Spirit Play (The Mak Chik Maryam Mysteries #2)

By: Barbara Ismail

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Synopsis: A Malaysian Miss Marple examines a suspicious death following an exorcism in this mystery by the author of Shadow Play for fans of Alexander McCall Smith. Mak Chik Maryam is by profession a market-trader: She sells the exquisite, hand-made fabrics for which her village is well known. But her true calling is as the Miss Marple of rural Malaysia, where her skills are badly needed. While the police-chief is a nice boy, everyone knows that no man can match a village &“auntie&” for coaxing out the gossip and separating rumor from the truth that shines like Maryam&’s good gold jewelry. That discerning eye will come in particularly handy when one of Maryam&’s fellow traders is murdered after a main puteri ceremony—essentially a ritual exorcism. Intoxicated by the &“spirit play,&” the villagers are eager to blame supernatural powers, but Maryam, ever the pragmatist, suspects some forces a little nearer at hand.&“For lovers of armchair tourism and detective stories, Barbara Ismail has created a winner in her series about Mak Chik Maryam.&” —The Straits Times (Malaysia)