Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Soho Press, Inc
Description
Fiction. Mystery. HTML:It is India 1922 and the wives of officers in the Bengal Greys have been dying violently, one each year and always in March. The only link between the bizarre but apparently accidental deaths is the bunches of small red roses that appear on the women's graves. When a fifth wife is found with her wrists cut in a bath of blood the Govenor rejects the verdict of suicide and calls in Joe Sandilands, an ex-soldier and Scotland Yard Detective. It becomes clear to Joe that the deaths are, indeed, a series of murders and they are have not yet run their course. Who will be the recipient of the next -- and last -- Kashmiri Roses? As he discovers the shocking truth Joe must work fast to unmask a killer whose motives are rooted in the dark history of India itself.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member cameling
Set in India during the British occupation, an English woman, wife of a Colonel, is killed when a fire rages through their house while he is away. A tragedy to be sure. But over the years, 4 other wives of British officers are killed in accidents. A coincidence that they all occurred in the month
Our stalwart hero, Inspector Joe Sandilands, on the very brink of returning to England, a journey he was very much looking forward to, is sent for by the Governor and given the task of looking into the latest incident. Charmed by the Governor's niece, Nancy Drummond, he has no choice but to accept the case, and finds more troubling facts about not just the most recent tragedy but about the previous deaths which seem to point towards a series of murders rather than tragic but innocent accidents.
Why these women? What's the connection between the way they all died? Is there a connection and who's next? Is there a sinister killer lurking in their midst and if so, how do they find who he is, when nobody seems to have seen anything?
I'm definitely hooked and I'm going to look out for more of the books in the series.
Show More
of March? What of the last tragedy? Was it suicide or murder?Our stalwart hero, Inspector Joe Sandilands, on the very brink of returning to England, a journey he was very much looking forward to, is sent for by the Governor and given the task of looking into the latest incident. Charmed by the Governor's niece, Nancy Drummond, he has no choice but to accept the case, and finds more troubling facts about not just the most recent tragedy but about the previous deaths which seem to point towards a series of murders rather than tragic but innocent accidents.
Why these women? What's the connection between the way they all died? Is there a connection and who's next? Is there a sinister killer lurking in their midst and if so, how do they find who he is, when nobody seems to have seen anything?
I'm definitely hooked and I'm going to look out for more of the books in the series.
Show Less
LibraryThing member thornton37814
Joe Sandilands, a Scotland Yard inspector, is sent to India where he investigates the death of a British officer's wife. He discovers a pattern that links this death to others involving officers' wives. While I figured out the "who" early in the book, I didn't really have the mystery fully
Show More
resolved. I appreciated the different setting and felt that this novel could stand alone. Show Less
LibraryThing member kaulsu
Pretty good mystery...a nice red rose, er, herring strewn across the path, so to speak. A nicely romanticized story about the British Raj. It did not offend my outrage against colonialism, which surprised my husband, but in fact, I doubt it provides an accurate view of that life, either.
LibraryThing member katie.chase
Excellent! I knew who did it, not much guessing needed there, but there were satifying twists at the end, and the atmosphere, characterization, and plotting were great.
LibraryThing member delphica
(#6 in the 2007 book challenge)
Every single time I look at this book, I think the author's name is Beverly Cleverly, and I think about how dumb that sounds. This is a murder mystery set in India during the Raj, just post-WWI. I had some trepidation going in, that it was either going to make like
Grade: B
Recommended: To fans of fluffy English historical mysteries. Not overly graphic in terms of the crimes.
Every single time I look at this book, I think the author's name is Beverly Cleverly, and I think about how dumb that sounds. This is a murder mystery set in India during the Raj, just post-WWI. I had some trepidation going in, that it was either going to make like
Show More
life was delightful for everyone, or veer off in the other direction, with lots of hand-wringing about the shame of it all. I was fairly relieved that the book seemed to take a thoughtful middle road position. The mystery itself was decent enough ... it was obvious who but not why, which is a nice variation on knowing the who but not the how.Grade: B
Recommended: To fans of fluffy English historical mysteries. Not overly graphic in terms of the crimes.
