Book Review: DANGEROUS LIMELIGHT

Dangerous Limelight by Maranna Chan

Another gem by a local writer. Hot off the press, Dangerous Limelight has only been published this year. It is the first book of the Triple 9 Sleuths series. I did not come across any article about the book before I read the book so, apart from the sparse summary in the blurb, I totally had no idea what to expect. However, it is my pleasure to pronounce that the book exceeded my expectations.

The Triple 9 Sleuths comprise of a trio of 13-year-olds: Cordelia Lam (known as Corey to all her friends and family), her elder brother Colton Lam (they are not twins even though they are the same age; he was born in January and she in December of the same year; a rare occurrence but it happens) and their friend Stacy Rodriguez, a Eurasian girl who is being brought up by her grandmother because her mysterious mother is supposedly dead and she has no idea who her father is (from the way Maranna has been laying the plot, I’m sure Stacy’s parentage will crop up again in the later books).

In Dangerous Limelight, Corey and Colton’s neighbour, also named Cordelia (in fact, Corey’s mother had named Corey after this neighbour) is found dead and decomposing in her flat. The police very soon discover that she, Cordelia Teo, has been murdered because the autopsy reveals that poison has been found in her corpse. Our sleuths are intrigued and promptly form the Triple 9 Sleuths to investigate the crime. Despite the obstacles that stand in her their path (sceptical police authorities and the difficulty of research for amateurs – crime investigation is after all not a subject taught in school! – and their tender years), they actually come up with some leads. They discover that three Cordelias have died in the same year: Cordelia Teo, Corey’s neighbour, Cordelia Roberts, a model and Cordelia Loke, an interior designer.

This uncanny coincidence drives our sleuths to probe deeper and they soon realise that the three dead Cordelias have another thing in common (besides having the same name and dying in the same year) – they have all achieved some measure of fame. This series of flukes convince our amateur detectives that the deaths were suspicious and that it was entirely possible that a psychopath is going around murdering famous Cordelias. Which is deeply worrisome because this means that Corey may also be in danger. Her name is Cordelia and she is famous to some extent, having been featured in the papers for being one of the top PSLE scorers in the previous year.

Who is the murderer? What is his or her motive? Will Corey be able to escape the clutches of this insane killer?

Read the book yourself to find out. J I assure you that you won’t regret it. Maranna’s style of writing is reminiscent of Enid Blyton’s books like the Famous Five series, simple yet elegant. I also enjoyed her wicked sense of humour. One example is the name she bestows upon Cordelia Teo’s ice cream shop – ‘Yummy Yuckies’. An interesting contrast but if you read on, you would realise the reason behind the name. Although her ice cream treats are delicious, they have the oddest and most off-putting names: ‘Frog Eggs’, ‘Vomit’ and ‘Bird Poop’ are some examples. Most adults would find these names revolting but they are just the type of names that would appeal to young children and juvenile teenagers.

Another reason why I recommend children to read her book is the intelligence behind the plot. This is a mystery story and Maranna uses logic and rational deduction to unfold the story. As an English teacher, one of the big gripes I have about children’s writing is that many times, they make no sense. The young child writer knows the effect he wants to create but he is unable to get there in a coherent manner. Usually, logic and rational deduction are ignored, resulting in unrealistic plots or poor characterisation. Maranna’s characters – from our trio of teenage investigators to the adults in the periphery of the story – are well-formed and distinct. She deftly uses the personality traits that she has given each character to drive the story and her characterisations are consistent! So children, do yourselves a favour and read this book to see how a skilled writer uses characterisation effectively to move the plot.

A third reason for reading this book is the local context in which the story is set. Seriously, so many of the books on the bestseller list and other so-called famous books are set in foreign locations like the USA, UK or even China that I feel local literature does not have a voice. However, in recent years, there has been more and more local titles coming out and that is great. Personally, I feel that reading good stories set in our local context makes for more effective nation-building than National Education classes. I, and I suspect other Singaporean readers too, get a thrill when I read Dangerous Limelight and come across locations that I know or have even visited; Serangoon, nex, Greenwich V in Seletar, etc. Children who are familiar with the locations mentioned will be excited and for those who are not, well, they have learned new things about Singapore.

It is not only the local setting but also how our local culture and practices have been skilfully and subtly woven into the story that makes this book a standout. For instance, Colton and Corey’s parents actually own an education centre and when Corey performed well in her PSLE, they actually featured her in the advertisement for their centre. Anyone familiar with local culture would be tickled to see art mirroring life in this case. There are numerous such examples scattered throughout the book. And what makes it even more admirable is that Maranna has inserted them into the story so skilfully that they do not impede the flow of the story; in fact, sometimes, they nudge the story along.

In conclusion, what are you waiting for? Quick buy a copy of the book or borrow one from the library!

Rating: 5/5

Recommended for children aged 9 and above

By TCC