Polly R. (damerosehay) -
Helpful Score: 2
In many ways, this is more an adventure story than a mystery: mysterious gold, a civil servant with secrets, a chase through a snow-covered Himalayan pass; the events are definitely not what you typically find in English mysteries, even ones set in India. But this is a mystery, even after you may think it's been solved, and the ending is very Elizabeth Ironsides in that sense, although much less miserable than her others. She always manages to end her novels by entirely changing the perspective of everything that's happened in presenting the solution of the mystery. Ironsides is always a good writer, but this is less heartrending than her later novels, and better for it, in my view.
Helpful Score: 1
Hugo Frencham, British diplomat in Delhi, has been found stabbed to death in his garden. London dispatches Mr. Sinclair to investigate. The main concern being, of course, whether security has been breached - not so much to find out who killed Hugo.
Sinclair fairly quickly finds out that Hugo engaged in some black market activity, and that not only a wealthy Indian was involved, but also a Russian diplomat. A rather delicate situation. On top of it all, there is Janey Somers, a Tibetan scholar, who frequently stayed at Hugo's house, and who becomes Sinclair's love interest. This story moves at a rather languid pace, but stick with it - there is a nice little twist at the end!
While I did not "like" the main character Sinclair very much, I did enjoy the description and characterizations of the persons involved and the glimpses it provides about life in India and Tibet.
Sinclair fairly quickly finds out that Hugo engaged in some black market activity, and that not only a wealthy Indian was involved, but also a Russian diplomat. A rather delicate situation. On top of it all, there is Janey Somers, a Tibetan scholar, who frequently stayed at Hugo's house, and who becomes Sinclair's love interest. This story moves at a rather languid pace, but stick with it - there is a nice little twist at the end!
While I did not "like" the main character Sinclair very much, I did enjoy the description and characterizations of the persons involved and the glimpses it provides about life in India and Tibet.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
Helpful Score: 1
Based on the cover, I really expected something from the early days of British India. Wrong! The story takes place today, or tomorrow, not hundreds of years ago.
Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I bet you will never guess who the murderer is or why it was done, before both are revealed.
Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I bet you will never guess who the murderer is or why it was done, before both are revealed.