Show Less
LibraryThing member vilia
An evocative mystery set in India towards the end of the British Raj. Someone is killing the wives of British Greys officers in the way they most fear. It is up to Joe Sandilands to figure out who is responsible before another officer's wife is killed.
LibraryThing member fordbarbara
First 4 books of the series are set in 1920's India and have an excellent sense of place and time. The next books move to England and France and lose their individuality - after book 6, gave 'em up.
LibraryThing member phoebesmum
I do hope Barbara Cleverly has a sister called Beverly. I wish my name were ‘Cleverly’, and I lived up to it. But, as ever, I digress.
This is the first in a series of mysteries set in 1920s Raj India and featuring Joe Sandilands, a Scotland Yard detective on what he had hoped would be temporary
An efficient enough mystery, if a little far-fetched, and the Raj background is convincing enough, at least to a non-expert. Sandilands himself is not as likeable as perhaps the author meant him to be, largely due to his liaison with yet another officer’s wife, but altogether I found this interesting enough at least to give the next one in the series a go.
This is the first in a series of mysteries set in 1920s Raj India and featuring Joe Sandilands, a Scotland Yard detective on what he had hoped would be temporary
Show More
secondment. Sandilands is sent to a military station to investigate the death of an officer’s wife in what initially seems to be a suicide. He soon discovers that this is the fifth officer’s wife to die in suspicious circumstances, and has to unravel a mystery that has its roots before the Great War.An efficient enough mystery, if a little far-fetched, and the Raj background is convincing enough, at least to a non-expert. Sandilands himself is not as likeable as perhaps the author meant him to be, largely due to his liaison with yet another officer’s wife, but altogether I found this interesting enough at least to give the next one in the series a go.
Show Less
LibraryThing member richardderus
Rating: 3* of five
The Publisher Says: In a land of saffron sunsets and blazing summer heat, an Englishwoman has been found dead, her wrists slit, her body floating in a bathtub of blood and water. But is it suicide or murder? The case falls to Scotland Yard inspector Joe Sandilands, who survived
My Review: This series begins on a high note, with the character of Joe Sandilands romping through soon-to-be-de-Britished India. He is an appealing character. He isn't, however, interesting enough to make me want to read more books in the series.
About the mystery itself, I was a little bit more interested in its solution than I expected to be. I was pretty sure I knew who was murdering the women, and was suspicious about why...but honestly I was surprised by the motivation of the killer. I was a little more involved than I expected to be as the body count mounted.
What I wasn't was convinced that the killings were in any way part of a pattern that convinced me. Sandilands appears to be chasing his own tail, and I'm never clear that he's actually investigating and solving the actual crime.
Well, it's not a terrible book. It's nicely written. India is a good backdrop, and ti's well evoked. But what we have here is a failure to launch. I'm...well...oh heck, I have to say it...bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
The Publisher Says: In a land of saffron sunsets and blazing summer heat, an Englishwoman has been found dead, her wrists slit, her body floating in a bathtub of blood and water. But is it suicide or murder? The case falls to Scotland Yard inspector Joe Sandilands, who survived
Show More
the horror of the Western Front and has endured six sultry months in English-ruled Calcutta. Sandilands is ordered to investigate, and soon discovers that there have been other mysterious deaths, hearkening sinister ties to the present case.Now, as the sovereignty of Britain is in decline and an insurgent India is on the rise, Sandilands must navigate the treacherous corridors of political decorum to bring a cunning killer to justice…knowing the next victim is already marked to die.My Review: This series begins on a high note, with the character of Joe Sandilands romping through soon-to-be-de-Britished India. He is an appealing character. He isn't, however, interesting enough to make me want to read more books in the series.
About the mystery itself, I was a little bit more interested in its solution than I expected to be. I was pretty sure I knew who was murdering the women, and was suspicious about why...but honestly I was surprised by the motivation of the killer. I was a little more involved than I expected to be as the body count mounted.
What I wasn't was convinced that the killings were in any way part of a pattern that convinced me. Sandilands appears to be chasing his own tail, and I'm never clear that he's actually investigating and solving the actual crime.
