Ragtime in Simla by Barbara Cleverly is the second book of the Detective Joe Sandilands mystery series set in 1920s India. Once again Joe is working for George Jardine. I found it curious that George’s niece Nancy was never mentioned even in passing, since Joe and Nancy worked closely together to solve a series of murders in the first book, The Last Kashmiri Rose. I also found it odd that Joe’s scar made an erroneous first impression twice in this second book; the first book just briefly mentioned it gave him a perpetually enquiring look. Simla is high in the mountains, a cool refuge for the British during the hot summer months in India. The town’s buildings resemble traditional half-timbered houses in England. Joe plans on a vacation in the cool mountains before his return home to England, but when his traveling companion is shot, he must play detective again. He teams with local police superintendent Charlie Carter, who Joe finds easy to work with, energetic and resourceful.One year ago another person was shot in the same location, approaching town. Joe feels there must be a connection – someone had a reason to prevent both people from entering Simla. He and Charlie investigate the backgrounds of the residents. Alice Conyers-Sharpe survived a train wreck in France on her way to India to claim her inheritance –ownership of the Imperial and Colonial Trading Company (ICTC) – shared with her cousin Reggie, whom she promptly married. She runs the business with her Pathan right-hand man Rheza Khan. Reggie drinks, rides and hangs out with a disreputable group of former British officers.Madame Flora runs the flower shop that fronts the town’s high-class brothel. Edgar Troop is a former Russian Army officer, now lives a disreputable life, although he’s a crack shot. Cecil Robertson owns a jewelry and curiosities shop. Marie-Jeanne Pitiot was the nurse assigned to care for Alice following the train wreck; they remained good friends and Alice helped her open her own high-fashion dress shop, La Belle Epoch. Minerva Freemantle holds séances for a select group of believers, including Alice.The back stories of all the characters are interesting, and the story is rich with period detail. There are plenty of convincing red herrings, a suspenseful chase/confrontation scene, and quite a few plot twists before the mysteries are solved. A thoroughly enjoyable read; I look forward to reading the next in the series, although I am disappointed Joe isn’t staying in India for the whole series, since the details of life in 1920s India are so fascinating (both The Last Kashmiri Rose and Ragtime in Simla are set in India).
3.5*This is not much of a review, but I'm having some time on my hands and thought I'd update some posts.I picked up Ragtime in Simla a few years ago when work took me northern India. I travelled with a colleague who was going to stay for the same period and we decided to plan a trip to Shimla over the weekend. Of course, being way too busy with exploring and work, I never had a chance to read the book - not even on the plane - which is why it ended on my TBR pile for a couple of years. Having now read the book, let me start off with the following advice:DO NOT READ THE BLURB ON THE BACK COVER!Seriously, I don't know if the blurbs differ much but mine (which luckily I didn't read until I finished the book) gave away many of the plot twists.Other than this I was pleasantly surprised by the book. It comes very close to an Agatha Christie mystery - except with the xenophobia and snobbishness turned down a peg.The first part of the book seems somewhat out of place as the story is set in southern France, not India, but all will become clear as the story continues and takes you to the foothills of the Himalayas in 1922. Simla (or Shimla) served as the Raj's capital during the hot seasons as the hills provided some much-needed respite from the heat.In Simla we meet Joe Sandilands, who is on holiday from Scotland Yard and travels on the invite of an old acquaintance of his. Pretty soon, Joe understands that this invite might come with the request to apply his professional skills to some mysterious goings on.I will not describe any more of the story as I don't want to spoil the ride for anyone. Ragtime in Simla is pretty straight-laced murder mystery with a cast of quirky characters, humour, excessive Britishness, and so many red herrings and twists that it is unlikely you'll guess the solution to the puzzle right from the start.In other words - it is jolly good fun.Fans of Dame Agatha's will no doubt feel right at home with this book.What really impressed me, though, was how well Cleverly captured the place. So watch out for the descriptions of the narrow passages, the rows of buildings, the main square, and the Jakhu temple and statue of Lord Hanuman overlooking the town.
What do You think about Ragtime In Simla (2003)?
World War I hero and Scotland Yard detective Joe Sandilands is traveling to Simla, summer capital of the British Raj, when his traveling companion, a Russian opera singer, is shot dead at his side in the Governor of Bengal's touring car at a crossroads. Joe is called upon by the Governor to solve the murder, and the investigation unravels into a labyrinth of plots and sub-plots that really don’t help Joe at all. This is an engaging book, set in British India in the Roaring Twenties, when the empire was on the wane and everything had political consequences. The historical setting is well done, and so are the characters. I liked it.
—Lynne
Simla is in far north India and was really frontier during the British rule of India, the time zone in which this story was to have taken place. Joe Sandilands is the detective. But all the characters are very real and the reader gets to know them and identify with them as well as well as having strong feelings about some. The story begins with a train trip from which a number of passengers are foreigners who are now in India and are on their way going through India to their destinations. And there is a crash and unforeseeable accident, not purposeful, but the train did need to be kept up better than it was to avoid this kind of happening. And from there, the real action happens starting with 7 or so years later. It's fast moving and interesting, the kind of interplay that allows the reader much more insight into the times, the people...especially the British and other emigres although a native son is also in that get to know category. A very good read!
—Elli
The second installment of the Sandilands chronicles is as entertaining as the first. There may even be a few more twists and turns in this second tale. Sandilands can't seem to make it out of India. The wily Sir George Jardine pulls the Scotland Yard Commander into another murder investigation--the brother of an heiress to a East India company has been shot by a sniper. As Sandilands enters the picture he meets a renowned Russian tenor who is set to perform at the Gaiety Theatre in Simla. And the tenor becomes the sniper's next victim. Sandilands has his work cut out for him with too many suspects. And all the while the Afghan frontier could burst into revolt. A very satisfying read. Joe Sandilands returns in "The Damascened Blade", the winner of the 2004 Dagger Award for best Historical Crime Novel.
—Mike
