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A charming debut historical mystery set in 1914 Fiji. Perfect for fans of Abir Mukherjee, Vaseem Khan and Sujata Massey.
'AN UTTERLY CHARMING NOVEL ... NILIMA RAO IS AN AUTHOR WELL WORTH DISCOVERING' ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH
'AN EXCEPTIONALLY PROMISING DEBUT' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED REVIEW
1914, Fiji: Sergeant Akal Singh would rather be anywhere than this tropical paradise - or, as he calls it, 'this godforsaken island'. After a promising start to his police career in Hong Kong, Akal has been sent to the far-flung colony of Fiji as punishment for a humiliating professional mistake. Lonely and embarrassed, he dreams of solving a big case, thereby redeeming himself and gaining permission to leave. Otherwise, he fears he will be stuck in Fiji for ever.
When an indentured Indian woman goes missing from a sugarcane plantation and Fiji's newspapers scream 'kidnapping', the inspector-general reluctantly assigns Akal the case, giving him strict instructions to view this investigation as nothing more than cursory. But as soon as Akal arrives on the plantation, he identifies several troubling inconsistencies in the plantation owners' stories, and it seems there is more to this disappearance than meets the eye . . .
About the author
Nilima Rao is a Fijian Indian Australian who has always referred to herself as "culturally confused." She has since learned that we are all confused in some way, has been published on the topic as part of the SBS Emerging Writers Competition and now feels better about the whole thing. When she isn't writing, Nilima can be found wrangling data (the dreaded day job) or wandering around Melbourne laneways in search of the next new wine bar. A Disappearance in Fiji was her first novel.
Summary
Otherwise, he fears he will be stuck in Fiji for ever. When an indentured Indian woman goes missing from a sugarcane plantation and Fiji's newspapers scream 'kidnapping', the inspector-general reluctantly assigns Akal the case, giving him strict instructions to view this investigation as nothing more than cursory.
Report
This is an utterly charming novel. The setting is exotic and the characters are intriguing. Nilima Rao is an author well worth discovering Alexander McCall Smith