Well, it's not a terrible book. It's nicely written. India is a good backdrop, and ti's well evoked. But what we have here is a failure to launch. I'm...well...oh heck, I have to say it...bored. Bored. Bored. Bored.
Show Less
LibraryThing member pennykaplan
Beverly Cleverly's Joe Sandilands is reminiscent of Agatha Cristie and Sherlock Holmes. Unable to use the new investigative skills he values, Joe resorts to common sense and analytical thinking to solve the March murders of 5 wives of British Officers in the Bengal Greys stationed in Panikhat,
Show More
India. Set in 1922, the story is rich with historical and cultural details, and well plotted. Show Less
LibraryThing member iftyzaidi
Fiendishly readable, even if the mystery is blindingly obvious (in fact so obvious that I was certain it must be a red herring, but no, alas). Late colonial India is not depicted with any depth - its a collection of stereotyped British men (some of the female characters have greater depth).
Show More
Essentially the setting is there to give the story an exotic tinge, with some indulging in racial stereotypes as well. But as I said earlier despite all these flaws the story moves at a fast clip as the reader is fed with clues and backstory at that finely tuned rate which keeps up the feeling of discovery while not revealing too much at once. A decent read, and while not a great one, I will be keeping an eye out for the next in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
This was a diverting mystery, but it doesn't make me want to read more of this series or the author. I did like the (to me) exotic time and place, that of the last years of the British Raj in 1922 in the Bengal region, and for better or worse I don't know enough to know if it's accurate, but it
I think there are two major reasons I won't be reading more. First, I didn't care for her style. She had one tick in particular I found annoying. I'm not sure if it's a British thing, but it's not a habit I remember elsewhere. She uses quotes for thoughts of the characters, so I wouldn't be sure if it was something being said out loud until the tag at the end of the sentence. A rarely minor thing, and one I might have overlooked had I found the series setting or character strong enough.
But the major reason I won't be reading more is the detective protagonist, Joseph Sandilands didn't appeal to me. First, he's a cad. He's planning on seducing Nancy, the young woman who brings the case to his attention soon after they meet even though he knows she's married, and in those days the social consequences would have been dire. It's not just a spontaneous moment of passion or falling in love, but more cold blooded than that. And he's no Sherlock Holmes--Nancy, his Indian assistant Naurung often seem ahead of him. If you don't like the detective, and he doesn't have the quirkiness of a Holmes or Poirot, there's little impetus to continue on.
Show More
makes me curious, so I have to give the author snaps for that. I also have to admit she kept me guessing, with several twists and turns--not so much who, but how and why--but she also played fair--all the clues were there from early on.I think there are two major reasons I won't be reading more. First, I didn't care for her style. She had one tick in particular I found annoying. I'm not sure if it's a British thing, but it's not a habit I remember elsewhere. She uses quotes for thoughts of the characters, so I wouldn't be sure if it was something being said out loud until the tag at the end of the sentence. A rarely minor thing, and one I might have overlooked had I found the series setting or character strong enough.
But the major reason I won't be reading more is the detective protagonist, Joseph Sandilands didn't appeal to me. First, he's a cad. He's planning on seducing Nancy, the young woman who brings the case to his attention soon after they meet even though he knows she's married, and in those days the social consequences would have been dire. It's not just a spontaneous moment of passion or falling in love, but more cold blooded than that. And he's no Sherlock Holmes--Nancy, his Indian assistant Naurung often seem ahead of him. If you don't like the detective, and he doesn't have the quirkiness of a Holmes or Poirot, there's little impetus to continue on.
Show Less
LibraryThing member LARA335
A combination of my favourite genres: mystery and historical. Set in 1920's India in a British enclave.
LibraryThing member majkia
The British Raj, shortly after WWI. A Scotland Yard inspector is called in to look into the mysterious death of an English memsab, wife of an officer in a famous regiment. Ruled a suicide, there are questions!
