The Enigmatic Madam Ingram: A Novel

Miss Cassidy returns to nineteenth-century Singapore to help solve another dazzling supernatural mystery in this follow-up to the award-winning novel that The Guardian called a “classic-in-waiting.”

When Letty Ingram arrives in Singapore in 1906, she is an enigma even unto herself. To the residents of the small Scottish village where she lives, she is a wealthy, half-Malay recluse who emerges from her home only for walks with her great beast of a hound. To Letty, she is a woman trying to lift a curse that causes her lose consciousness and wake up in strange places—sometimes, with blood on her hands—and no memory of what occurred.

Letty has traveled across the world in hopes that the renowned medium Madam Kay can help her break the curse, but Letty is a mystery of tangled magics the likes of which Madam Kay and the rest of her supernaturally gifted family have never seen. Fortunately, the Kays know an expert with even more insight into otherworldly matters than they do: the formidable Miss Leda Cassidy.

But even Miss Cassidy finds Letty to be a puzzle, one that pulls a fog over her memories as well. As she dives deeper into Letty’s past and find it unexpectedly intertwined with her own, Miss Cassidy begins to realize that if she’s going to free Letty from her curse, she’s going to have to take on an ancient foe: the terrifying jungle spirit known as the Bungadarah.

“A charming fantasy from a Singaporean writer . . . Leda Cassidy is something else. An unusual mix of myths and legends from around the world, this feels like a classic-in-waiting.”  - The Guardian

“A rollicking good ride!”  - Time Out

“A highly entertaining mix of fantasy, romance, and historical fiction.”  - Historical Novel Society

“An utter delight. Combines several [genres]—from the Victorian comedy of manners to the fairy tale—to effervescent effect. The best thing about this novel is its intrepid, no-nonsense heroine…a charming adventure [with] a competent heroine and a middle-aged romance you find yourself rooting for. It is very good fun.”  - The Straits Times

“What a delight—I haven’t enjoyed an adventure this much in years. Great fun, completely immersive and bursting with characters who leap off the page. A debut as impressive as Miss Cassidy herself!”  - Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Side of the Sky

“Formidable indeed! An effortlessly readable novel, with a stunning blend of history, myth and magic from Singapore and beyond.”  - Ng Yi-Sheng, award-winning author of Lion City

"Boey blends gothic mystery with Southeast Asian supernatural traditions, offering a richly layered story...This elegant, eerie, and at times witty novel's setting is vivid and textured, capturing the heat, sound, and scent of a diverse colonial port city where British manners meet local beliefs. Readers drawn to classic heroines with sharp minds and classic courage will find Miss Cassidy a welcome companion." - Booklist

"Readers who enjoy a lengthy immersion in another world will be richly rewarded with this textured tale that pulls together multiple strands of political, social, and history elements...What ties all the twisty plot lines together is the bond between women--whether it is mother-daughter, sisters, or friends. Fun is what readers are guaranteed, whether you just want a pacy read or enjoy the brainer pleasure of picking apart the complex tapestry of influences." - The Straits Times

"[The Formidable Miss Cassidy's] gentle subversions involved reworking typically Western genres such as the comedy of manners or the fairy tale for a Singapore context, which made for a charming romp...Its sequel, however, is something deeper and much darker. It is here that one begins to truly appreciate the complexity of Boey's [story] weaving." - Singapore Unbound

"A gripping and accomplished intertwining of mythology, battling Asian immortals and the eternal fight between good and evil. An ambitious and extraordinary book that sweeps you into its intricate world, riveting you there until the last page. Meihan Boey is a talent to watch." - Meira Chand, internationally bestselling author of A Different Sky

"Meihan Boey delights once again with a work that weaves together different mystical and supernatural threads in a wondrous and intriguing tale of a cross-cultural historical mystery full of hijinks, misleads and cross-dimensional travel. The Enigmatic Madam Ingram unravels the nature of our spiritual and supernatural beliefs, and how they might draw from the same spring water, even as the petals of the flowers they sprout bear different shapes and colors." - Nuraliah Norasid, award-winning author of The Gatekeeper

“The Formidable Miss Cassidy is a page-turner exuding the daylight smells and colors, and the cicada-singing nights, of Old Singapore. The borders between the real and mythological realms are presented as porous veils. At the center of the magic, mystery, and mischief, Miss Cassidy delights—a ghost-busting Mary Poppins with the proprieties, deportment, with a wicked sense of humor and fearlessness.”  - Nuraliah Norasid, award-winning author of The Gatekeeper

“The Formidable Miss Cassidy is a charming, delightful mix of history and folklore with a splash of the whimsical and otherworldly. With a wildly entertaining story and wonderfully memorable characters, Miss Cassidy and her adventures will stick with me for a good long while! It’s sure to be an instant hit.” - Poppy Kuroki, bestselling author of Gate to Kagoshima

“Turn-of-the-century Singapore opens the doors for adventures you just can’t have anywhere else. Ghosts, demons, and other unexpected critters are lurking everywhere, but it’s the cast of human characters that steal the show. Full of heart, mystery, and misadventures, this is crazy fun from start to finish.”

“An exuberant tale with a surprise around every corner! Miss Cassidy herself is a wonder and a delight—and the blend of Victoriana and Singaporean magic is irresistible.”

"Miss Cassidy is a quirky paranormal detective with a mysterious past. The book is split into parts, which keeps pacing tight, and each chapter is portrayed as a wryly humorous, cheeky vignette. This wonderfully quirky start of a series from Boey is Mary Poppins meets Supernatural and blends Victorian-era motifs with Asian mythology." - Library Journal

"Reminiscent of a multicultural Mary Poppins, The Formidable Miss Cassidy is a lovely book in all of the most peculiar ways...A dark faerie tale for nostalgic adults." - Olivia Atwater, author of Half a Soul