Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
New York : Bantam Dell, 2004.
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML: Simla 1922. The summer capital of the British Raj is fizzing with the energy of the jazz age. Commander Joe Sandilands is looking forward to spending a month here in the cool of the Himalayan hills as the guest of Sir George Jardine, the Governor of Bengal. When Joe's travelling companion, a Russian opera singer, is shot dead at his side in the back of the Governor's car on the road up to Simla, he finds himself plunged into a murder investigation. Confronted by the mystery of an identical unsolved killing a year before, Joe realizes that Sir George's hospitality comes at a price. Behind the sparkling fa?ade of social life in Simla he finds a trail of murder, vice and blackmail. Someone in this close-knit community has a secret and the nearer Joe comes to uncovering it, the nearer he comes to his own death..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member TallyDi
A very well done mystery with several of my favorite elements including a glimpse of life in an exotic place and time, which in this case is India in 1922. The characters are complex and the mystery layered with possibilities. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
LibraryThing member librisissimo
Substance: A lively mystery set in the India between World Wars. The clues are fair and the twists are satisfactory.
Style: Nothing fancy; solid craftsmanship.
Style: Nothing fancy; solid craftsmanship.
LibraryThing member vilia
Joe Sandilands is traveling to Simla for some well deserved rest when his companion, a famous Russian opera singer is shot along the way. Joe becomes embroiled in yet another murder mystery when he discovers the brother of successful CEO Alice Conyers was shot in exactly the same location only a
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few months earlier. Show Less
LibraryThing member annbury
My favorite of the Sandilands novels, number two in the series. It's still India, and it's still the last days of the Raj, but this time Joe is bound for Simla, for a holiday in the cool of the Himalayan foothills. Murder strikes before he even arrives, and the plot thickens from there. The social
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and psychological complexities writhe beneath the proper British surface of Simla, and it adds up to a really good read. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookwoman247
This is the second in the Joe Sandilands mystery series. LIke the first, it takes place in India during the British Raj, just after the events of the first, in 1922.
When Joe is invited by his old friend, the Governor of Simla, George Jardine, to enjoy some cool air in the hill station, Joe knows
He quickly unearths ties to a catastrophic train wreck which happened three years previously in the French Alps, leaving only two listed survivors.
One survivor was considered a miracle baby. The other is a smart, respected businesswoman/ heiress residing in Simla.
I really like this series and look forward to reading more.
The only thing that bothered me was the very ending. I don't want to give anything away, of course, but one aspect was unsatisfying. Otherwise, this was a terrific read altogether.
When Joe is invited by his old friend, the Governor of Simla, George Jardine, to enjoy some cool air in the hill station, Joe knows
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it's likely to be a working vacation. When a famous Russian opera singer is shot and killed as he was sitting right next to Joe in the governor's car which was bringing them into Simla, Joe is left with no doubt that he must uncover the killer who appears to have struck before.He quickly unearths ties to a catastrophic train wreck which happened three years previously in the French Alps, leaving only two listed survivors.
One survivor was considered a miracle baby. The other is a smart, respected businesswoman/ heiress residing in Simla.
I really like this series and look forward to reading more.
The only thing that bothered me was the very ending. I don't want to give anything away, of course, but one aspect was unsatisfying. Otherwise, this was a terrific read altogether.
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LibraryThing member majkia
Exotic locale, tricky and twisty plot, determined detective.
LibraryThing member pennykaplan
The female is the deadlier of the species. This second in the series is a thought puzzle and really doesn't develop any suspense, although I enjoyed learning about colonial India and Simla
LibraryThing member reader68
Aide memoire: second in the detective Joe Sandilands series. Set in Simla, India, in the early 1920's. Russian opera singer shot dead, a similar killing to onethe year before. Excellent scene-setting.
LibraryThing member MikeRhode
This series, set in 1922 India, has been fun and full of surprise twists.
LibraryThing member DramMan
Good fun, murder mystery, with colourful characters, set in Simla under the Raj, a mixture of the exotic and the mysterious. Plenty of plot twists to keep the pages turning.
LibraryThing member diana.hauser
RAGTIME IN SIMLA by Beverly Cleverly is the 2nd title in the Joe Sandilands series.
