Murder in Shimla

by Bulbul Sharma

When, at the height of World War II, an uninvited guest arrives at a dinner party at Chartsville Hall, the Assistant Deputy Commissioner’s house in Shimla, the lives of its inmates are thrown into turmoil. Especially when the guest is blonde and beautiful—and found dead in her bed the next morning.Who is Rosa Rodriguez and why did she come to Chartsville Hall? In the answer to that question lies the key to solving the murder. Inspector Ram Sen sets about diligently finding it, ably assisted by the redoubtable Mrs Tweedy, who knows everything that goes on in Shimla, though she hardly ever leaves her little cottage.

The line-up of suspects includes William Parker-Smith, the seemingly bland and boring Assistant Deputy Commissioner, his wife Helen, a very pukka English memsahib, and his acid-tongued sister, Emily; the gin-swilling Rani Sahiba of Manon and her dashing ADC, Johnny Singh; and a disgruntled domestic staff, led by Matilda, Helen’s faithful ayah.

Which of them had a hand in Rosa’s murder—and why? As Ram Sen and Mrs Tweedy, with help from William’s gentle niece, Mary, and Boris, the taciturn Russian, unravel the mystery, they are led into the murky world of the Lower Mall, of drug dealers and opium addicts, spies and assassins.

With her unerring ear for dialogue and skilfully drawn characters, Bulbul Sharma recreates the world of the British Raj—complete with English memsahibs who stroll down the Mall with their parasols, mansions with manicured lawns, and Brigadiers and their ladies who can crack a crime over bridge at the club. In the tradition of Agatha Christie and Alexander McCall Smith, Murder in Shimla doesn’t let up on the mystery and suspense until the last page.

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 10, 2020

Reviews

[Jan Lehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

History and intrigue

A surprise find, strong characters,a intricate plot line and a historical setting. India 's complex history intermingled with a mystery ,set in pre ww2 time, makes for a interesting read. It does not portray the British tenure in India, in a very favorable light ,as many others have also expressed.

[Nirbhay Kanoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bulbul Sharma's Murder In Shimla is an old school whodunit. It reads like an Agatha Christie but isn't as well-crafted. It has an eclectic cast of character (Colonial Sahibs, Maharanis, nosy old women (much like Ms. Marple), loyal servants, Chinese drug dealers, etc).

I found the writing slightly paint-by-numbersesque - Sharma uses an adjective before every noun, sprinkles a few 'big words here and there; its technically fine, but it lacked depth and nuance.

It's a decent enough, if not terrible exciting, read for a rainy monsoon day.

[ColeenAL · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read for killing time, but somewhere I felt that, the real essence of a crime fiction - "THE THRILL" was missing, which I was expecting to find in it...
Overall a good book for beginners who are looking for some light mystery read and want to further enrich their reading habits.

[Shilna · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is a super story i have interest in horror type story but it is not high level horror but it is a nice story book

[Lina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Bulbul Sharma and this book was lovely to read. I utterly enjoyed it.

[Prisha Shah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sorry but this book gave me nothing. It wasent exciting me or giving me a solid reason to continue the book. Maybe this book wasent for me. The writing was really nice and humorous.