The Silversmith's Puzzle - (Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries) by Nev March (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Captain Jim Agnihotri and Lady Diana Framji return to India as they investigate a murder amidst colonial Bombay's complex hierarchy in March's fourth mystery. In 1894 colonial India, Lady Diana's family has lost their fortune in a global financial slump, but even worse, her brother Adi is accused of murder. Desperate to save him from the gallows, Captain Jim and Lady Diana rush back to Bombay. However, the traditional Parsi community finds Jim and Diana's marriage taboo and shuns them. The dying words of Adi's business partner, a silversmith, are perplexing. As Captain Jim peels back the curtains on this man's life he finds a trail of unpaid bills, broken promises, lies and secrets. Why was the silversmith so frantic for gold, and where is it? What awful truth does it represent? Set in lush, late-Victorian India, Captain Jim and Diana struggle with the complexities of caste, tradition, and loyalty. Their success and their own lives may depend on Diana, who sacrificed her inheritance for love. Someone within their circle has the key to this puzzle. Can she find a way to reconnect with the tight community that threw them aside?"--

Book Synopsis

Captain Jim Agnihotri and Lady Diana Framji return to India as they investigate a murder amidst colonial Bombay's complex hierarchy in March's fourth mystery.

In 1894 colonial India, Lady Diana's family has lost their fortune in a global financial slump, but even worse, her brother Adi is accused of murder. Desperate to save him from the gallows, Captain Jim and Lady Diana rush back to Bombay. However, the traditional Parsi community finds Jim and Diana's marriage taboo and shuns them.

The dying words of Adi's business partner, a silversmith, are perplexing. As Captain Jim peels back the curtains on this man's life he finds a trail of unpaid bills, broken promises, lies and secrets. Why was the silversmith so frantic for gold, and where is it? What awful truth does it represent?

Set in lush, late-Victorian India, Captain Jim and Diana struggle with the complexities of caste, tradition, and loyalty. Their success and their own lives may depend on Diana, who sacrificed her inheritance for love. Someone within their circle has the key to this puzzle. Can she find a way to reconnect with the tight community that threw them aside?

Review Quotes

Praise for The Silversmith's Puzzle:

"Fascinating."--Booklist

"A leisurely, decorous period mystery, gracefully told." --Kirkus Reviews

"One of her best to date...an excellent puzzle plot that deals with, among other things, surgical instruments, complex racial and social issues and an excellent love story."--The Globe and Mail

"March proves herself a master craftsman in offering us a glimpse into India's conflicted history, which forms the perfect backdrop for a mystery shrouded in shadows and subterfuge." -BookTrib

"Original, deftly scripted, a fun and fascinating thriller of a read from cover to cover, The Silversmith's Puzzle showcases author Nev March's genuine flair as a storyteller and a master of the 'cozy' style historical mystery with an amateur female sleuth having to solve a mystery." -Midwest Book Review

"Rich in period details, coupled with the sights and sounds of Bombay, March bring the traditions of caste to the forefront as the mystery unfolds in this multilayered tale. Recommended read, especially for those who enjoy history."--Auntie M Writes

"Fans of historical mysteries should not hesitate to grab this."--Kings River Life

"Oh, what splendid novels Nev March writes! Rich, rowdy, and romantic, old-fashioned yet fresh, peacock-bright with color but brainy, too: these are books for the adventurer and the historian alike...Thrilling mystery, fascinating history." --A. J. Finn

About the Author

NEV MARCH is the winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award for her award-winning, Edgar finalist debut, Murder in Old Bombay. Leaving a long career in business analysis in 2015, she returned to her passion, writing fiction. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the Crime Writers of Color. A Parsee Zoroastrian herself, Nev lives with her husband and sons in New Jersey.