What is Nev March reading?

Featured at Writers Read: Nev March, author of The Silversmith's Puzzle: A Mystery.

Her entry begins:

The Kidnapping of Mark Twain: A Bombay Mystery by Anuradha Kumar

I picked up this book because of the premise. I knew Mark Twain had visited Bombay in the 1890s, since that’s the period I write about. This was a charming romp through Bombay with fun and unexpected characters! Young American Consul Henry Baker and his trusty manservant Abdul meet a bewildering array of Indian and English characters. When the famous writer Mark Twain goes missing, Henry must rely on Maya, a green eyed Anglo Indian woman, and a strange magician, to investigate and rescue the great man. In enjoyed this unexpectedly fun tale with lovely atmospheric detail. Felt like I was there, back in the narrow gullies watching hawkers and tamashas of roving actors on the streets. It had some nice surprises, and a couple of poignant moments set...[read on]

About The Silversmith's Puzzle, from the publisher:

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?

Visit Nev March's website.

Q&A with Nev March.

The Page 69 Test: Murder in Old Bombay.

My Book, The Movie: Murder in Old Bombay.

Writers Read: Nev March (October 2022).

The Page 69 Test: The Silversmith's Puzzle.

Writers Read: Nev March.

--Marshal Zeringue