I'm not sure what to say about this book; it both is and isn't the type of mystery I normally read. The plotting and setting is totally in my wheelhouse, but I don't really connect with the characters, and it's always easier to really get into books where you connect with the characters. The secondary characters are, for me, the most lively and fleshed out of the lot, and I enjoyed their short time on the pages.
The setting of pre-WWII Singapore is a rich setting about which I know nothing, so I find that part of the reading compellingly interesting. Yu does a spectacular job bringing the monsoon season to life, as well as the city itself.
There are two reveals in the plot of The Betel Nut Tree Mystery, and unfortunately, both were transparent. I knew the identity of the columnist after the first few chapters, and I guessed who the murderer was soon thereafter. This unfortunate transparency wasn't enough to stop me reading the book, obviously, but it did ding my rating.
In spite of this post making it sound like I only found the book to be 'meh', I'm looking forward to reading the next book; even if the mysteries themselves aren't perfect, their setting and time are, and I want to see what happens next.