Murder mystery with a dash of romance, written in 1960 and set in the exotic Andaman Islands, a former British penal colony that is now part of Bangladesh. Caroline Randal, known as "Copper," is a young Englishwoman invited to visit her old school chum, Valerie, who now lives on Ross Island in the Andamans with her stepfather, the Chief Commissioner. During her visit, a tropical storm isolates their group on the island, and a man dies--washed overboard in the storm and drowned, everyone thinks. At first. As things get more complicated and the body count mounts, Copper and Valerie, together with Valerie's fiancé Charles and a good-looking Royal Navy man, Nick Tarrant, form an intrepid foursome that attempts to solve the mystery of the murders. But, of course, asking too many questions could run them into trouble ...A pleasantly creepy, nostalgic kind of book. The murder mystery isn't up to the standards of Agatha Christie, and the romance is pretty quick and understated (a kiss here and there, in between crime-solving and a misunderstanding). It starts out a little slow: after 100 pages I was ready for the exposition to be over. There are a couple of minor supernatural elements to the story (a portentous dream and an unseen ghostly spirit) that are partially based on the author's own experiences on Ross Island, but other than adding to the creepy atmosphere they're not really germane to the plot.Nick is a pretty good guy for an alpha male, and his friend Charles is a hoot:"Yes, come on young Sherlock. Spill the sinister beans and put us out of our misery. Then we can tear up all those appalling notes that Val has been preparing for the purposes of spreading confusion and despair, and fall on Nick in a body. I shall direct operations from behind the bookcase, and you and Val can do the actual arresting. After which we can bury him behind the squash court, and go off to dinner secure in the righteous conviction that we have faithfully administered the King's Justice."It's a fun, light read if you like old-fashioned romantic suspense novels.
Originally published under the title ‘Night on the Island’ and set in the Andamans islands in the Bay of Bengal. The story is centred on a group of British colonists and is set in the 1930’s.Copper (actual given names Caroline Olivia Phoebe Elizabeth) Randall is a lively young woman who is visiting her friend Valerie Masson, step-daughter of Sir Lionel Masson, Chief Commissioner of the Andamans. The murder of a none too popular person takes place and Copper and Valerie make a list of cases for and against everyone in their group, arguing that no one is beyond suspicion. As further murders take place, no one else is eliminated but the motivation for the murders needs to be reconsidered.An easy to read mystery that keeps you guessing most of the time. The perpetrator of the murders is revealed in Chapter 22 which makes Chapters 23 and 24 somewhat superfluous (although they supply some missing details). The romantic part of the narrative reaches its obvious conclusion. Stressing that the male suitor is extremely wealthy, however, indicates that the author liked a fairy-tale ending.
What do You think about Death In The Andamans (2000)?
This was the last of the "Death In..." series that I read and I was so bummed that it wasn't what I had hoped. I love this author, but with this one she seemed to be trying to bring in a little more comedy than the rest of the series had and I just wasn't into it. That and I just didn't really like the characters. Maybe if there was some more character development I would have really liked the leads and hoped for their romance to bloom, but I honestly didn't care. I ended up skimming to the end. Boo.
—Malinda
This is one of my favorite books...ever. I love a good mystery with some romance thrown in, so this book is right up my alley. I have read all of M.M. Kaye's books except for Trade Winds (which is really hard to find in print) and The Far Pavilions (because it's huge). Her other mysteries (the "Death In..." series) are interesting, well-written, and occur in various exotic locations. I return to these once a year when I need a good book; for me, these are like an old pair of comfy slippers. I highly recommend all of them.
—Pamela
Revisiting these favorite books from my childhood. 1940s/50s British mysteries set in exotic (to me) locations with the young girl stumbling on and helping to solve a murder and getting the guy. A perfect plot for me still. The editions I'm reading have a forward by the author with background about writing the story which is quite interesting. Of the two I've reread so far this was the slower moving of the two. With everyone including the murderer trapped on the islands after a typhoon blows through there's not a lot of action.
—girl writing
