📚Vintage #Mystery. @LizanneLloyd Reviews Stardust in Nuala by @harrietsteel1 for Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT

Today’s team review is from Liz.

Liz blogs here https://lizannelloyd.wordpress.com/

Rosie’s Book Review Team

Liz has been reading Stardust In Nuala by Harriet Steel.

It is Spring 1941 in Ceylon and in the small hill town of Nuala the war in Europe has little effect, but a visiting film crew from Bombay is very disruptive to the peace and quiet as Inspector Shanti de Silva’s small police team is responsible for controlling the excited crowd. All goes well for the final filming at the Royal Nuala Cricket Club of a dramatic, colourful devil dance. The film company is owned by the famous actor, Dev Khan, who stars as the King, with his second wife, Sunita, as the Queen. Shanti and his English wife Jane are invited for drinks by Ashok, Dev’s efficient PA, but they find Dev rather full of himself and his relationship with his two stepsons, who also work for the film company, is problematic.

When a member of the family is found dead in the grounds of their hotel Shanti asks his friend, the hotel manager, to assist him with investigations. Meanwhile at the house of Archie Clutterbuck, the Assistant Government Agent, the mysterious disappearance of small items and the distress of his dog, are alarming and of course Shanti is expected to solve this case too.

The delight of this series is the warm relationship of the de Silvas and the pleasure Shanti takes from good Sinhalese food and sitting quietly with his cat Bella on his lap.  His leadership and care about his sergeant and constable are admirable and he puts his clever mind to good use solving seemingly impossible investigations. If this is the first volume of this series you read, the cast list at the beginning will be very helpful. Another intriguing mystery in a fascinating era.

Book description

A celebrated Indian film company comes to Nuala, sprinkling its stardust over the quiet little town and keeping Inspector de Silva busy. With the end of the visit at last in sight, he looks forward to returning to a more peaceful existence, but a sudden death dashes his hopes. With Jane’s help and that of a new ally, he’s drawn into the turbulent affairs of a warring family. Meanwhile, a mysterious intruder is causing trouble at the Residence.

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‘Each story is a standalone’ @GeorgiaRoseBook Reviews Historical #Mystery Break From Nuala by @harrietsteel1 #TuesdayBookBlog

Today’s team review is from Georgia. She blogs here https://www.georgiarosebooks.com

Georgia has been reading Break From Nuala by Harriet Steel.

I’ve seen this series of books (this is the eleventh) around for a few years now but hadn’t got round to trying one for myself. What a mistake that was! As soon as I started reading, I knew I was going to enjoy it. Don’t you just love it when a book makes you feel that.

While the author is well into this series you don’t have to start at the beginning as each story is a standalone. Also, the author has provided a helpful, and short, list of characters who appear regularly in the Inspector de Silva Mysteries. In this case none of these characters appeared, as Shanti De Silva and his wife, Jane, were on holiday but they were referred to so the short bios of each was useful.

Shanti and Jane have gone on holiday to Galle, Ceylon in the autumn of 1940 and stay at a hotel called Cinnamon Lodge. Naturally the other guests provide a super cast of characters.

When Shanti goes out for a late-night walk, he is warned a leopard has been seen nearby and then one of the nightwatchmen is killed by an animal. Shortly after, celebrity, Elodie Renaud, and her entourage who are staying in one of the guest bungalows, are struck down by a mysterious illness. Then the charming Helen Morris is reported missing and despite searches no trace of her is found.

Now, while you can take a policeman on holiday, you can’t take the policeman out of the, er, policeman, and Shanti can’t help but make some discreet investigations. None of which go down well with the local police chief.

This was a delight to read. Beautifully paced I enjoyed watching the mystery unravel as de Silva worked his way to the final whodunit. Readers of Marple and Poirot will love this series as will anyone who enjoys a well told tale.

It is autumn 1940, and Inspector de Silva and his wife Jane are looking forward to a well-earned holiday. But their hopes of a relaxing break in the picturesque city of Galle beside the Indian Ocean are dashed when death, mysterious illnesses, and a missing guest cast a gloomy shadow.
As they’re drawn into the investigation, the mystery deepens. Is there a villain amongst their fellow guests or further afield? The search for answers will lead them into great danger that has repercussions far beyond the island of Ceylon.

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My #BookReview Of cosy #Mystery Dark Clouds Over Nuala by @HarrietSteel1 #SundayBlogShare

Dark Clouds Over Nuala by Harriet Steel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Three Point Five Stars.

Dark Clouds over Nuala is book #2 of The Inspector De Silva Mysteries. Set in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the 1930s at the time of British Colonial Rule, this book combines, contrasts and conflicts with traditional culture.