Terrific setting, great characters, intriguing details. The killer a bit obvious, but the
Terrific setting, great characters, intriguing details. The killer a bit obvious, but the
Show More
details weren't, which saved the book. Scenes were well described and characters came to life for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member annbury
The first novel in the Joe Sandilands series, and one that will be rewarding for most devotees of historical mystery. The setting -- India in 1922, the last days of the British Raj -- is fascinating. The protagonist, Joe Sandilands, is an officer of London's Metropolitan police, seconded to the
Show More
Bengal police to introduce new forensic tools and policing methods. He is asked to try to solve a series of murders of British officers' wives, each of whom received a single rose before she died ---. Very interesting setting, well written, and an OK mystery. Show Less
LibraryThing member richardgarside
Good background info of the 1920,s the last days of the Raj after the Indian Mutiny. Perhaps abiy predictable but the motive was unexpected.
LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
The Last Kashmiri Rose, takes place in colonial India in 1922. Commander Joe Sandilands, a Scottish detective who's just completing a brief tour of duty in Calcutta, is on his way back home when the governor of Bengal requests his assistance in investigating a death at a military station. One of
The setting is pre-independent India, a place where the British were the rulers and the natives the servants. The army officers, civil servants and their families lived a fairy tale life that is uncomfortable to believe today. A small group of British soldiers and civil servants controlled the entire subcontinent of India and lived a carefree life of privilege with servants to deal with every problem. The British never saw the Indians as anything other than servants and the justification was that the British were only acting as caretakers for people unable to govern themselves.
This was a fascinating book chiefly because of the setting and time. The mystery was intriguing and while the solution may not have been too surprising, the events surrounding it were. The story carries the reader along with the investigation. There were a lot of overwrought descriptions and some over the top dialogue, as well as a plethora of Indian slang. I loved the descriptions of India and would definitely try another by the same author.
Show More
the regiments stationed in Panikhat is the Bengal Greys. In 1910, the wife of one of the officers was killed in a terrible fire. Each year after that, in March, one of the wives has died in a terrible accident. The governor’s niece, Nancy Drummond, brings photographs of her close friend, Peggy Somersham, who was found a week earlier in her bath with her wrists cut. Nancy insists that Peggy was happy in India, happy in her new marriage, and would have had no reason to kill herself. Nancy, who had been a nurse during WW1 also thinks it would have been impossible for Peggy to have cut her own wrists in that manner. Joe is intrigued with both Nancy and the case and heads out to Panikhat. The setting is pre-independent India, a place where the British were the rulers and the natives the servants. The army officers, civil servants and their families lived a fairy tale life that is uncomfortable to believe today. A small group of British soldiers and civil servants controlled the entire subcontinent of India and lived a carefree life of privilege with servants to deal with every problem. The British never saw the Indians as anything other than servants and the justification was that the British were only acting as caretakers for people unable to govern themselves.
This was a fascinating book chiefly because of the setting and time. The mystery was intriguing and while the solution may not have been too surprising, the events surrounding it were. The story carries the reader along with the investigation. There were a lot of overwrought descriptions and some over the top dialogue, as well as a plethora of Indian slang. I loved the descriptions of India and would definitely try another by the same author.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bookwoman247
This is the first book in the Joe Sandilands series and is set in 1922 India, during the waning days of the British Raj.
Scotland Yard Commander, Joe Sandilands, is eager to return to England from Calcutta after a temporary assignment when he is ordered to investigate the deaths of 5 officers' wives
Sandiland's job is to find out if there is a connection among the deaths, to see if there is a murderer among the frightened, twittering memsahibs.
He is charmed by the local collector's wife and persuaded of the necessity of the task.
This was a very satisfying, stimulating read. I enjoyed the heck out of it, and I definitely plan to read others in the series.
The one weakness in the plot was that I figured out whodunnit too early in the story. (I realize that this is a seemingly huge flaw.) However, there were many other surprises among the loose ends. I didn't even figure out the motive until the end, so I still hadn't put all the pieces of the puzzle in place. That, and the fact that I loved the setting and found the characters interesting more than made up for the flaw, IMO.
