[BWF] A Disappearance in Fiji by Nilima Rao ★★★★

[Tien]

Historical police procedural in Fiji!! A fascinating choice of setting for both time and place, I think, but seeing author's backgroun being Fijian Indian Australian, I can see her reasoning.

Akal Singh is a fairly new arrival in Fiji. His meteoric rise in Hong Kong suddenly came to a halt when he made a mistake. He is keen to prove himself in Fiji so he may return to metropolitan Hong Kong. However, as he will find out, there may be more important things to do & save.

I listened to the audiobook so I think the narrator did a pretty bang up job with all the accents from British to Indian to Fijian. I don't particularly have the best ears for accents so for me to identify them, this was a job well done.

With the setting comes historical factor when Indian coolies were 'contracted' and shipped to Fiji to work in plantation as no local Fijians could be employed. This fact I have heard of but there wasn't much to read (fiction-wise) out there so having a mystery shrouded in this particular setting was rather interesting. And even more so, when you have a Sikh who was seen just as low as the coolies by the whites while he, the Sikh, sees himself above the coolies. Prejudices all around... I am looking forward to the next instalment and hope to see Akal Singh developed better and better as protagonist.

BWF - Letter R - 23x historical-mystery