The scene is Simla, 1922. Simla is/was a recreational summer retreat in the foothills of the Himalayans, very popular with the British ‘expat’ community. Joe Sandilands was invited by Sir George Jardine, acting
The mystery is very intricate with quite a bit of backtracking to events happening during a train crash in France in 1919.
I was very interested in the descriptions of Simla, 1920’s India and colonial culture.
The major characters are British and much is told of the Pathan ‘tribal customs’. (You would think Joe would know more of Pathan customs after his run-in with a Pathan character in Book #1 - THE LAST KASHMIRI ROSE.)
I would recommend this book to mystery readers, especially those interested in a strong sense of foreign locale.
The scene is Simla, 1922. Simla is/was a recreational summer retreat in the foothills of the Himalayans, very popular with the British ‘expat’ community. Joe Sandilands was invited by Sir George Jardine, acting
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governor of Bengal, to spend time in Simla before returning to England.The mystery is very intricate with quite a bit of backtracking to events happening during a train crash in France in 1919.
I was very interested in the descriptions of Simla, 1920’s India and colonial culture.
The major characters are British and much is told of the Pathan ‘tribal customs’. (You would think Joe would know more of Pathan customs after his run-in with a Pathan character in Book #1 - THE LAST KASHMIRI ROSE.)
I would recommend this book to mystery readers, especially those interested in a strong sense of foreign locale.
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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Um. I loved the setting - well, I'm a Kipling nut, of course I did. The murders were interesting. I quite liked both Joe and Charlie, at least at the beginning. But as the book went on, they kept Solving the Mystery - and then they'd talk to the person they'd fingered as the culprit, and go off in
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an entirely different direction. Lots of very accomplished liars here, Sir George not the least of them (hmmph!). And Joe got dumber and dumber as he got more attracted. He was pretty much useless by the end - making way too many excuses. Bah. I like Maisie's twist at the end, especially as it was (or seemed to be) accurate, but that's still pretty thin soup for at least two murders (and one death-because). I was delighted, at the beginning, to realize this was part of a series; I got the first book (this is the second) out of the library. Now I'm almost reluctant to read it. Well, I'll see what I think of the other books, but this one wasn't much of a winner for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookczuk
One of my "resting and healing from a broken patella" books. I'm not good at resting, but I'm good at reading!
Fun to go back to India again, via the book. I agree with Alrescate's review: This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed it. I will say it is flawed, but not so much I found it
Fun to go back to India again, via the book. I agree with Alrescate's review: This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed it. I will say it is flawed, but not so much I found it
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annoying. I thought there were several predictable plot points, but I wasn't disappointed with the resolution. I will probably read the next book in the series at some point. Show Less
LibraryThing member nordie
Simla 1922. While the rest of India bakes in the hot season, up in the pine-scented coolness of the Himalayan hills the English have recreated a vision of home. Here are half-timbered houses, amateur theatricals, gymkhanas and a glittering vice-regal court for the socialites. The summer capital of
Commander Joe Sandilands is looking forward to spending a month in Simla, the summer capital of the British Raj. But behind the sparkling facade of social life in Simla he finds a trail of murder, vice and blackmail.
Enjoyable little effort, one of a series it appears judging by the back page. Just out of the first world war and a visit to Simla, and there's investigations into the murder of a newly arrived international singing star.
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the British Raj is fizzing with the energy of the jazz age. It is toward this country that detective Joe Sandilands is heading as the guest of the governor of Bengal. But when Joe's travelling companion, a Russian opera singer, is shot dead at his side on the road to Simla, he finds himself plunged into a murder investigation. As Joe begins to unravel the mystery which has its roots in the aftermath of the First World War, he discovers that behind the sparkling facade of Simla lies a trail of murder, vice and blackmail.Commander Joe Sandilands is looking forward to spending a month in Simla, the summer capital of the British Raj. But behind the sparkling facade of social life in Simla he finds a trail of murder, vice and blackmail.
Enjoyable little effort, one of a series it appears judging by the back page. Just out of the first world war and a visit to Simla, and there's investigations into the murder of a newly arrived international singing star.
Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2003-09-24
Physical description
353 p.; 18 cm
ISBN
0440242231 / 9780440242239
Local notes
Detective Joe Sandilands, 2
DDC/MDS
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