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Finalist for the 2015 Epigram Books Fiction Prize
Shortlisted for the Popular Readers' Choice Awards 2016 - English (Adult) Books Category
Shortlisted for Singapore Literature Prize 2018

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Death of a Perm Sec is a mystery about the demise of the permanent-secretary of the housing ministry, Chow Sze Teck, accused of accepting millions of dollars in bribes over his career. Set in 1980's Singapore, the novel examines the civil servant’s death, which first appears to be suicide by a cocktail of alcohol, morphine and Valium. But upon investigation by a CID inspector who might not be what he seems, the family discovers there may be far more sinister circumstances behind his death, that reach to the very top of government.

The novel exposes the dark heart of power politics, from the country’s tumultuous post-independence days to the socio-political landscape of the 1980s.
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Wong Souk Yee, 57, is a playwright and former political detainee, who contested the 2015 General Election as a member of the Singapore Democratic Party. An adjunct lecturer at the National University of Singapore, she co-founded the now-defunct theatre group Third Stage. In 1987, she was detained for allegedly taking part in a Marxist conspiracy against the government. She co-directed and co-wrote the play Square Moon, staged in 2013, about detention without trial.

Wong holds a PhD in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of New South Wales, Sydney; a Master of Arts (Honours) in Creative Writing from the University of Western Sydney; and a Bachelor of Accountancy from the then University of Singapore.

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Death of a Perm Sec (New Format)