Category: Historical Mystery

Murder in Old Bombay by Nev March (Mystery –Audio Book)

Writing: 3/5 Characters: 4/5 Plot: 4.5/5

Mixed feelings on this one. This historical mystery takes place in India during the late 1800s. It is full of intrigue and plot twists embedded in little known (to me or to average American readers) parts of Indian history. Captain Jim Agnihotri is recovering from a brain injury resulting from a military skirmish when he reads of the deaths of two Parsi ladies who “fell” from a watchtower to their deaths. Intrigued, he approaches the widower and is hired to investigate. So begins a convoluted plot that incorporates disparate religious and cultural norms, political machinations, and the question of British rule, the princely states, and new bids for Indian independence.

The writing is decent, the characters are appealing, and the historical context was fascinating. On the negative side (for me), there was far too much repetitive anguish on the parts of two characters whose love was forbidden, and too many “impossibly dangerous” situations which Captain Jim — in true heroic style — managed to defuse / rescue / solve without too much trouble. Also, too much unnecessary (to me) hand wringing. In one case, one character killed another — a truly evil person who had had no qualms of committing truly horrific crimes and was about to kill a family member — and still our character was full of pain at the thought of killing someone. Really? That always seemed false to me. I would not relish killing another person, but in those circumstances? I would neither hesitate nor feel any remorse.

I listened to this on audio, and although I very much liked the reader it was so slow that I listened at 1 1/4 speed — something I rarely do. That sped things up but made everything sound even more fraught with tension because of the increased speed! Might have been better to read it so I could skim over the repetitive parts. This is the first book of a series which is now up to number three. The (somewhat tedious) romantic plot was resolved so perhaps the next two books won’t have to go through all that constant angst. Glad I read it and I’m going to try book two in the hopes that she keeps the great plots and drops the romance and the endless heroics. We shall see!

To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs #14 — Historical Mystery)

Somehow I missed this one episode of Maisie Dobbs even though I’ve read all of the previous and the three following. Argh! Thanks to my friend for mentioning it in passing…

This England based historical mystery series starts during WWI and by this episode is up to 1940. Maisie Dobbs — a psychologist and investigator trained by the best — is such a compelling protagonist. She is intelligent, articulate, discerning, careful in speech, and empathetic. I love that she always earns the respect of the various men in power (police detectives, senior military types, etc.) without ever resorting to “feminine wiles” or anything other than dogged determination and sheer, unquestionable, competence. Each book in the series includes a good mystery, but also a great deal of what it is like to live in such “exciting” times.

Maisie is asked to investigate the odd behavior and eventual murder of a young boy working with a paint crew to cover all of the RAF stations with a new (poorly tested) fire retardant paint in advance of the expected German invasion. In the afterward (Winspear’s afterwards are always worth reading as they include more information on all the historical fact that is embedded in the pages), we learn that this boy working with (and being damaged by) the new paint is based on her own father’s experiences. The Dunkirk miracle also plays a big role in this book. This is a WWII episode that I never tire of reading about. If ever there was an event that showed true community commitment to achieve the impossible, this is it.

This is probably my favorite historical mystery series, and this book one of the best!

The House on Prytania by Karen White (Fiction)

This book is completely engaging — a fun, fun read. It’s well-written and full of southern charm, not-always-benevolent departed spirits, quirky but solid characters, with a solid (spirit driven) mystery and threads of romance. Plus it’s set in one of my favorite cities — New Orleans — with plenty of old houses, restoration tales (mostly nightmares), and architectural history. The plot never lets up with kidnappings, hauntings, angry spirits, and whole bunches of stubborn, stubborn, people. So stubborn! Plenty of humor and sass — I particularly like the banter and polar opposite best friends Nola and Jolene who are at the center of the story. Always fun to see the interplay between a woman who dresses in whatever was closer to her on the floor and a woman who won’t leave her bedroom unless she is fully accessorized. Guess which one I identify with!

This is book 2 of White’s new series, a spinoff of her (deservedly popular) Tradd Street series. Nice to have read the others, but not necessary.

The Lady from Burma by Allison Montclair (Historical Mystery)

This is book five of the historical mystery series starring Iris Sparks (with a possible dangerous past) and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge (an aristocratic war widow with a young son who is fighting for her rights in Lunacy Court!). Together they run the Right Sort Marriage Bureau in post WWII London, but they simultaneously seem to be in just the right place to solve murders, much to the chagrin (and eventual admiration) of the local police.

While this is book five in the series, it’s book one for me. I was able to keep up just fine but I do feel a lot must have happened in the previous books. I can’t tell how much progress was made in the personal situations for both women before this story — may be better to start at book one!

In this book, they get an unusual client. A woman dying of cancer comes in to line up a wife for her husband after her passing. Unfortunately, that passing happens more quickly than expected. Simultaneously, the very conservator who has been holding Mrs. Bainbridge hostage during her fight with the Lunacy Court has also turned up dead. The body count steadily increasing only seems to stimulate the interest of the two women.

The plot kept my interest, and I enjoyed learning about various procedures / processes in that (still rather unfriendly to women) time period. The writing was a little stilted for my taste, but overall I enjoyed it.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 25th, 2023

Playing it Safe by Ashley Weaver (Historical Mystery)

A light, historical, cozy with likable characters, this is just what I needed to cleanse the palate from all the dystopic SciFi I’m in the middle of.

Book two in the Electra McDonnell series taking place in England (London and Sunderland in this episode) in late 1940. Electra (Ellie) is the (young, pretty) safe cracker / thief who has turned her skill to serve King and country, working with the tough-as-nails (but also handsome with undertones of patrician) Major Ramsey. A possible Nazi counterfeiting ring, a few unnatural deaths, and a focus on bird watching pepper this episode.

Intelligent, stubborn, and delightfully non-conformist, Ellie is fun to accompany on this adventure. Major Ramsey is a bit of a stereotype, but a very enjoyable one: heroic and competent with “an aristocratic heritage underneath the military bearing.” Weaver includes just the right amount of romancy bits between the two (how could you not?) but doesn’t overdo it (need to leave something for future installments!)

My favorite part: Ellie goes to the movies in chapter one and sees “Bachelor Mother” with Ginger Rogers — one of my favorite movies and not very well-known. I got a real kick out of that. If you’ve never seen it, stream it!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book was just published on May 9th, 2023