I was looking for something good in the historical fiction genre so was happy to receive a copy of Singapore Sapphire, set in 1910 China in exchange for my honest review (thanks, Berkley Publishing and NetGalley). This is the first in a planned series by A.M. Stuart featuring Harriet Gordon and Inspector Robert Curran, and is good on the history, less on the mystery…

Harriet Gordon’s brother (Reverend) Julian runs a school in Singapore, and when Harriet lands in Singapore following the death of her husband, she needs to find some paying work. She advertises her typing services and gets a job for Sir Oswald Newbold typing up his memoirs. He is murdered the next day, and she finds the body.

Inspector Robert Curran is the detective investigating this death and a second murder of a young man working in the hotel. Curran realizes Harriet’s ability to see things and they work together to solve the mystery.

The historical setting is extremely well done, and the characters are extremely well drawn. The structure is not that of a typical mystery with the revelation near the end of the story, which might not be the best for some readers. Hence the “good on the history, less on the mystery” line above. I’d give it 3.5 stars, but I really am an easy grader, and the history is so well done, I’ve rounded it up to four.