Book Review: Ragtime in Simla

Reviewed By: Woodstock - RAM

Ragtime in Simla     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Barbara Cleverly
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Historical
Series: Joe Sandilands # 2

Scotland Yard Inspector Joe Sandilands returns, this time in the lovely hill country in the north of India, near the mountains of the Himalayas. He still is a guest of a regional governor in the British rule of India. As he approaches his destination, the governor's vacation home in the hills, a passenger sharing his vehicle is killed by a sniper's bullet, and naturally Sandilands is called upon to assist in the investigation.

The plot here becomes quite ponderous, involving impersonation, blackmail, gun running, and murder. I enjoyed the settings and descriptions of Imperial India, but felt that in her first Sandilands novel, Cleverly was more successful in her story telling.

As this entry ends, Sandilands is homeward bound on a ship to England. Will he return to India for his next adventure, or will we see in in action at home?

Woodstock - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Woodstock - RAM