Scotland Yard Commander, Joe Sandilands, is eager to return to England from Calcutta after a temporary assignment when he is ordered to investigate the deaths of 5 officers' wives
Show More
over the past 12 years. Each death seems to attributable to an accident or misadventure. The most recent was deemed by the local Police Superintendent to be a suicide.Sandiland's job is to find out if there is a connection among the deaths, to see if there is a murderer among the frightened, twittering memsahibs.
He is charmed by the local collector's wife and persuaded of the necessity of the task.
This was a very satisfying, stimulating read. I enjoyed the heck out of it, and I definitely plan to read others in the series.
The one weakness in the plot was that I figured out whodunnit too early in the story. (I realize that this is a seemingly huge flaw.) However, there were many other surprises among the loose ends. I didn't even figure out the motive until the end, so I still hadn't put all the pieces of the puzzle in place. That, and the fact that I loved the setting and found the characters interesting more than made up for the flaw, IMO.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Familyhistorian
"Commander Joseph Sandilands of the Metropolitan Police was delighted to be going home. Delighted that his six month’s secondment from the Met to the Bengal Police should, at last, be at an end." But just as Sandilands is ready to bid farewell to India he is tapped to investigate the death of a
The death in question has similarities to other deaths in Panikhat; for there is a trail of young English wives who lost their lives by succumbing to their worst fears. The women were all married to the men of the Bengal Greys and all lost their lives in March of different years. It is up to Sandilands to tease out the connections and uncover a serial killer.
This book provided an interesting view of India at the time when British power was waning and also delivered an interesting mystery.
Show More
young Englishwoman. He can’t refuse, especially when the invitation is issued in part by another very vital young Englishwoman. The death in question has similarities to other deaths in Panikhat; for there is a trail of young English wives who lost their lives by succumbing to their worst fears. The women were all married to the men of the Bengal Greys and all lost their lives in March of different years. It is up to Sandilands to tease out the connections and uncover a serial killer.
This book provided an interesting view of India at the time when British power was waning and also delivered an interesting mystery.
Show Less
LibraryThing member diana.hauser
THE LAST KASHMIRI ROSE by Beverly Cleverly is the first title in the Joe Sandilands series. (Published in 2001, this was Ms. Cleverly’s first novel.)
My ‘sense of place’ meter was off the charts with this title and the historical period - 1910 Bengal, India, became alive to me.
Joe is an
I found the characters interesting, the locale captivating, a sense of British military life in India fascinating (and appalling at the same time) and the mystery intriguing.
My ‘sense of place’ meter was off the charts with this title and the historical period - 1910 Bengal, India, became alive to me.
Joe is an
Show More
interesting, likeable character - although he may need a bit of ‘fleshing out’ in upcoming titles.I found the characters interesting, the locale captivating, a sense of British military life in India fascinating (and appalling at the same time) and the mystery intriguing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sleahey
A woman known for her charm, especially with her husband's underlings, is found dead in a bloody bathtub. Twenty years later Sandilands is brought in to investigate a series of questionable deaths, all during the month of March in recent years, all of young women married to men in this particular
Show More
British Army post in Calcutta. and all explained to accidental or natural causes. But could they all be murders? A fascinating glimpse into the history and politics of the British in India, with echoes and impacts of the 19th century Mutiny as well as World War I. Show Less
LibraryThing member ParadisePorch
#1 Joe Sandilands - what a great start to this series!!
LibraryThing member jennybeast
A complex and interesting British colonial mystery, with even more complexity and interest than that setting would ordinarily give. I appreciate the incredible level of historical detail, even while the sordid details and blatant racism gave me occasional pause -- not that I find it unrealistic,
Show More
just that I find it uncomfortable. Joe is a sympathetic character, but I'm not sure how many of his adventures I'll choose to follow. Show Less
LibraryThing member MikeRhode
I liked this one quite a bit and am going to continue the series.
LibraryThing member Dorothy2012
First in a series.
Mostly interesting for the description of India in the 1920s.
Mostly interesting for the description of India in the 1920s.
Original publication date
2002-08-07
Local notes
Detective Joe Sandilands, 1
DDC/MDS
| Fic Mystery Cleverly |