Wearing its Golden Age Mysteries influence proudly, this wonderful story introduces Eric Peterkin, young gentleman and former Lieutenant in WWI, as he investigates a murder at his club. A club comprised of a long line of former soldiers and officers, of which a Peterkin forebear was one of the original founders.
When a new member is found murdered in the club’s vault, some of the members come under suspicion, including Eric, as, being half Chinese, he is automatically suspected thanks to the common fear about the “Yellow Peril”. When Eric’s questions begin raising unpleasant memories amongst the other gentleman of the war and of a missing nurse at a hospital the suspects all stayed at during the war, Eric is threatened with expulsion from the club, and more seriously, with attempts on his life.

I loved this book. The writing is great, and historical details are skillfully imparted to the reader, along with the implications of the war: the technological and cultural changes, as well as the damage on the men’s bodies and psyches, in the form of sudden outbursts, fear of loud noises, and drug addiction. There’s also the rising anti-Chinese sentiment, which Eric gets to experience, and though the son of a wealthy English family, is a victim of almost constant racial slurs, both within the club and from the police.

I stumbled upon this book at the library, and was intrigued by its description, then was impressed by Christopher Huang’s amateur detective, Eric, and his unique perspectives on the situation, using his both insider and outsider statuses to move amongst the other gentleman, but also to see things they were not able to. I wish there were more Eric Peterkin stories already available now, as I liked him a lot, and really enjoyed Huang’s take on the Golden Age detective story.