Passage From Nuala (The Inspector de Silva Mysteries #6) by @harrietsteel1 #Historical #CosyMystery #RBRT #FridayReads

Author: Harriet Steel

Kindle Edition

Category: Historical, Crime, Fiction, Cosy Mystery, Book Review

Inspector de Silva and Jane embark on a cruise to Egypt to visit the pyramids, excited at the prospect of two weeks of sun, sea and relaxation. With Nuala, and de Silva’s duties as a police officer, far behind them, what can possibly spoil their plans?

Passage From Nuala takes Inspector Shanti de Silva and his wife Jane on a long awaited holiday. Jane wants to see the pyramids very much and they were both looking forward to a relaxing cruise to Egypt, taking in the Suez canal on their journey.

Away from Nuala, de Silva was conscious of his and Jane’s ethnic differences and was prepared for the possibility of some disapproval towards their mixed marriage. His fears were mostly unfounded and the first couple of days passed peacefully.

Archie Clutterbuck’s superior, William Petrie and his wife, Lady Caroline, were fellow travellers on the Jewel of the East. De Silva and Jane found them genial company and more approachable than previously. The passengers were a mixed bunch, among them a self-important older lady, a recently engaged couple who seemed quite unsuited and a gossip columnist. The Petrie’s presence on the ship proves very fortuitous when a body is discovered.

‘I’m sorry to disturb you, sir,’ the officer said solemnly. ‘I have a message for you from Mr William Petrie.’

De Silva took the envelope the officer held out to him and opened it; the note inside it read: My apologies for the interruption to your holiday, but your professional assistance is needed immediately.

Another intriguing and entertaining instalment in the Inspector de Silva mysteries which sees de Silva solving crime in a contained environment with the help of Jane and William Petrie. On an evocatively described ocean liner with several suspects, de Silva knows time is against him. He’s under pressure as the investigation isn’t making enough progress—if he doesn’t find the murderer before they next dock, the culprit could escape. 

As always, the characters are engaging and the depiction of the era is very enjoyable. The plot is well constructed and unfolds with enough twists to keep me guessing. Jane is in evidence to a greater degree in this story and it was good to see more interaction than usual between the de Silva’s  I also liked the fact that de Silva is, to some extent, out of his comfort zone. 

I chose to read and review Passage From Nuala for Rosie Amber’s book review team, based on a digital copy kindly supplied by the author. 

Book links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US

About the Author

Harriet Steel grew up in London and Wiltshire but now lives in Surrey. Married with two daughters, she has worked in fields from law to libraries. Her interests are travel, history and art, all of which have inspired the four historical novels she wrote before turning to crime with The Inspector de Silva Mysteries. She reads widely, but in the mystery genre is particularly fond of vintage mysteries. She would love to go back in time for a day and have lunch with Hercule Poirot, tea with Miss Marple, and dinner at the Ritz with Lord Peter Wimsey.

Author links ~ Website | Google+ | Twitter | Facebook