The Pointing Man: A Burmese Mystery

"The Pointing Man: A Burmese Mystery" by Marjorie Douie, is an early 20th-century story that unfolds in Burma, beginning with the mysterious vanishing of Absalom, who works for Mhtoon Pah at a unique curio shop. As the story opens, readers are drawn into the busy neighborhoods of Mangadone, where the Rev. Francis Heath, a key character, adds to the suspense when it's revealed he was the last to see Absalom. A police officer named Hartley takes on the case, which leads him through the complex lives of the town's people. The intrigue is thickened by characters like Mrs. Wilder, whose strange lack of concern for Absalom increases the mystery. The book masterfully crafts a world of personal mysteries interlinked with bigger social secrets, with the author highlighting ambition and moral questions.