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 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 relatively minor thing, and one I might have overlooked had I found the series setting or character strong enough.
But the main 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 or brilliance of a Holmes or Poirot, there's little impetus to continue on.
