police (the only woman on the payroll) and finds herself interested in the cases of her friend Inspector Curran. This one involves several murders centered around the local military base and had me guessing until the end.
Colorful, complex characters, well-plotted, and richly detailed…what’s not to love?!
Recommended.
Much thanks to #NetGalley and #Berkley for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
British Imperialism, Singapore, intolerance, family-dynamics, friendship, misogyny, murder, murder-investigation, British Forces, historical-fiction, historical-research, history-and-culture, law-enforcement
The first victim was much lauded as an angel by her husband and many others, but the autopsy revealed cracks in the facade as well as her skull. Then there was the problem of interference and clue destruction by the military that felt more like a cover-up. Add in the personal problems of the main protagonists (these were very important), Singapore and it’s many faces, and you have a convoluted murder mystery with a host of red herrings. I loved it and its many colorful characters!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley. Thank you!
Harriet Gordon is a recent widow who moved to Singapore to live with her brother. With some of the social mores loosening (very little), she is employed as a typist by the local police department. There, she types for her Inspector friend Curran. The story uses the frame of the small world of the military base in Singapore after the wife of their Colonel is found bludgeoned to death. Sylvie was a recent arrival to Singapore on the arm of her new husband and the military closes ranks to the South Straits police, burns evidence and are altogether not as forthcoming as they could be. I loved the twists and turns the story took. The history that unfolds about the regiment was interesting and although I kept thinking about those rubies, didn’t guess the reveal too easily. Stuart’s attention to historical detail for the time period was very good. I was so interested in the setting, that through a bit of Googling, I was able to see photos of some of the real places used in the book, like the tea room at John Little’s. I really look forward to reading more about Harriet.