Inspector Shanti de Silva enjoys a quiet life in Nuala; his English wife, Morris car and garden are his delights. He works with Sergeant Prasanna and Constable Nadar, whilst reporting directly to British Assistant Government Agent Archie Clutterbuck.

Clutterbuck has organised a hunting party at a mountain camp known as World’s End, but the police are called in when a suicide occurs. The case is complicated when the body cannot be found and several members of the party come under suspicion. The investigation becomes hampered by de Silva’s British bosses, who have their own political agendas which leave de Silva frustrated. In a slow unravelling, de Silva perseveres until he has solved the mystery.

Beside the main plot, Steel weaves multi-cultural aspects showing examples of both work and marriage relationships. I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of food and local scenery. The book also includes interesting snippets of the British Empire. The narration and dialogue are both typically polite and drawn out, perhaps as one would expect of the time and setting. I often felt unable to read the book any faster than the speed of life dictated.

This is a slow paced mystery and one I would recommend to readers who enjoy learning about historical settings and cultures in equal parts to their love of a cosy mystery.

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Set in Ceylon in the 1930s, this second book in the Inspector de Silva Mysteries offers another colourful, relaxing read as the arrival in the hill town of Nuala of the heir to an English earldom signals more trouble for the hapless Inspector de Silva and a new mystery to solve. Throw in a mega-rich Romanian count, his glamorous countess and an enigmatic British army officer and the scene is set for an entertaining mystery.

Harriet Steel published four historical novels before turning to crime with the Inspector de Silva mysteries. Her work has also appeared in national newspapers and magazines. She is passionate about history and blogs about it at harrietsteel.blogspot.co.uk

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Rosie’s #BookReview Team #RBRT Dark Clouds Over Nuala by @HarrietSteel1 #HistFic #Mystery

Today’s team review is from Cathy, she blogs here http://betweenthelinesbookblog.com

Cathy has been reading Dark Clouds Over Nuala by Harriet Steel

Inspector Shanti de Silva and his English wife, Jane, were attending Nuala’s very fashionable horse racing event, the Empire Cup, along with the assistant government agent, Archie Clutterbuck and his wife, Florence. William and Lady Caroline Petrie, were also in attendance with visiting family. The Wynne-Talbots, Ralph and Helen, were on their way from Australia, via Ceylon, to England to visit Ralph’s grandfather. Ralph is in line for the title of the 14th Earl of Axford and as his grandfather is not in the best of health, it seems he may inherit the title sooner rather than later.

At William Petrie’s request, Clutterbuck has organised a hunting party at Horton Plains, which included the Wynne-Talbots and several other people. When a death occurs at the most famous spot at Horton Plains, a precipice with a drop of thousands of feet, it’s generally assumed to be suicide. Shanti de Silva, with no head for heights, has to make a hair-raising trip up the mountain.

‘As the road snaked up through low, scrubby forest in a series of alarmingly tight hairpin bends, he averted his eyes from the sheer drop a few yards from the line of ambling ponies. Once, a monkey leapt from a nearby bush and, gibbering furiously, scampered across their path. De Silva’s pony shied and the reins slipped through his sweating palms. He quickly gathered them again and the animal settled but his heart beat faster for several minutes.’

Dark Clouds Over Nuala is set in the exotic and evocative era of genteel 1930s Ceylon and is the second book featuring the courteous and engaging Shanti de Silva, along with a cast of delightfully diverse and wonderfully developed characters. As with the first book in the series, Harriet Steel paints a vivid picture of the area, the food, culture, and societal undertones and attitudes of the time in the small community, giving the story a real sense of time and place.

Another very enjoyable, cosy mystery, faster paced than previously, and de Silva finds himself in rather more danger as well. Alongside the main plot are a couple of side stories involving Constable Nadar, a new father suffering from sleepless nights, and Sergeant Prasanna whose mother keeps trying to marry him off. The narrative is well written and plotted, and flows smoothly as the mystery unfolds. The relationship between Jane and Shanti is lovely and portrayed well with the differing cultures melding together.

Book Description

Set in Ceylon in the 1930s, this second book in the Inspector de Silva Mysteries offers another colourful, relaxing read as the arrival in the hill town of Nuala of the heir to an English earldom signals more trouble for the hapless Inspector de Silva and a new mystery to solve. Throw in a mega-rich Romanian count, his glamorous countess and an enigmatic British army officer and the scene is set for an entertaining mystery.

About the author

Harriet Steel is the author of several historical novels including Becoming Lola and Salvation. Her work has appeared in national newspapers and magazines. She is passionate about history and blogs about it at harrietsteel.blogspot.co.uk

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