Ragtime in Simla

Zusatztext "Ms. Cleverly deftly transports readers to an exotic locale filled with intrigue! suspense! and characters skilled in the art of deception. This is a perfect travel for historical mystery fans."— Booklist "Fully developed characters and a convincing portrayal of time and place lift Cleverly's second historical...the author's talents seems capable of transcending any shift in scene."— Publishers Weekly "The sense of place is exotic! enveloping and superbly depicted. Joe Sandilands second outing is a filling follow his auspicious debut."— Contra Costa Informationen zum Autor Barbara Cleverly is the author of five novels of historical suspense, including The Damascened Blade , winner of the CWA Historical Dagger Award, The Last Kashmiri Rose, Ragtime in Simla, The Palace Tiger, and The Bee’s Kiss . She lives in Cambridge, England where she is now at work on the second Laetitia Talbot mystery, which Delta will publish in 2008. Klappentext The author of "The Last Kashmiri Rose" pens this richly atmospheric historical mystery. Scotland Yard detective Joe Sandilands is sent to the capital of the British Raj! located at the foothills of the Himalayas! as he investigates two chilling murders in 1922. Chapter One Paris, 1919 "Don't stare, Alice, dear!" Maud Benson (Universal Companions, Foreign and Eastern Travel Division) shot a glance of concentrated disapproval at her latest charge. Her charge remained willfully oblivious and continued to turn her head excitedly, drinking in the strange sounds and bustle of the Gare de Lyon refreshment room, still elegant in spite of four years of wartime neglect. Alice sighed, and in pursuit of a world-weary image lay back against the buttoned leather upholstery of the banquette. Like the second barrel of a shotgun, inevitably came: "Don't loll, dear!" Alice continued to loll and turned to her companion with a mutinous expression. Fearing that she might just have gone too far (for the moment), Maud said in a placatory tone, "You need not, Alice, feel obliged to finish your cup of tea. The French really have no idea . . ." The monument of corseted rectitude creaked forward slightly to take up her own cup and, while deploring the dire French habit of putting the water in the pot before the tea leaves, determined, nevertheless, to set a good example. "Always finish what is put in front of you," even if it is a cup of badly brewed tea. Alice didn't take the hint but continued to stare enviously at the drink in the hand of the Frenchwoman sitting opposite. Frothy and pink, it fizzed seductively in a tall glass and Maud had no doubt, to judge by the appearance of the woman sipping it, that it contained alcohol. To her horror, Alice leaned forward and addressed the woman. In English public school French. "Excusez-moi, madame, mais qu'est-ce que c'est que cette . . . er . . . boisson?" "Alice!" hissed Maud, bristling with indignation. "You don't address a perfect stranger! What will she think?" The woman in question put down the enviable pink drink and, after a moment of well-bred surprise, replied in scarcely accented English and with a charming smile of friendship. "It is called a Campari-soda. Very refreshing and very French." And without pause she turned to a passing waiter and said, "Monsieur, un Campari-soda pour mademoiselle, s'il vous plait!" Alice's face lit up with a smile of guilty delight. Maud Benson closed her eyes and pursed her lips. They were only three hundred miles into their journey and Maud shuddered at the thought that there were at least seven thousand more to be survived in the company of this girl. Alice Conyers. Time and again she had warned her charge, "This is France. You're not in Hertfordshire now and the company is very mixed. You should avoid getting involved with strangers....

Product details

• Authors: Barbara Cleverly
• Publisher: Dell Publishing Inc.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 26.10.2004
• EAN: 9780440242239
• ISBN: 978-0-440-24223-9
• No. of pages: 384
• Dimensions: 107 mm x 176 mm x 25 mm