World War I hero and Scotland Yard detective Joe Sandilands is traveling to Simla, summer capital of the British Raj, when he is thrust abruptlyand bloodilyinto his second case of serial murder: His traveling companion, a Russian opera singer, is shot dead at his side in the Governor of Bengal's touring car at a crossroads known as Devil's Elbow. Like Cleverly's award-winning and enthusiastically reviewed The Last Kashmiri Rose, which debuted Sandilands, Ragtime in Simla effectively combines exotic settings with high suspense in a deftly plotted tale of 1920s India. At Simla, in the pine-scented Himalayan hills, the English colonials have re-created a bit of home with half-timbered houses, glittering dinner tables, amateur theatricals, and gymkhanas. But when Joe's murder investigation turns up an identical unsolved killing a year earlier, he begins to uncover behind the close-knit community's sparkling facade a sinister trail of blackmail, vice, and deadly secrets.
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The New York Times
In Cleverly's treatment, the unpredictable Alice is indeed enchanting, not to mention dangerous. Between the natural beauty of the setting and the seductiveness of the women, it's a wonder that Joe gets out of Simla with heart and mind intact.
Marilyn Stasio
Publishers Weekly
Fully developed characters and a convincing portrayal of time and place lift Cleverly's second historical (after 2002's The Last Kashmiri Rose) featuring Commander Joe Sandilands, a Scotland Yard detective stationed in post-WWI India. Sandilands has a personal stake in catching a cunning murderer, as the victim was struck down just inches away from him as they paused to admire the view from a spot known as Devil's Elbow in Simla, the summer capital of the Raj. Despite his fleeting acquaintance with the murdered man, a noted Russian singer, the sleuth feels compelled to put all his energies into avenging him, a challenge that's compounded when he learns of a nearly identical killing at the same spot a year earlier. The circumstances of that crime lead him to a young, attractive British expat, who's managed to successfully run a major trading house despite numerous personal tragedies. Working with the local superintendent, Sandilands maneuvers through the interlocking threads of Simla's colonial power base, which include a well-protected brothel, a spiritualist and Indian nationalists. The murderer's identity comes as a nice and logical surprise. While the ending suggests that Sandilands may next apply his considerable gifts outside India, the author's talent seems capable of transcending any shift in scene. (Oct. 8) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
On detachment to the Bengal police, London detective Joseph Sandilands witnesses the murder of a Russian opera singer while en route to Simla, the "summer capital" of early post-World War I India. Oddly enough, a similar murder occurred in the same location a year earlier and evidence points to the same perpetrator. The first victim, a missing British soldier who had just reached India to claim his share of an important company, was brother to one Alice Conyers, current majority owner and apparent lightning rod for bad luck. Cleverly's great plot, exotic Indian surrounds, and historical ambiance-as well as very sympathetic protagonist-recommends her latest to most collections. [Cleverly's first Joe Sandilands mystery, The Last Kashmiri Rose, won the Crime Writer Association's Debut Dagger Award.-Ed.] Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The repercussions from a chance encounter aboard France's Blue Train, just before its crash in 1919, reach back to India's Hill Country three years later. Summoned to Simla, the summer seat of the British Raj, by Sir George Jardine, Commander Joe Sandiland (The Last Kashmiri Rose, 2002), due to return to Scotland Yard in one month, is accompanied to the Hill Country by Russian baritone Feodor Korsovsky, who steps out of their car to admire the view and is promptly dispatched by a sniper's bullet. Oddly, the long-lost brother of Alice Conyers Sharpe, 51% owner of the mighty Imperial & Colonial Trading Corporation, had been downed in precisely the same spot a year ago. To find the connection, Sandiland seeks out many stunning women, including lovely Alice, one of only three survivors of the Blue Train crash; her dear friend Mademoiselle Pitiot, owner of a tony dress shop; Madame Flora, brothel owner and scheming blackmailer; and Mrs. Freemantle, a spiritualist/con artist. In addition, Sir George has planted undercover agents everywhere. Who conveniently used that train crash to cash in on a big payoff? The answer will involve detours through gun-smuggling, jewelry-pawning, and a ghostly sighting before Sandiland sails for home with one of those lovely, lying ladies at his side-and others ensconced in nearby cabins. A fulsome period hymn to pink gin that proves Kipling's dictum that the female of the species is deadlier than the male.
From the Publisher
"Ms. Cleverly deftly transports readers to an exotic locale filled with intrigue, suspense, and characters skilled in the art of deception. This is a perfect travel for historical mystery fans."—Booklist "Fully developed characters and a convincing portrayal of time and place lift Cleverly's second historical...the author's talents seems capable of transcending any shift in scene."—Publishers Weekly
"The sense of place is exotic, enveloping and superbly depicted. Joe Sandilands second outing is a filling follow his auspicious debut."—Contra Costa
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