Peril at the Exposition is the second book in a historical mystery series by Nev March. Released 12th July 2022 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 352 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is such a richly imagined and well written historical mystery. The titular protagonist, Captain Jim Agnihotri, is a half English, half Indian officer and investigator who leaves India to take up a job in America with his young wife. He deals with racism because of his upbringing and skin color as well as being an Englishman in the US.
The relationship between Jim and his wife Diana is refreshingly honest (and modern). She's intelligent and headstrong, if naive. Both of them have a distinct honesty that's refreshing to read. The mystery is well constructed and the prose is nuanced and enjoyable. I did however find myself bumped out of my suspension of disbelief by some outlandish plot elements (a naive young woman of color out to save the city on her own, endangering everyone). The action moves the plot along quickly and the denouement and resolution are satisfying and fair play.
There are some very light romance elements, but not nearly to the degree of the first book. Readers who prefer strong romance subplots in their books will not find it here. There are some sweetly romantic moments between the (married) protagonists, but it's all euphemistically described and all "dancing" occurs off-page.
Four stars. An amazingly well written follow-up for a new and very promising writer.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
No comments:
Post a Comment