A review by archytas
The Paper Bark Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu

informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

In the Q&A published at the end of this book, Yu mentions she is keen to get this series into the war years, and I must admit, so increasingly am I: if for no other reason that that you feel the weight of what is coming, undermining the hopefulness of this series. Having said that, I enjoyed the background of this one - the entanglement of many characters with India, the class tensions in British 'sahibs', and the exploration - however quick - of the world of working white women. The mystery plots are not really the focus of Yu's writing, and here is perhaps subserviant to a broader plot involving the Indian independence movement, which at times ties clumsily into the murder.  Yu's writing is not puzzle-centric, and this is a series carried by the way it evokes a world, which she does very well.