Philanthropists Inspector Mislan and the executioners

Noor's stellar fifth mystery featuring Insp. Mislan Latif of Kuala Lumpur's Special Investigations unit picks up where 2022's Soulless: Inspector Mislan and the Faceless Girl left off. Shot by an unknown assailant and left for dead at the end of the previous book, Mislan remains traumatized months later. With Malaysia subject to increased restrictions as the Covid pandemic begins, Mislan has an odd double murder to tackle: the neighbors of the house where two men were discovered shot to death heard no gunshots; the victims had been bound, but the bindings were removed postmortem; and a large cache of drugs remain at the scene. Only the victims' wallets, phones, and identifying documents were removed. With Malaysians increasingly uncomfortable at measures aimed at stopping the pandemic's spread, Mislan soldiers on in his efforts to crack the case, despite his fears of contracting the virus. Noor enhances the story line with a deep dive into his lead's psychology, emphasizing Mislan's complex responses to having dodged death. This cleverly plotted entry is sure to win Noor new fans. (Mar.)