Writers Read: Nev March

Author Nev March is the first Indian-born writer to win Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America’s Award for Best First Crime Fiction. Her debut

novel Murder in Old Bombay was an Edgar and Anthony finalist.

March’s books deal with issues of identity, race and moral boundaries. Her sequel, Peril at the Exposition is set at the 1893 World’s Fair, during a time of conflict that planted the seeds of today’s red-blue political divide. In Captain Jim and Lady Diana’s third adventure The Spanish Diplomat’s Secret they face a strange, otherworldly foe who causes Jim to question the nature of justice. In the newly released The Silversmith’s Puzzle, Captain Jim and Diana race back to colonial India to rescue Diana’s beloved brother Adi, who is accused of murder.

Recently I asked March about what she was reading. The author's reply:

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 in a splendid backdrop.

In Search of Amrit Kaur: A Lost Princess and Her Vanished World by Livia Manera Sambuy, Todd Portnowitz (Translator)

Did Amrit Kaur sell her priceless emerald necklace to save a Jewish family from the holocaust? This was a poignant story of a lost princess and early feminist. This book was part of my research for my next novel and held enormous fascination. The interwoven investigative and historical passages are painful and engrossing. Add to this an emotional layer: parallel stories of two daughters estranged from their mothers, and the ways we come to terms with the tears in our hearts. I had no idea that the Sikh Raja, Amrit Kaur’s father was such a Francophile! His palace in Pumjab is a mini Versailles! It was an eye opener to know that this early feminist had her heart broken when her husband took a second wife (Raja’s often did). She was so disappointed she went to Europe and when it was time to return, she absconded with a pair of American friends! The passages of her deprivations in a Paris prison during WW2 brought me to tears.

Beast and Man in India A Popular Sketch of Indian Animals in their Relations with the People by John Lockwood Kipling

Published in 1904, by the father of Rudyard Kipling, this little book contains more than the details of horse breeds and the often-comical sayings about animals. These sayings reveal a great deal about the late nineteenth century in India under the British Raj. It also inadvertently describes the bigotry and attitudes of the British administrative class towards Indians (Orientals, as they are called in the book.) In part funny, engaging and cringy, this honest little book was written to amuse members of the British public who were curious about their largest colony, India. While it shows a keen interest in the animals and customs of Indians, sadly, now, it reflects far more than the author ever intended, his own arrogance and disdain for Indians.

Next on my list: Canary in the Coal Mine by Charles Salzberg

Why did I pick it up? I attended CrimeConn, the crimewriters conference recently and met Charles Salzberg. He moderated a brilliant panel devoted to the justice system—it included folks that worked within it, some that help inmates reintegrate into society, and some that were impacted by the justice system (read, lived through imprisonment). The book is a hardboiled mystery, and I like to mix up my reading, so will take this on the plane when I travel next week. The premise intrigued me: A NY city PI who suffers from anger management issues and insomnia is hired by a beautiful woman to find her husband, dead or alive.