Jane Wunderly stars in two stories of historical mystery. The intrepid American widow first appeared in a story set in Cairo. Having recently married Redvers Dibble, a British government agent, she accompanies him to investigate HOMICIDE IN THE INDIAN HILLS. Jane has been to England and Scotland, but India is a feast for all the senses.
In 1927 the colonial power was determined to hold on to India, a source of wealth. But voices among the native Indian people want more of a say in governing the subcontinent. In picturesque Ootycamund where Redvers is sent, the Hill Station provides a cooler summer suitable for tea plantations. The British people here, known as the Raj, are grudgingly starting to hold talks with local organisers. One unconventional lady who has been here for thirty years, and fallen in love with the country, is Gretchen Beetner. She’s quite vocal about wanting the locals to take more control of their destiny.
The spectacle of corrupt officers appears after a death is discovered and Redvers decides the person wasn’t mauled by a tiger. In a nice touch, the policeman with a penchant for bribes is English, while the Indian people we meet are universally hard-working and respectful. If they take bribes, we don’t see it. We see some of the workings of government and contrasting conditions, but mainly Jane shows us tasty foods, stifling afternoons and lush gardens. And a plethora of suspicious notes.
The second story is a novella set shortly prior to the Indian scene, in which Jane and Redvers visit his father Humphrey Dibble at home in the north of England. Living in genteel respectability, the Dibbles have a country house decked with greenery for Christmas, just ready for MURDER UNDER THE MISTLETOE. With snow making travel difficult, the scene reminded me of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, though with quite a different conclusion.
The contrast between the settings is enjoyable and we really think that Jane and Redvers can’t help walking into trouble. Erica Ruth Neubauer gives plenty of value to her readers in HOMICIDE IN THE INDIAN HILLS. The Jane Wunderly Mystery series has now reached its sixth book, and even though married, Jane keeps her surname, which was highly unusual for the day. I’m sure she has plenty more travelling planned.
Intrepid American newlywed Jane Wunderly learns that tigers aren’t the only dangers lurking in 1920s India, when a murder in a popular resort town threatens to destabilize the local government and undermine the resistance movement for Indian self-rule . . .Ooty, 1927: Accompanying Mr. Redvers on an assignment to Ootacamund to quell revolutionary rumblings, Jane finds there’s more than meets the eye to India’s Queen of Hill Stations. Ooty’s lush tea plantations and tranquil gardens barely conceal its secrets—scandalous affairs, political sabotage, and a mounting anti-colonial movement. Even Redvers intends to subvert his official mission in Ooty by arranging a series of clandestine meetings with local resistance leaders. But it’s not until the shocking death of a British national that Jane and Redvers are truly drawn into Ooty’s deepest shadows. Jane’s suspicions that the death is more than a tragic accident are soon confirmed, but word of a murder could stoke Ooty’s simmering tensions into a full boil. Navigating corrupt local officials, festering personal vendettas, and a complicated network of bureaucratic entanglements that lead to the top tiers of government, Jane and Redvers edge closer to the truth . . . and its deadly consequences. Someone is willing to spill blood to protect their interests: will Jane become just another of Ooty’s darkest secrets?
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